After hearing passionate testimony at its Jan. 27 meeting, the Seaside City Council unanimously decided to allow a nonprofit group access to the Mill Ponds parking lot to feed residents of a homeless encampment.

That wasn’t the preferred location for the nonprofit, Nourish Those in Need, which had been asking the city to allow the use of a vacant lot owned by the city directly across from the Avenue S encampment. But for Lindsey Morrison, the founder and executive director of the organization, it was good enough.

Morrison, who said she serves close to 50 meals a day for the campers, said she and her volunteers used to serve meals out of the Mill Ponds parking lot, 300 feet from the Avenue S encampment.

For months, the organization had been parking on the street outside of the camp in an attempt to make the distribution process easier on campers and volunteers, but were told by a police officer just after Thanksgiving that they were not allowed to do so. Morrison and her volunteers returned to the Mill Ponds lot and attempted to continue serving food there, but found it locked one day.

After that, she had attempted to use a corner of the recycling center next to the encampment, but said she was told by police she would be trespassed.

“It was the day after Christmas that the officer came and said ‘get out right now,’” Morrison told The Astorian. “I was able to talk to him to buy time until we had finished serving. It wasn’t until John Chapman (the president of Nourish Those in Need) had a conversation with Chief (Dave) Ham and he suggested the vacant lot as a possibility.”

Source of contention

The homeless encampment, which hosts 29 permitted campers, has been a source of contention since it was moved there in 2023 after concerns about flooding at the former Mill Ponds site.

Neighboring businesses and residents had spoken at length about safety issues with the encampment and the negative effect the campers have had on their property.

Safety concerns have escalated after Rocky A. Guerrero, a 53-year-old homeless camper, died earlier this month as a result of apparent smoke inhalation from a candle that set fire to his tent. Another camp resident used a hose to keep the fire from spreading to surrounding areas.

But neighbors, already on edge due to previous safety concerns, were rattled by the incident.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Spencer Kyle highlighted concerns about the proposed use of the lot, along with options and conditions.

As the area is a main entrance to the Public Works yard, meaning that trucks and other heavy machinery are often in use, he said parking on the street and setting up tables for people poses a significant safety risk.

Additionally, Kyle said, since the encampment was erected on Avenue S, concerns had been raised by neighbors about the number of cars stopping for people going into the camp.

“And then lastly, emergency access,” he said. “As you can see, if the road is congested, it does pose a problem for public safety going through there, but also for staging at the entrance of the camp to get in.”

Kyle said that in all of the policies and ordinances that staff and the City Council have enforced for the encampment, a priority has been encouraging campers to make positive changes instead of enabling them to remain in their current situation.

“It’s not that we are in any way trying to prevent people from eating or being fed,” he said. “But when you can have a meal brought to your door and you don’t need to leave your tent, it is difficult to encourage some of these individuals to actually accept services when it’s available,” he said.

He added that the meals may be “attracting people to the camp. So we have noticed that there are people coming for these meals who are not participating in our program, and so it’s drawing in additional homeless individuals to the area, which I think is not conducive to the neighborhood.”

Public comments

During the public comment period, people voiced support for Nourish Those in Need and advocated for the nonprofit to be able to distribute meals while parked on the vacant lot.

“This way, they at least have a meal and some security,” said Gearhart resident Ann Hantelman. “Making Lindsey cart food in a wagon to be able to deliver meals is pretty evil. I’m sorry, but it’s unfathomable how we can be so inconsiderate of our homeless people. They’re not garbage. They’re people.”

Many Seaside residents echoed Hantelman’s sentiments, with some pointing out that Nourish Those in Need’s services may prevent homeless individuals from stealing food, and that the kindness shown in meal distribution may be the only positive interaction homeless people have in a day.

But others shared their concerns about permitting the nonprofit to serve food out of the vacant lot. Dave Koller and Randy Anderson, who both own commercial property adjacent to the encampment, said they had experienced significant safety issues since the camp had been installed, and that taking down the “no parking” signs would be another blow to affected neighbors.

“You guys just don’t know what we go through as property owners around there, and what we have to deal with every single day,” Anderson said. “Theft, trespassing, violence. Like Dave, I’ve been threatened as well, and I’m not OK with it.

“Yes, I’m OK with the vacant lot, as long as it’s regulated to one or two vehicles, but I would much prefer the Mill Ponds parking and only until this camp is moved behind the Public Works building.”

In September 2024, the City Council said it would move the encampment to an area in the southwest corner of the Public Works yard near Avenue V in response to repeated complaints about safety and hygiene from neighboring residents and businesses.

The transition to the new site is expected to begin this spring.

Three options

Kyle outlined three possible routes forward for the council. First, councilors could choose to open the vacant lot across from the camp and designate a certain number of parking spaces for Nourish Those in Need and other potential organizations.

Councilors could also opt to open the Mill Ponds parking lot for the nonprofit to use. The area had been closed to allow the area to recover from being used for camping and to cut down on through traffic.

Kyle suggested that Nourish Those in Need workers could have their own keys to get into the area and lock up after the once-a-day meal times are over so that city staff would not have to stay after hours to clean up.

The third option would be to either direct the nonprofit to find another location to distribute food or have councilors and city staff designate a different location.

“If you want us to go back to the Mill Ponds parking lot, I’m thrilled with that,” Morrison told the councilors. “If you don’t want us to go back there, then find us another spot. But these people need to eat, and it isn’t the old ‘If we feed them, the more they come.’ They’re already here, and they cannot go hungry.”

Councilors Seamus McVey and Chris Binnicker favored the idea of reopening the Mill Ponds parking lot to the nonprofit.

“In my time being homeless, I know that the idea of food being brought directly to my door was unthinkable,” McVey said. “Food was accessible every day at various feeds where I was, but we had to go to it. We had to take some responsibility for our own actions, whether that was Portland or San Antonio or in Florida or New York or wherever I happened to be at the time.

“I think it’s a biological fact that we need to eat. And so I would say you need a spot, but I don’t think it needs to be in the space that’s been designated as ‘no parking’ for at least four years.”

Councilor David Posalski said he would like to see more of an effort to include campers in the preparation and distribution of food in order to help them become more self-sufficient, though Morrison countered that it was nearly impossible for people living in the camp to get a food handler’s permit.

Councilor Heidi Hoffman, who put the issue on the City Council agenda, said she would like to see Nourish Those in Need remain in the vacant lot.

“I’ve been out there, I’ve seen (Morrison) in action, and all she wants is five little parking spots, a little compassion, a little understanding, and maybe a little assistance,” she said. “So I strongly support Ms. Morrison, and those in need, and I say, let’s do better. Let’s give her the parking spaces.”

After discussion, councilors agreed that the city would reopen the Mill Ponds parking lot for Nourish Those in Need to use for their meal distributions, with conditions established by Kyle.

Hours of operation will be between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., with vehicles limited to five and Nourish Those in Need required to remove any remaining trash after using the area. Morrison must also provide an insurance certificate and those distributing food must comply with food handling and other health department requirements.

When the encampment is moved this spring, the city will revisit the issue.