South Plaza encampment update

After two weeks of working with homeless support services, speaking with organizers, and hearing from employees and neighbors, the college received assistance from the city of Seattle this morning to clear the illegal encampment at the South Plaza without incident.

The college asked for the city’s help only after exhausting every other avenue to get the campers to voluntarily leave the site, including assistance with housing placements. We needed to take action because the encampment had become a safety and health hazard.

The college partnered with the Low Income Housing Institute to assist 20 of the people who were camping on the site, identifying placements and providing transportation to housing. The campers who remained on site after Monday night were offered alternative housing and support services by Navigation Team members. 

The encampment was set up illegally after the clearing of the Capitol Hill Organized Protest on July 1, when some of the people camping at Cal Anderson Park moved their sites to the lawn at the edge of the campus.

The South Plaza lawn will be temporarily fenced off to the public while it is being cleaned up. 

We thank our community, staff, and students for their patience through this difficult situation.

Sincerely,

Sheila Edwards Lange, PhD
President, Seattle Central College