‘Meth house’ now an empty lot

Geeky Swedes Ballard

A week after demolition crews leveled an abandoned house that some called the “meth house,” crews have hauled away the debris to leave an empty lot behind.

“The owners have done a really good job of razing it to the ground, and are even installing a nice fence on the west side of the lot,” writes My Ballard reader Mondoman in the forum, who snapped this photo of the lot on 56th St. The owners, the Compass Center, are waiting on financing before proceeding with plans to build a facility to house single homeless women.

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26 thoughts to “‘Meth house’ now an empty lot”

  1. The Compass Center was obviously pretty close before financing fell through due to the economy. Does anyone know how much more money they need to be able to continue building this shelter?

  3. Has anyone noticed the people from the shelter that has just opened in the abandoned church?

    Last night several of it's residents were arguing on the 18 bus at 7.40pm before getting off at 65th. I was told the shelter shuts at 7 pm?? I hope if there are problems that Steve Grumm keeps his word and closes the shelter.

  5. Living on the same block as a church that seems to turn a blind eye to homeless dudes sleeping in the bushes, who frequently walk down my street drinking ice beer out of paper bags when my two children are playing in front of the house, I understand people's concerns about another shelter. However, the Compass Shelter will be built for single homeless women, and while it's an un-pc thing to say, I am convinced that these people for the most part are from an entirely different demographic than the “trouble makers”, and so really I have nothing against giving them shelter in my neighborhood. In fact I am proud to do it.

  7. how long, do you suppose, before Compuss Center decides to make this privately owned flat spot available for a Nicholsville type tent city?

  14. PC or not, I don't think any women's rights group would disagree with you. Many of the women who Compass will be helping are spouse/boyfriend abuse victims. They are a completely different group than the guy wandering the street with a can of malt liquor. There are different kinds of 'homeless.'

  15. It is interesting that there are no more sandlot games. Our world has done away with them, and marks such lots as places no one should be.

  21. Why not a facility for single homeless men too. Not all homeless men stand on
    street corners drinking beer or passed out in our parks. They are honest hardworking individuals who are homeless because of circumstance. They need a place to live as well as financial aid, medical care, legal help, job training etc.

    Where are these service when they qualify for state and federal benefits.

  23. Why can't their friends and families help them?

    How about having a hospice or childrens center for the people actually living in Ballard? Why do have to keep inviting homeless men into the area?

  25. why don't they find a meet and greet, find a place w/3-4 bedrooms and pool their finances together? they do this all the time at college! and college students probably have the same credit history and maybe even the same criminal hiccups? just sayin'

  26. By 2007, one-third of the homeless in America were veterans, although veterans are only one-tenth of the adult population in the US.

    The recent economic downturn has left many returning veterans, especially young, “part-time-soldier” veterans, vulnerable to layoffs and other job cutbacks. Many younger soldiers who have been in since 2000-2001, are still at the lowest rungs of the economic ladder, their educations, jobs and careers disrupted by frequent training and deployment.

    The homeless rate is anticipated to increase over time, due to the high rates of PTSD and traumatic brain injury being seen in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. This is based on historic rises in homelessness associated with veteran populations with significant rates of PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

    Eleven percent of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are women; 23 percent of the women in the VA’s homelessness programs have young children. About 8 percent of veterans serving since September 11, 2001 are paying more than half their income towards housing.

    A relative of mine is an Iraq vet. He worked prior to going to Iraq. He started as a teenager, out on his own with friends, sharing a house/ apartments, working long hours at low-paying jobs to pay the bills. Then he decided to go the National Guard route to get money for college. After basic training, a few months later came 9/11/01. Months of limbo, just waiting to hear when and where, then more training, then deployment. Next, years of PTSD and more limbo: individual ready reserve, stop loss, etc. Finally, we thought, at last. He got a “good” job with a military contractor. The sort of thing his years of service to his country qualified him for. But guess what? It required living in a hotel room and traveling around, cut off from family and friends. He lasted nearly a year.

    So he ended up back in his old neighborhood, working the kind of jobs he used to work before he went to work for his uncle Sam. Only this time, due to the economy, among his circle of friends, none could swing a shared place anymore. Many had left the Seattle area, were living with family members, or were couch surfing. He could not afford a place on his own. So, he stayed with friends and family when he could, worked full-time and lived in his car the rest of the time. Yes, some of that time was in the Ballard area. You'll be happy to know he's gone now.

    Info source: http://iava.org/files/iava_coming_home_2009.pdf

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