For some without a home, airports offer a needed source of shelter

SEATTLE — The homelessness crisis in Seattle is often highly visible, with many people living in camps, tents, and RVs. But there are those who are trying to stay invisible, often hiding in the jam of travel at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The Port of Seattle told public radio station KUOW it’s trying to direct those people into temporary shelter but there are few places in the area for people to go.

A cold wind howls down the tunnel that leads from the light rail station to the airport. That’s where Miguel Mendoza is walking as travelers rush by to catch a flight. On a chilly night like this one, Mendoza said he does what he can to stay warm.

“Sometimes I spend nights walking, all night buses,” Mendoza said with a backpack slung over one shoulder. “You know, just traveling on buses, trains.”

On that night, he took light rail to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport where he planned to find a bench and get some sleep. Mendoza said he has slept at the airport a few times before.

“Not often, no, because the police ... they see you’re sleeping or whatever, they kick you out,” he said.

Police and having to sleep in a chair are two reasons why Mendoza doesn’t really like to come to the airport — but he has few other options.

At one point, he was staying at a shelter in Seattle. That was a temporary severe weather shelter that only opened during the recent cold snap.

“They opened a few shelters for the bad weather, like it was snowing, but it was for a week, less than a week, and then it is very hard to get a shelter, very hard,” Mendoza said.

A year ago, Mendoza was working as a chef and living at a motel close to the airport. But then he got really sick and lost his job, he said. At the airport, he still had a cough and wasn’t sure if it was a cold, the flu, or COVID-19.

The night Mendoza spoke to KUOW, he found a bench in baggage claim, away from the luggage carousels and near a wall. He sat in one chair and kept a close eye on his backpack next to him.

Asked if he feels unsafe at the airport, Mendoza said: “Yes, well I mean, like, you don’t know what’s going to happen. If I had money, I’d go to a motel and feel safe there. But this is like public.”

One reason Mendoza and others seek shelter at the airport is that it’s easy to blend in. On this night, the baggage claim area was packed with exhausted looking people carrying lots of bags. Most were travelers waiting on delayed flights. But some were people like De Chung, who sleeps at the airport nearly every night.

“I don’t know where to go,” Chung said. “Outside is too cold and there’s rain.”

He tries to keep a low profile and not get thrown out. He said he gets along with airport security because they don’t ask him to leave but Port of Seattle police do.