City staff presented a consolidated homelessness situation report to the Vancouver City Council on Aug. 18, summarizing encampment outreach, shelter placements, cleanup tonnages and steps toward an interim bridge shelter.

Jamie (staff member) reported that since the 2024 homeless memorial (mid-December) the city has documented 19 deaths of people connected with homelessness, compared with 30 by the same point the prior year. Jamie said the proportion of deaths connected to overdose has risen as a share of the total.

On the Burnt Bridge Creek encampment closure in July, staff said they developed a by-name list of 41 people to focus shelter openings on. Of those 41, 23 accepted and entered shelter; 10 quickly exited shelter; 10 declined shelter engagement; 2 were ineligible; 6 had moved from the area; and 13 remained in shelter from the original list at the time of the report. Jamie said there were no arrests or citations on the day of closure. Staff removed about 7 tons of material from the Andreessen site specifically and about 3 tons from other parts of Burnt Bridge; year-to-date the city has removed 191.15 tons of solid waste from public property.

Safe Stays and Safe Park outcomes for the two-month reporting period included 10 people housed across all sites and about 30 people lined up or referred for housing, eight people who obtained jobs, three who secured interviews, and 14 people participating in treatment or detox. Jamie emphasized that smaller measures of engagement (agreeing to meet a case manager, attending a site meeting) are important milestones for people newly accessing services.

Community Court statistics included 134 new citations with roughly 33 opting into Community Court, nine people graduating, 61 hours of community service completed, four participants in treatment services and seven moving into temporary housing.

On the bridge shelter project, Jamie reported demolition of the existing on-site building began in June and finished in July, leaving a cleared property. Staff said the city had obtained outside grants from the county and from PeaceHealth and purchased a pre‑engineered metal building for the shelter. The land use permit was reviewed and building permit plans submitted and under review. An RFP for early procurement of switchgear was released and closed on Aug. 13; staff anticipate issuing an invitation to bid for a contractor in late August or early September. The city manager noted he signed an amendment to the purchase agreement for the bridge shelter and said the city will own the property "very shortly." He praised internal coordination among departments to speed permitting and procurement.

Staff recognized partner contributions from organizations including the NOW volunteers, GIS staff (Neil), Secure 30 Niners and service providers such as Council for the Homeless and VHA. Councilors thanked staff and noted visible improvements on trails and at public spaces following the encampment closure and cleanup.

No formal council motions were taken as part of the report; council heard updates, asked questions and expressed appreciation.