The Clark County Council on Wednesday got an update on the progress of Vancouver Bridge Shelter, set to open this next winter, as well as a synopsis of a meeting between law enforcement officials and the Ending Community Homelessness Organization

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

The homeless were on the minds of the Clark County Council on Wednesday.

During Council Time on Wednesday, the councilors heard updates on the Bridge Shelter being built in Vancouver as well as a debriefing on the Ending Community Homelessness Organization’s recent roundtable discussion with law enforcement officials from throughout the county.

Jordan Boege, policy analyst for Clark County, advised the council that construction for the Bridge Shelter is on track to be completed by this fall. The city of Vancouver expects the 120-bed shelter, located at 5313 NE 94th Ave., in the Van Mall Neighborhood, to open this winter.

While the city will operate the Bridge Shelter, Clark County has had a significant say in the shelter’s development. The council OK’d $2.75 million toward the project from the Clark County Opioid Abatement Council and another $2.1 million was approved from the Clark County Mental Health Sales Tax.

Boege said he wanted to ensure the councilors were aware of the shelter’s progress.

“That is moving along and they are currently on track,” Boege said of the shelter.

Boege then gave a summary of the recent panel discussion between the Ending Community Housing Organization (ECHO) and representatives from law enforcement agencies, including the Clark County Sheriff as well as police chiefs from Battle Ground, Camas, and Ridgefield.

“It was a long, robust conversation,” Boege said, noting that the two-hour meeting could have gone on for another two hours.

Among Boege’s takeaways:

In terms of responding to mental health crises, or people camping on public property, different jurisdictions have different approaches and protocols.

“Generally, our law enforcement folks are trying to connect our residents with services wherever possible,” Boege said.

Law enforcement, Boege pointed out, appreciates the CARES team, which is the Community Assistance Referral and Education Services team that works with Clark-Cowlitz Fire and Rescue. Law enforcement and that team work together to help people in need.

Law enforcement leaders also noted that their officers or deputies often become the default people to call.

“Officers are asking to do more and take on roles that are perhaps often better suited to folks who are in social services,” Boege said.

The panel touched on misconceptions, as well. If a resident calls to complain about an encampment, for example, law enforcement cannot always immediately improve the situation.

“People have rights even if they are homeless,” Boege relayed what law enforcement leaders said. “The chiefs were talking about the fact that they can’t just snap their fingers and make someone go somewhere else. People have the right to exist in public, and being homeless is not a crime.”

One chief noted that while he worked in a different state, he had witnessed overly aggressive law enforcement behavior toward the homeless. Those interactions can hurt a department in the long run.

The Clark County law enforcement officials also agreed that they could do a better job of staying connected to one another, to help one another.

Ridgefield Police Chief Cathy Doriot capped the meeting by saying this is a great step, but let’s not make it the last step.

“I thought that was a nice note to close on,” Boege said. “It was a really productive conversation, but I think it’s really just kind of the first push at how we can work together better.”

The hope, Boege told the councilors, is that ECHO can take this information and provide recommendations to our governing bodies in an effort to reduce homeless numbers.