Local councilors told mayor to close the shelter

Zimmerman and Clark were bending Mayor Wilson's ear

Councilor Eric Zimmerman had run out of patience with the troubled shelter operation.

Days before the mayor’s office announced that the Northrup Street Shelter would be closed, District 4 City Councilor Eric Zimmerman talked about the shelter’s future in an exclusive interview with the NW Examiner.

The full interview will be published soon, but in light of today’s announcement, Zimmerman’s comments on the subject are of particular interest:

Was siting the shelter on Northrup Street a mistake?

The closer a shelter is to residential [the more] you have to bring a hell of a lot of neighborhood services, and you have to have very strict enforcement. … That’s what I encouraged the mayor to do. I think they’ve missed the mark at Northrup: the enforcement side—exactly what some of us councilors predicted would happen at 6 and 8 o’clock in the morning is happening.

Do you think it should be closed?

At this point, I do. … The impact that shelter is having on the Pearl District right now has been extreme. … It trickles throughout the whole wider district, which is what we all said was going to happen when we were at the Armory [town hall last summer]. And that’s come true.

After the announcement, Zimmerman affirmed, “It’s time. Northrup Shelter is an example of what happens when a shelter plops down in the middle of a residential neighborhood without enough cleanup services and neighborhood enhancement.”

Clark had also seen enough

District 4 Councilor Olivia Clark could also say, “I told you so.”

At the April Pearl District Neighborhood Association board meeting, Clark said Mayor Wilson has let the community down.

“The mayor has not lived up to the promises that were made about the engagement zone when we met back in July,” Clark said.

“I have talked to him very directly about this, and I said, ‘I want you to know that I’m going to advocate closing the Northrup Shelter.’”

In a prepared statement today, Clark added, “While I am concerned about the humanitarian crisis on our streets, I’m also concerned about the public safety and public health impacts that this shelter has had on the surrounding dense urban neighborhood. The engagement zone promises were not adequately met, creating real problems for small businesses and residents walking on the sidewalks and using neighborhood parks and streets.”

The other District 4 councilor, Mitch Green, was invited to comment but has not yet responded.

The final day of shelter operation is unknown. Early termination of the 12-year lease entails a sixth-month penalty, but the lease provides for two options: Giving 120-day notice or ending occupancy at the end of the fiscal year (June 30). The mayor’s office has not specified which course it is taking.

The monthly lease rate is $18,000.