Olympia seeks private company to clean up homeless camps

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Officials in Olympia are seeking a private contractor to clean up homeless camps.

The Olympia City Council accepted applications through Thursday, and it is expected to approve a contract by Dec. 6, the Olympian newspaper reported.

Officials are looking for a company with trained staff and proper protective gear because human waste and dirty needles will likely be encountered. The one-year contract caps city spending at $299,000.

“We don’t target homeless encampments,” city spokeswoman Kellie Braseth said. “We don’t sweep them. When a camp triggers a public health and safety concern, the city has a responsibility to act.”

City officials decided to go with a private contractor after a tire on a city vehicle was slashed while a probation crew of inmates doing community service cleared debris from a campsite in September near the Olympia Woodland Trail.

Officials say current procedures will remain in place for camp cleanups. That means campers will be given 72 hours to vacate their sites. Items of value must be delivered to the Olympia Police Department headquarters where campers can claim their belongings within 60 days.

Olympia resident Jim Rainwood has tracked homeless camps along the Woodland Trail since 2013, handing out trash bags as an introduction. He said many of the people living in the woods have mental health issues, drug addiction or outstanding warrants.

“The best thing we can do is move people into housing,” he said, “and make it clear that the woods is not where you want to go.”

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