City insisting on a shelter that harms a neighborhood

The Bay Vista community pleaded with Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler at a community meeting not to worsen problems impacting their neighborhood from the wandering unhoused.

The mayor stood apathetic and told the concerned crowd he will do all in his power to bring in homeless residents from all over Kitsap to congregate in a 9,000-square-foot warehouse – across from Periwinkle Park. Residents protested that the county facility would turn Bay Vista into the old Westpark slum. Bremerton Police Chief Tom Wolf bluntly replied that his department was understaffed with only five on-duty police and said that BPD can't keep us safe. He said, start a community watch. Wheeler responded uncaringly to one woman's safety concerns that she should simply consider moving. BHA has 142 public units, 5 homes, 60 multifamily units, and 72 assisted-living spots in the Bay Vista. Many residents don't have the option to move.

City officials stood there stone-faced while their boss shrugged off elderly, military, and first-time homeowner's concerns. Wheeler cautioned the crowd that complaining to City Council won't make any difference now, and he will “do everything in his power to move this project forward” and that “public input is not part of his process on this project.”

Wheeler intends to give the Council only one choice (fundamentally misunderstanding of what choice means).

Will the City Council simply sacrifice the welfare of Bremerton families for the benefit of a county program, or will it stand up for Bay Vista?