Vancouver staff report progress on sheltering, plan to close Mill Plain sound-wall encampment

Vancouver City Council workshop — City staff on the HEART (Homelessness, Emergency Assistance, Response Team) reported progress on winter sheltering, housing placements and coordinated enforcement and said the city will set a date to close the Mill Plain sound-wall encampment and declare the area off-limits under an existing emergency order.

The HEART team provided December 2024 and year-end figures and described an ongoing pilot to move people from temporary “safe stays” into housing. Jamie Spinelli, homeless response manager, said VHA (Vancouver Housing Authority) identified 29 units that the agency wanted filled quickly and that staff were working to move roughly that many people from safe-stay sites into the units "as rapidly as we can." Spinelli said the units came back into service after repairs related to a flood and were being prioritized for safe-stay residents.

The update matters because the Mill Plain sound wall has been a focal point for neighborhood safety and public-health concerns, and the city faces simultaneous operational demands: sheltering people through winter, clearing encampments when required, and providing housing exits so closed sites do not re-form.

HEART reported that winter shelter capacity increased by at least 60 beds through city facility use, and that the Art Center winter shelter…