The City of Aberdeen, recent purchaser of land occupied by the city’s largest homeless camp, is preparing to clean up trash at the riverfront property and is looking at ways to add a low-barrier shelter that could house people living there.

On Friday, staff from Aberdeen Public Works went down to the homeless camps along the Chehalis River to meet with those living there and explain that the city will soon be clearing brush and removing trash from the area, as part of a longer process to remove all people from the property.

“We’re looking to outline an initial cleanup timeline so there are no surprises for the people on the property that could create confusion or a safety issue,” said Aberdeen Mayor Erik Larson at Wednesday’s city council meeting.

The cleanup could also include adding temporary garbage service and portable toilets.

Social service workers have surveyed the camp in recent weeks and reported that more than 50 people are living there now. They have also told Larson that right now, the community doesn’t have places for all of them to go.

Larson said he’s looking at ways to add a temporary low-barrier shelter.

“It looks at this point that in order to address the individuals on the property, we’re probably going to need to look at some level of temporary low-barrier shelter space off-site from the property,” said Larson.

Larson said he is working with Housing Resource Coordinator Cassie Lentz from Grays Harbor Public Health to look at the costs and potential locations for a low-barrier shelter.

“It might be a vacant parcel, it might be a building,” said Larson. “We’re looking at options, and we’re looking for support and guidance from the people who do this and are experts in it.”

Low-barrier shelters are typically less strict than some shelters that will turn people away if they aren’t sober.

Members of the Coastal Community Action Program and Grays Harbor Public Health have spent the past couple weeks speaking with people living on the riverfront property to identify how many are living there and what their needs are.

In recent months, Larson has said the city intends to move all residents off the property because of safety concerns, citing that as the main reason the city bought the property.