Neighbors blame transitional housing for rise in crime and drugs near Fourth Plain

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KATU) — Neighbors near Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast 78th Avenue are fed up with the crime and drug activity in the area.

Many of the people living there have owned their homes for decades and say crime has only gotten worse.

According to neighbours, the reason for this is the temporary housing provided by the Vancouver Housing Authority. Several neighbours tell KATU that the streets are full of garbage, there are constant drug deals and cars are randomly parked on the streets for months.

“They just leave trash everywhere,” Linda Kelly, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, tells KATU. “People want to move, but the prices are so high, why should we move? The current interest rates are not for us. We won't be able to move, we have to accept it.”

Further up the street, Derek Hugel owns rental properties and says potential residents are put off by having to drive through the street to get to the properties.

“Down here, there is no interest at all for people who want to rent,” says Hugel.

Andy Silver, CEO of the Vancouver Housing Authority, was unable to give an in-person interview but answered questions via email.

He said: “VHA provides property management and service coordination for The Pacific and The Meridian. These buildings were designed to provide tenants with easy access to outdoor facilities from their apartments to help people with traumatic experiences heal. Unfortunately, drug traffickers have taken advantage of the combination of this design and the commercial and public parking surrounding these buildings.”

When asked how VHA is responding to crime in the area, Silver said:

“In response, VHA contracted for 24/7 on-site security, expanded surveillance cameras, entered into a trespassing agreement with police, erected a fence around The Meridian, and informed tenants that allowing any person onto the property is a breach of the lease. We have a team of people monitoring surveillance footage and have established a protocol to quickly issue lease violation notices if any of the activity is related to our tenants. We have also been meeting regularly with the City of Vancouver, who are also taking steps to drive crime out of this area. Our partnership with police has resulted in us declaring this area a drug-free zone, and we are working to put up signs that will then increase penalties for drug trafficking. We are committed to providing a safe environment for our tenants and doing everything we can to contribute to a safe surrounding community. We believe these efforts are starting to pay off.” We are confident that drug trafficking will be completely eradicated from the area in the near future.”