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‘It’s not a safe place for us’: Homeless camp along Mill Plain sound wall sparks fear, anger in neighbors
Marina Vile always dreamed of owning a home, especially after experiencing homelessness briefly as a child. At 28, she purchased a blue house with a lush garden in Vancouver’s Hough neighborhood.
She had no idea a homeless camp growing behind her backyard would force her to consider selling a mere four years later. The sound of screaming and the sight of drug use has become a regular part of her life in her once idyllic home. Once, while she was working in her backyard office, she heard people panic after finding a body just 10 feet from her.
“It’s been really challenging, and it’s been really heartbreaking,” Vile said. “I have empathy for the situation, but this is my lifelong dream.”
The homeless camp along the sound wall on West Mill Plain Boulevard in Vancouver has grown from a few tents to more than 30 people in the past year. After months of complaints from neighbors, the Vancouver City Council on Monday will discuss closing the area to camping, although staff warns closing the camp could scatter tents deeper into the Hough neighborhood.