The Tower Plaza tower overlooks the former Golden Skate property and proposed site for Vancouver's second Safe Stay Community on Wednesday. Dice Age Games owner Roy Starkweather said property owners within 1,200 feet of the site were invited to tour the original supportive site to see how it's operated. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
Vancouver city staff and local service providers outlined Tuesday their initiative to provide an additional transitional housing community, furthering their goal of providing security and stability to the area’s homeless population.
During the virtual community input session, staff discussed their plan to add a second Safe Stay Community on city-owned property at 4915 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., site of the former Golden Skate.
Those who spoke or wrote in during the forum were supportive of the initiative and asked questions related to how people in the first supportive site benefited from living there. However, not everyone present engaged in the discussion.
There will be an additional forum at 4 p.m. today for people to speak about the new supportive community. The second site is scheduled to open in the spring after the input period and final city council approval.
The meetings were arranged after property owners within 1,200 feet of the site received a letter announcing the city’s intention to establish a Safe Stay Community at the location, which is tucked into a commercial district. In the letter, the city noted the former Golden Skate property was close to public transportation, making it ideal for the site’s future residents to commute to work.
Roy Starkweather, owner of Dice Age Games, said he isn’t concerned about the new site because its residents will be in a supervised environment where they can receive help. City staff offered property owners within the vicinity a tour of the first Safe Stay Community in the North Image neighborhood at 11400 N.E. 51st Circle — 4 miles away — to get acquainted with how it’s operated.
In its nearly two-month operation, three people found jobs, one enrolled in online school, three are in substance abuse treatment and two received necessary health care, said Jamie Spinelli, Vancouver homeless outreach coordinator. Several others applied for driver’s licenses and Social Security cards.
Vancouver’s Homelessness Assistance and Resources Team and local nonprofits will help relocate unhoused people to the site, many of whom live in camps along the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway and Stapleton Road. Those who are referred to a Safe Stay Community write a letter describing why they want to live there, which is reviewed by service providers.
Each Vancouver Safe Stay Community has 20 modular shelters and can temporarily house up to 40 people. The sites, which are operated by a nonprofit 24/7, provide residents access to sanitation services, portable toilets and handwashing stations, communal spaces and connections to local resources provided by local agencies.
Spinelli said each location must have adequate access to public transit, be equitably dispersed throughout the city, avoid areas that are economically vulnerable and be near places that are familiar to houseless residents.
Mindfully scattering the clusters within Vancouver avoids overburdening neighboring businesses and homes. This move is essential in preventing something similar to the failed Navigation Center project from happening again, she said, as it resulted in homeless people overflowing from the shelter into neighboring areas. Camping within 1,000 feet of the supportive community is prohibited to comply with the city’s camping ordinance, she added, and reduces potential tenting.
Deputy City Manager Lon Pluckhahn said the city’s goal is to have four or five of these shelter clusters, in addition to establishing more Safe Parking Zones. Vancouver’s response to homelessness shifted from an emergency-centered approach, usually involving police officers, to a community-oriented approach with service providers, he said.
“What we’ve seen so far is nothing short of astounding,” Pluckhahn said. “It is the foundation we were hoping it would be for people to rebuild their lives.”
Living Hope Church was awarded a $552,212 contract to manage the second location. Brian Norris, associate pastor, noted that the additional community will run similarly to the original Safe Stay Community — emphasizing that it isn’t a camp, rather a “transitional village.” The church partnered with Outsiders Inn, the first supportive site’s operator, to glean advice from its experience.
The North Image site has been successful quicker than anticipated, said Adam Kravitz, Outsider’s Inn executive director. Most of the residents are walking with their heads held high, equipped with a new sense of pride, he said.
“We share our journey together, and here is where the magic happens,” Kravitz said.
The deadline to submit comments about the Fourth Plain site is Monday. Comments can be directed to beheard@cityofvancouver.us and 360-487-8626. Those who wish to receive email updates can sign up on Be Heard Vancouver.
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