An encampment of 192 asylum seekers living in tents next to the former Econo Lodge in Kent is gone after King County and its partners found housing for everyone.
The people, including 31 families, were moved from the encampment on Tuesday, Sept. 24 to housing or temporary shelter, according to a Sept. 25 email from Amy Enbysk, spokesperson for the King County Executive’s Office.
Asylum seekers from Venezuela, Congo and Angola set up a camp at the site June 1 with the hope of moving into the vacant hotel that the county bought for $3.4 million in 2020 to serve as a quarantine facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. But with high renovation costs and land use restrictions by the city of Kent, the option of living in the hotel, 1233 Central Ave. N., quickly disappeared.
“King County actively collaborated with multiple partners to support asylum seekers arriving in the region,” Enbysk said. “We’ve worked closely with the state and local cities to address their needs and coordinate resources, including for those who had been residing at the encampment in Kent. Overall, we have housed over 350 people from this encampment since July.”
The county worked with Spokane-based Thrive International and the city of Kent on the housing transition Sept. 24.
“The county has worked with Thrive since 2023, and this collaboration has helped asylum seekers move from encampments into temporary and long-term housing solutions,” Enbysk said.
The funding for the move from Kent was a portion of the $5 million the county received in July from the state Legislature, includig $3.5 million the county awarded to Thrive to move 370 people living at the DoubleTree Hotel in SeaTac into longer-term housing and the 31 families moved Sept. 24 from the Kent site.
“Many asylum seekers have been asking for improved living conditions and the chance to move into shelter or housing,” Enbysk said. “Yesterday’s (Sept. 24) transition directly responds to these requests, providing safer, more stable environments through shelter and housing solutions with the resources available through the county’s previously awarded contract with Thrive. Families and pregnant individuals who accepted housing yesterday were taken to the Thrive Center facility in Tacoma.”
Thrive just recently opened that center, according to its Facebook page. The mission of Thrive International is to empower multicultural communities to thrive. It houses more than 200-plus refugee and immigrant families in former hotels in Spokane and Tacoma, while providing suopprt to help them move from surviving to thriving, according to its motto.
“Thrive partnered with King County to help move more than 100 homeless asylum seekers into the newly launched Thrive Center Tacoma,” according to a Thrive statement. “These beautiful families have been waiting for months for a warm dry place to sleep and cook, and hot water. Today it was lots of smiles and “thank you.” Special thanks to the great law enforcement officers from several agencies who supported the entire operation.”
Over the last few months, asylum seekers attended Kent City Council and King County Council meetings to ask for housing rather than staying in tents. Earlier in the year, many of them stayed at the Kent Quality Inn until funds ran out to pay for housing at the hotel.
Many asylum seekers first arrived at Riverton United Methodist Church in Tukwila as they entered the United States to escape problems in their home countries and find a better life in America. They came to Washington because it is a sanctuary state, meaning it supports undocumented immigrants.
The Venezuelan migrants emigrated due to ongoing economic and political turmoil, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.
King County officials do not expect more asylum seekers at the Kent encampment.
“Now that people have been moved to housing or temporary shelter, the site is closed, and we have begun cleaning and remediation,” Enbysk said.
As far as future uses of the former hotel, the county has no proposals at this time.
“The county has no current plans to renovate the former hotel or turn it over to the King County Regional Housing Authority,” Enbysk said when asked if that was an option.
“We will provide updates on long-term solutions as we continue working with city and state partners to support asylum seekers in King County,” Enbysk said.
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An asylum seeker, camping on property next to the former Econo Lodge, asks the Kent City Council for housing support during its June 18 meeting. SCREENSHOT, Kent City Council video
Asylum seekers set up came next to the former Econo Lodge in June on King County property. County officials and partners found housing for the asylum seekers and closed the encampment Sept. 24. FILE PHOTO, Kent Reporter
