Residents of The Jefferson in downtown Vancouver have urged the city to remove a homeless encampment that stretches in front of their apartment complex, but that’s unlikely to happen.

“It’s got to meet the legal standard for closure, and the legal standard is not ‘I don’t want to see homeless people,’” said Tyler Chavers, the city’s homeless response coordinator and a retired police officer. “I mean, I get it. As humans, we’re not really designed to see humans suffering every day. It’s difficult. We want to fix it.”

Downtown Vancouver has long been considered ground zero for Clark County’s growing homelessness crisis. The city permits camping on public property and plans to continue to do so until there’s adequate shelter space . Meanwhile, those living in nearby homes wonder if some k

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