Chelan County Removes Large Malaga Homeless Encampment

Chelan County officials finished the removal of a large homeless encampment in Malaga on Friday (Dec. 20).

The County says the site was located on over three acres of county-owned land along Malaga-Alcoa Highway near Lower Hedges Road.

Work to clear the site took a total of three days and began on Wednesday morning.
Chelan County Community Services Manager, Amber Hallberg, says the multi-agency effort was focused on the health and safety of the encampment's residents and that conditions at the site had been the cause for many recent concerns related to both.

“We were able to make contact with seven people during the four visits from the Chelan County Homeless Housing Network (CCHHN) staff, the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) and Chelan County Code Enforcement,” said Hallberg. “Only two people refused connection to services. Others already were enrolled in services, or had a plan in place for shelter.”

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Prior to any cleanup efforts, CCHHN and BHU staff visited the encampment on at least four separate occasions to offer shelter and housing assistance through the Coordinated Entry program, which is an access point for local services for those experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

“On the day of the cleanup, we spoke with clients as they packed their belongings and they stated that they were grateful Chelan County provided them enough notice to be able to make a plan,” Hallberg said.

No one living at the property was cited for trespassing, which Chelan County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Dan McCue said marked a major success.

“We are thrilled that the outreach prior to the cleanup worked,” said McCue. “The agencies worked very well together, prioritizing community safety and health. We even got a few people housed.”

Chelan County Solid Waste provided oversaw the cleanup effort, in conjunction with Douglas County Solid Waste, the Chelan County Public Works Department, and BNSF’s contractor Layland Construction of Roy, Wash.

Over 5,000 pounds of metal and 130 cubic yards of garbage had been removed from the site by the end of the cleanup's second day, and county officials expect the final amounts to be even greater.

The scrap metal was taken to the Dryden Transfer Station, while the refuse was hauled to the Greater Wenatchee Regional Landfill in East Wenatchee.

“A number of factors caused concerns for the cleanup, including crew safety, weather, the tall vegetation on site and limited site accessibility, but crews were able to make steady progress in those three days,” said Kris Perry, Chelan County Solid Waste manager. “Two mini-excavators, a loader and four dump trucks were brought in from Public Works to assist in the efforts.”

The exact cost of the cleanup effort is still being calculated, but county officials estimate it will be roughly $30,000.

“Homelessness is a regional problem, and it was exciting to see so many agencies come together these last three days,” Perry said. “We are especially thankful for the cleanup assistance from Douglas County and Layland Construction, both of whom have experience with this work.”

The cleanup was prompted by a new code that was passed by the County on Oct. 29 which states that any unauthorized use of county property is considered a public nuisance.

Following the passage of the code, county commissioners then enacted a policy that outlines how a variety of departments can respond to a site, once it has been identified as a homeless encampment.

In a statement issued Friday by Chelan County, officials said the new code and associated policies are a "tool to protect county property while also reaching out to people living in homeless encampments to offer them any community services they may need."