Stories by Mia Ryder-Marks

Columbian staff reporter

@miarydermarks

(360) 735-4547

mia.ryder-marks@columbian.com

A sign near Vancouver City Hall depicts development plans for the area as some residents begin to pack their belongings and leave.

One of the cleaner and safer homeless camps, ‘City Hall camp’ to be removed to make way for Vancouver development

November 14, 2023, 6:05am Business

One of Vancouver’s most visible encampments — dubbed the “city hall camp” by some locals due to its proximity to the building — will be largely removed Thursday to make way for development on the site. Read story

Lonny Klugman, a member of the city of Vancouver's Homeless Assistance and Resources Team, talks to an encampment resident outside Vancouver City Hall. Klugman is a veteran who experienced homelessness and uses his experience to help others.

From service to civilian: Veterans with lived experience now confront homelessness in veteran community

November 11, 2023, 6:14am Clark County News

Today is Veterans Day, which since 1938 has been a day set aside to honor military veterans. Today is also a day when, in Clark County, an estimated 83 veterans are without homes. Read story

More than half of the population of homeless students in Clark County are people of color.

New study finds a majority of Clark County’s homeless students are students of color

November 11, 2023, 6:08am Clark County News

A new study released last month shows a majority of Clark County’s homeless students are students of color. Read story

Shelter beds are ready in the Winter Hospitality Overflow shelter at St. Paul Luther Church in Vancouver. Congregations and nonprofit organizations in Clark County are working to expand the number of winter shelter beds available with Satellite Overflow Shelters at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Immanuel Lutheran Church and River City Church. Other locations will provide more beds in the event of extreme winter weather.

Vancouver service providers add 100 more beds to winter shelters; they hope to ‘make a difference’ for families

November 10, 2023, 6:01am Clark County News

Various faith congregations and nonprofit organizations have joined together to expand the number of emergency shelter beds available to community members. Read story

Vancouver’s Homelessness Response Coordinator Jamie Spinelli (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)

Vancouver officials explain emergency declaration for homelessness

November 7, 2023, 7:37pm Clark County News

In a Tuesday interview with The Columbian, Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes, Vancouver’s Homelessness Response Coordinator Jamie Spinelli and Vancouver City Councilor Ty Stober spoke in more detail about why a civil emergency for homelessness was declared and plans for addressing the issue. Read story

New emergency homelessness orders will allow Vancouver to restrict more camping, move faster on solutions

Construction continues at the third Safe Stay community in downtown Vancouver on Tuesday morning, Nov. 7, 2023. The city approved emergency declaration for homelessness on Monday night.

November 7, 2023, 11:17am Clark County News

The Vancouver City Council ratified three emergency orders Monday regarding homelessness, allowing the city to access emergency reserve funds, forgo some processes for accessing resources and designate up to 48 acres of public property and rights-of-way closed to camping. Read story

Vancouver declares civil emergency: ‘Homelessness … continues to threaten the lives of residents of the city of Vancouver’

Tents sit in an empty lot behind Vancouver City Hall. Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes declared a civic emergency on Friday in response to what the city describes as a "perfect storm" of increased criminal activity and drug use in camps and a growing disinterest among camp residents in getting help.

Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes has declared a civil emergency in response to growing homelessness in the city; rising criminal activity and drug use in camps; and a general disinterest among the unhoused population in getting help. Read story