Residents near the homeless camp expressed anger when they learned that a pool had been set up for vagrants.

It remains unclear who installed the pool in a sprawling homeless camp along Seattle’s highway. According to KOMO News.

A new facility will be added this summer to a sprawling homeless camp along a Seattle highway. Someone set up a pool in the camp that has been expanded over the months in the Highland Park area. https://t.co/fMbasULMYC

— NBC Montana (@NBCMontana) July 13, 2023

“All this is ridiculous,” said senior apartment resident Herb Egge, according to KOMO. “These people come in and ravage the place. One person said they hooked up a hose and filled the pool with water.” He said he had been raided multiple times and that someone recently drilled into his gas tank.

Homeless encampments began in the spring when several RVs gathered on the streets. At least 15 RVs now occupy the area, the newspaper reported. (Related: San Diego builds ‘safe place to sleep’ instead of actually addressing homeless crisis)

“I never dreamed I’d have to worry about this at 72, but times have changed,” Egge said, according to the newspaper. “We don’t have to worry about our belongings or our lives, especially as we are older.”

KOMO reported that other elderly people said they heard gunshots from the camp regularly and feared bullets would pierce the walls.

Another elderly resident, Cheryl Gariam, said, “When I hear the gunshots, I just walk away from the window and stay still.” “Sometimes I had to go to bed in the middle of the night. It’s not safe.”

In May, an elderly man was attacked at his apartment in Arrowhead Gardens and a man was killed at the camp. expressed safety concerns, KOMO reported. Residents hoped the murders would bring attention and change to the profession, but things got worse.

“We thought, ‘Wow, there’s been a murder there.’ They’re going to pay attention to us from now on,” said Arrowhead Gardens resident Diane Radishakt. “They didn’t.”

Radishakt received a letter from the Seattle mayor’s office on Wednesday, claiming the city, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Kings County Regional Homeless Control Authority (KCRCA) have plans to address the camp issue.

“We recognize that this has been a long and often frustrating process for the residents of Arrowhead Gardens, and we are pleased that the site is nearing resolution,” the mayor’s letter said. “The Unified Care team is also discussing with WSDOT the possibility of a short-term post-site revitalization strategy to help prevent repopulation.”

“We want a solution and we know what the problem is.