Though he lives in the homeless encampment at Blakeslee Junction, Martin Russell, 63, has spent the last seven years neither houseless nor homeless.
It’s not a riddle.
At the north end of the encampment at the end of Eckerson Road in Centralia, between Interstate 5 and a three-way railroad exchange, Russell’s place is a house by any practical definition.
There’s an insulated roof with a sunlight window, a front door that locks, an armchair, a television run by a gas-powered generator that supplies electricity to several of the encampment’s occupants, a stove, mock-linoleum vinyl flooring and his cat, Lil’ D.
By his definition, it’s also a home. A sign on the gate says so clearly.
“I bought everything here,” Russell said on Tuesday morning. “I earned everything I got here.”
A U.S. Army veteran who receives Social Security, Russell said he came to Blakeslee Junction following an ex-girlfriend who moved in to help her daughter, a then-occupant of the camp.
The girlfriend left, but Russell stayed. He said he spends $300-$400 on gas every month, and most of the rest of his $900 monthly check goes toward food, which he buys on regular bike rides to Safeway in Centralia.
On Tuesday morning, Russell spoke about plans for an expanded kitchen and a bathroom. For one final moment, he allowed himself to dream of staying on the land that doesn’t belong to him.
But he knows it’s over. Tuesday morning came like any other, and Tuesday afternoon left with a quarter of Blakeslee Junction swept of people, vehicles, trash and more.
On Aug. 28, people in the encampment were given notice of their one-week deadline to clear out.
The property, owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), is about to be sold to Rainier Rail. WSDOT crews estimate the clearing out of Blakeslee will take about two weeks.
By 9 a.m., the encampment on Tuesday had people from the Salvation Army, Gather Church in Centralia, WSDOT, Lewis County Public Health & Social Services, Destination Hope and Recovery, which runs the county’s recovery navigator program, and the Washington State Patrol. Soon after, the Centralia Police Department and Riverside Fire Authority arrived.
Also present were Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston and Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope, whose district encompasses Centralia.
A neighbor on Eckerson Road was rejoicing loudly.
A WSDOT representative walked around with Chuck Wiegard, who has been at Blakeslee Junction since before the 9-year-old encampment began. Wiegard owns a .4-acre strip north of the encampment. He bears a title as the “liaison between our community and the outside world.”
Together, the two touched base with each of the about 25 people living there.
People from Gather Church, which comes to the encampment for outreach at least every week, also connected with those living at the camp. The Salvation Army offered sandwiches and water, totes and information on the night-by-night shelter in Centralia, where people are being encouraged to stay. Salvation Army Captain Gin Pack was greeting people and their dogs by name.
Destination Hope and Recovery Case Manager Steve Weathers and Outreach Coordinator Brandon Figg helped people load up belongings. Destination Hope and Recovery can get people into detox for substance abuse disorders, usually in about one week, Weathers said.
Everyone at the encampment is being worked with, one-on-one, in an effort to avoid eventual intervention by the Washington State Patrol. That process was still underway on Wednesday.
“We are making every effort to keep camp residents calm during what is a very stressful time for them. A large part of this is working with those displaced, in collaboration with community partners to find suitable places for them to reside,” wrote Cole Meckle, pastor of Gather Church, in a statement to The Chronicle. “If one thing is clear, it is that housing is an essential part of creating a safe community for us all and some have very limited options.”
The shelter has the capacity, Pack said. Currently, it’s about 30-35% full. But Wiegard doesn’t think people will go there, mostly because they will have to pack up their stuff and leave every morning.
“For most of the people here, that’s not a viable option,” Wiegard said. “(They’ll) scatter and hide. And I don’t know what that means to the public. Instead of out of sight and out of mind, you’ll have them everywhere.”
One man at Blakeslee Junction, Charles Riggs, 58, said he has been homeless since being convicted with arson. Before the encampment, Riggs said, he lived at the skate park in Centralia for seven years, “and nobody knew.”
Some of the pets will be welcome to stay with people at the Salvation Army shelter, but the approximately 17 animals at Blakeslee Junction present another yet question without an easy answer. The Lewis County Animal Shelter is overrun and doesn’t currently accept cats.
Some of the RVs, after a lot of effort, were started and driven out of the encampment on Tuesday. Though, recent ordinances passed by Centralia and Lewis County outlaw them from parking along the city and county right-of-ways.
A few people might stay on Wiegard’s land after Blakeslee is cleared. But there isn’t room for 25 of them. He’d like to sell his property, which has an assessed value of $17,400.
So far, Rainier Rail has only offered $5,000, Wiegard said.
“This is needed for the health and safety of people currently living there and for the health and safety of the community overall,” Smith Johnston wrote in a Facebook post about the sweep on Tuesday. “I know there are a myriad of conflicting opinions on this, ranging from those of you who think this shouldn’t happen to those who wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner. I ask today for you to focus on compassion.”
The Salvation Army shelter is open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every night at 303 N. Gold St., Centralia.
