PORT TOWNSEND — As the city of Port Townsend’s scheduled clearing of a homeless encampment approaches, a group of public servants and service providers are weighing their options.
In mid-September, the city announced its decision to disband the encampment behind the Department of Social and Health Services building on Nov. 3.
“We don’t have housing available right now,” said Viola Ware, Olympic Community Action Programs’ director of housing and community development, referring not only to OlyCAP’s available housing, but to housing providers in general. “We can assess people, we can prioritize them, but when there are no openings, there’s nowhere for them to go.”
One path being pursued is to locate a piece of land which would satisfy city or county code for a sanctioned encampment.
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