As its neighbor to the north remains on the clock to find enough shelter space for the winter, Port Orchard has managed to conduct cleanup on one of its larger homeless encampments, a response long awaited from nearby businesses.

The city of Bremerton has been the primary example of Kitsap County’s struggles to contain both the number and size of homeless encampments, but South Kitsap residents say they’ve seen their fair share of problems go untouched as well.

“I imagined myself being a tourist passing through,” said Bridgett Swinsinski, “looking for a little hotel to stay in for the night or a young family stopping for a meal on their way to visit family, and I couldn’t believe how sick I felt thinking, ‘This could be the first glimpse of our little town,’” Port Orchard resident Bridgett Swinsinski said.

It’s a thought Swinsinski had on a recent trip with her husband to Dairy Queen off Bravo Terrace, a street located by state Highway 16 that is home to several businesses. She said that her appetite quickly declined when she saw piles of trash, multiple RVs and tents lined up along the curb and a stench that somehow manages to seep into passing cars.

“I really do not understand the filth that has accumulated on this once clean and tidy culdesac,” she said. “Who will make sure this will be cleaned up?”

Nearby businesses have been wondering the same thing. Danika Pagac, a DQ employee, said, “A lot of customers have made complaints. My boss has made complaints to the city, and nothing really had been done for months.”

Nearby Red Lion Inn and Suites employees said the situation had become almost nightmare level in recent months as the 24-hour location looks to do everything it can to maintain safety for staff and customers. “We were calling every day, reporting these things, and it took (the city) a good few months to finally come out and do anything,” said Danika Mindy, one employee. “We feel like any response now will just be ignored.”

Meanwhile, homeless advocates and those living in encampments have been similarly frustrated with what they also call a lack of city response. Shari said she had been living in the camp for around two weeks, finding herself picking up trash after those who stayed before her. It’s a reflection of the bad side of homelessness she doesn’t want on her name. “The mentality is you pack it in, you pack it out,” she said. “Most seem to be missing that whole idea.”

Not all the trash comes from the homeless. In the weeks since the city did some cleanup, Shari recalled people speeding by the encampment and throwing out food and trash. “I do what I can to take care of my land,” she said, “and if I had property, I would take care of that too.”

Others also are trying to help. Francisco and Heather Velez from Mercy Mobile bring residents hot meals and look for ways to get them off the streets and into solid living situations. “The problem is giving these folks an alternative spot,” Francisco said, “which thus far, the city and county have failed to put any effort out to do so.”

His frustration has been directed at city leaders in recent months. “They don’t want to see the homeless out (on the streets) clearly, but they don’t want to fix it either,” he added.

As for the encampment, Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu said in a statement: “We are aware of the growing problem at Bravo Terrance. Our police and code enforcement officers are actively working the situation on a daily basis that includes outreach by the (Kitsap HEART) coordinator.”

Putaansuu said the city had recently taken actions to remove one of the RVs. “We were forced to impound one of the motor homes because of public safety concerns related to the discharge of sewage into the city’s stormwater system. The encampment is on private property, and the city is working with the property owner to secure the site.”

A few days later, the majority of the RVs and residents were gone. Employees from nearby businesses reported they saw city vehicles surrounding the area. A fence was set up with signs that read, “No camping.”

But that response from some outside the encampment said it’s too little too late, with some believing it’s only temporary. “They could have done something sooner,” Mindy said. “Half the time, one of the meter maids would come out, and that’s it.”

Fences now line the outside of the grass that had become home to a homeless encampment on Bravo Terrace.