News / Politics / Clark County Politics

Vancouver plans to close sound wall homeless camp along Mill Plain

The stretch has been home to a homeless camp for years and the subject of frustration for neighbors

By Alexis Weisend, Columbian staff reporter

Published: February 25, 2025, 12:08pm

Cpl. Sean Metevia, left, joins cleanup crews and members of the city of Vancouver’s Homelessness Assistance and Resource Team as they remove solid waste along the West Mill Plain Boulevard sound wall in the shadow of a neighbor’s home on July 31, 2024. The city will close the sound wall to camping March 5 after almost a year of complaints from neighbors. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)

The city of Vancouver will close the West Mill Plain Boulevard sound wall to camping March 5 after almost a year of complaints from neighbors.

Winter weather delayed the city’s original goal of closing the camp in February, said Jamie Spinelli, the city’s homeless response manager.

A sound wall — built to dampen the noise from Mill Plain traffic for residents — divides the camp from the backyards of homeowners but has done little to prevent problems from spilling into the neighborhood.

The homeless camp in the Hough neighborhood has grown from a few people to a little more than 50 in the past year, though issues with camping around the sound wall date back a decade.

Neighbors have flooded Vancouver City Council meetings for months, complaining about screaming, homeless people wandering the neighborhood, fires and public drug use. Some have considered selling their homes.

The council discussed closing the camp in September but agreed on a slower approach, partially to prevent people with nowhere else to go from migrating into the neighborhood.

The city’s Homelessness Assistance and Resource Team has been working to move people into one of the city’s four Safe Stay communities, which consist of sleeping huts surrounded by a fence.

Out of the 52 people counted as living in the sound wall camp in October, about half have moved into or are scheduled to move into a Safe Stay. Ten people moved to another area, and 15 people declined shelter, Spinelli told the council Monday.

Although some people have replaced those who have left the sound wall, the city’s Homelessness Assistance and Resource Team will work on getting them into Safe Stays as more spots open, Spinelli said.

About 35 people were left in the camp as of Monday, Spinelli said.

Although the city has discussed methods for preventing people from returning to the site, such as fencing or shrubbery, the city’s only plans for next week are to put up signs saying the area is closed to camping, Spinelli said.

This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.

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