Chelan County and several partnering agencies completed the final day of cleanup on a large homeless encampment in Malaga.
The site was on 3.5 acres of county-owned land along the Malaga-Alcoa Highway across from Lower Hedges Road. It took three days to clean up the site.
Chelan County Community Services Manager Amber Hallberg said the focus of the multi-agency effort was about health and safety. The camp’s condition caused concerns for the people living there as well as the crew working to clean it up.
“We were able to make contact with seven people during the four visits from the Chelan County Homeless Housing Network staff, the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) and Chelan County Code Enforcement,” Hallberg said. “Only two people refused connection to services. Others already were enrolled in services, or had a plan in place for shelter.”
Prior to cleanup efforts getting underway, the Chelan County Homeless Housing Network staff and BHU visited the site on at least four occasions to offer shelter and housing assistance through the Coordinated Entry program. Coordinated Entry is the access point for local services for people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of experiencing homelessness. It matches people to local programs and services and grants immediate needs when possible.
“On the day of the cleanup, we spoke with clients as they packed their belongings and they stated that they were grateful Chelan County provided them enough notice to be able to make a plan,” Hallberg said.
"No person on the property was cited for trespassing, which was a big success in itself," said Chelan County Sheriff's Sgt. Dan McCue. “We are thrilled that the outreach prior to the cleanup worked,” McCue said. “The agencies worked very well together, prioritizing community safety and health. We even got a few people housed.”
Overseeing the cleanup effort was Chelan County Solid Waste, joined by Douglas County Solid Waste, Chelan County Public Works and railroad contractor Layland Construction of Roy, Wash.
An estimated 5,060 pounds of metal and 130 cubic yards of garbage were removed from the site, which included two camps adjacent to or close to the main site.
“A number of factors caused concerns for the cleanup, including crew safety, weather, the tall vegetation on site and limited site accessibility, but crews were able to make steady progress in those three days,” said Kris Perry, Chelan County Solid Waste Manager. “Two mini-excavators, a loader and four dump trucks were brought in from Public Works to assist in the efforts.”
Cost of the cleanup is unknown at this time but is estimated to be at least $30,000.
“Homelessness is a regional problem, and it was exciting to see so many agencies come together these last three days,” Perry said.
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