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 served 63 individuals since it opened Dec. 14 while a shelter at the (Czech/Choklau) site served 28. Spinelli said the partners running those shelters adapted staffing and services because Outsider’s Inn, the operator, historically serves single adults and couples but has accommodated children and family needs at the winter sites.

Spinelli gave additional operational numbers: 16 people were moved into housing across all sites in December; 17 people were referred to the VHA pilot that identified the 29 units; three people obtained employment; eight obtained identification or Social Security cards; six entered detox or treatment; and six celebrated sobriety milestones. On mortality, staff said 53 people were memorialized for 2024 at the annual homeless memorial, with about 50 percent of those deaths attributed to overdose or substance use; staff said that 53 is a minimum figure and additional names often are added after further record checks. Staff reported three additional deaths after the memorial ceremony, two of them overdoses.

Staff reported large service loads for emergency responders: more than 3,000 calls for service related to unsheltered homelessness in 2024, with about 428 related to fire and about 2,700 related to rescue and EMS. Spinelli said police data showed roughly 10 percent of calls for service were homelessness-related, and that nearly 12 percent of total control time during the measured period was spent on unsheltered-homelessness calls.

The HEART team described stronger operational coordination with VPD and court partners. Spinelli said coordinated cleanups and partnership with law enforcement have led to community-court referrals and arrests when felony warrants were present. She said community-court dockets had grown to about 84 people at a time in some weeks and that the partnership aims to sort people who need services from those whose conduct requires criminal processing.

Council members pressed staff on timing for closing the Mill Plain sound-wall encampment. Councilor Anne Fox urged staff to set a date, arguing it could reduce neighborhood anxiety and give clarity to residents living at the site. Spinelli said choosing a date relies on multiple capacities — enforcement, public-works cleanup crews and shelter availability — and that staff would check with police and public works and try to nail down timing. She added that when the date is identified the city manager would be asked to declare the location off-limits to camping under the current emergency order so the site does not immediately reseat as another encampment.

Council members also raised operational details: the city will avoid moving people in the two weeks before the HUD-mandated point-in-time count to preserve the count’s accuracy; staff said the count is scheduled for the 30th (the meeting referenced the point-in-time count day). Staff discussed use of severe-weather shelters and flexibility for people whose housing move-in dates are imminent when a site closure is scheduled.

Questions from councilors also covered neighborhood outreach and mitigation. Spinelli said HEART had notified neighbors about temporary permit extensions for safe-stay sites, had received mostly positive feedback, and that staff are exploring replanting and beautification of closed sites with Urban Forestry and Public Works. She said neighbors around the sound wall have regular email contact with her team but that neighbors typically ask only that camps be removed.

No formal council action was taken at the workshop. Staff said they will return with more precise timing for the sound-wall closure, continue the VHA pilot to place people into the 29 identified units, and report back at planned future briefings and the March workshop on the safe-stay program’s longer-term options.

Ending — Staff requested council guidance on operational refinements and said more detailed implementation timing and the final safe-stay policy options will return to council for future decisions.