PRESS RELEASE - City to Proceed With Cleaning Up Encampment Near DSHS & Evans Vista

Superior Court of Jefferson County denied a request for a temporary restraining order.

PORT TOWNSEND – In an October 31, 2025 Superior Court hearing presided over by Judge Brandon Mack, a temporary restraining order was not granted to plaintiff Michele Goodwin that would have prevented the City from cleaning an encampment near DSHS and Evans Vista as planned. The City appreciates that the community is engaged and interested in the severity of the situation at the encampment and the need to address issues faced by people experiencing homelessness as well as the larger housing crisis here in East Jefferson County.

The City’s goal is to comply with our code, which is intended to ameliorate the inhumane conditions at the encampment. We are thankful to our local service partners to help with wraparound services. The City will continue to work with providers to encourage people to find places where they can get out of the cold weather and into an environment that has running water, sanitary sewer services, garbage services, and trained management staff to help connect people with services they need.

On Wednesday, October 29, a permit application was submitted to expand an existing facility. Emma Bolin, Director of Planning and Community Development, says, “Thank you to Bayside Housing and Services for submitting a permit to expand their facility at Pat’s Place to accommodate several additional campers. As of this press release we are issuing this permit.”

Along with the Police team, the City thanks Michael McCutcheon for daily communication with people living in the encampment helping them plan for the November 3 camp closure with compassion and respect. “One of our values as a Police Department is compassion and we take that really seriously and so we spend about 80% of our time community caretaking,” says Police Chief Tom Olson. Over the coming days the City will continue to post notices and the Police team will be at the site alongside service providers with booths and tables set up, including the LEAD Team, REAL Team, and Bayside Housing and Services who are prepared to provide campsites, temporary hotel rooms, and other supportive services.

Public Works Director Steve King states, “Governmental systems are systems that are less focused on individuals and more about consistency of application of standards and codes. Whether in a police arena or public works or planning, we have these systems. You can look at government as the boundary setters for the minimum requirements supporting public health and safety. That's why our partnerships are so very important, because the service providers can leverage their skills attuned to what individuals need, really bringing it all together. We're providing a core fundamental system which often looks cold but it's actually a valuable part of reaching that outcome of public health and safety, and is a system made up of compassionate individuals.”

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For background see:

Supporting Documents

PDF icon October 31, 2025 City of PT Press Release: Encampment Update (221 KB)
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