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SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. – More than 10,000 needles will be removed from a vacant 15-acre homeless settlement in Everett, kicking off a three to four week cleanup effort led by volunteers.
Lush foliage adorns the side of the road from Meridian Ave S to Everett, but beyond the trees you’ll find a maze of man-made trails leading to now vacant homeless settlements.
For years, it is estimated that between 30 and 50 campers have called the 15-acre space, which stretches from Puget Park to 130th Street, their home.
Now the campers are gone, but the remains of the camps remain. The area is filled with garbage and needles.
Sharp objects dot the ground and even cling to trees.
“Pay attention, do you need a hand? Jim Phelps asked, as he led a KIRO-7 team through the various camps.
Phelps is the vice president of the Handover project, a Snohomish County nonprofit homeless advocacy group and resource facilitator.
On Sunday, his team of 50 volunteers made their way through the area, one trail and one camp at a time, using trash pickers to sift through trash on the ground and carefully pick up and dispose of needles.
In just over an hour, the group collected hundreds of needles. But, at the end of the day, they expect that number to exceed 10,000.
“They are human beings, and they are so far from helping and feel desperate, that it is heartbreaking to see how people really live, they are so out of touch with society, that all doors are closed, and nothing can help, that’s what it really looks like and it feels right here, ”said Phelps.
The Needle Cleaning, known as the 10,000 Needle Initiative, marks the start of a cleaning project of at least three weeks. The association’s efforts began two weeks earlier when they first came to the camps to raise awareness.
“We usually come two weeks before the project with a group of volunteers, they are really advocates who want to stand with the people and provide resources, to provide the people in the camps with the resources they need. it’s drug rehab, treatment, housing… We really try to provide a space in the wards where we stand with people and don’t just hand them a business card, ”explained Phelps.
“Our goal is for the community to truly view these people as human beings and for the problem not to be solved from the top,” continued Phelps. “In order for people to feel seen and recognized as human beings, you must walk side by side with them and walk by their side on this path of recovery.”
While anyone can volunteer, for many the cause is personal, having faced their own struggles with drug addiction, crime and homelessness.
“I was actually on the wrong side of it, I was selling drugs,” said Jeffery Barquet.
Barquet said he changed his life after a stint in prison in the early 2000s. Since his release, he has dedicated his time to The Hand Up Project, helping with various cleanup efforts.
“I tore families apart and helped create this and I want to give back and clean up,” Barquet said. “I feel like it’s me who am recovering well with God, I am recovering well with everyone I have harmed in life.”
After a day of needle mitigation, the group will move on to a general cleanup, removing trash, structures and other debris.
The cleaning will take about three weeks.
The Hand Up project is currently in need of volunteers. Click on HERE to learn more.
© 2021 Cox Media Group
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