Homeless camp sweeps begin at Thousand Acres on Sandy River Delta

Anti-sweep protesters were on the scene Monday morning at Thousand Acres Road on Sandy River Delta near Troutdale.

The Department of State Lands said Monday is the last day for occupants to leave as part of a restoration project nearly a year in the making. It leaves campers who have called this place home for decades wondering where they will go.

“This place is my home,” Jacob said. “This is where I feel safe. This is where I can come and not have to worry about, you know, somebody running up on me like downtown Portland.”

Coming out of the woods with his dog Lucy and a wagon full of belongings, Jacob said he’s lived at the unsanctioned campsite near the Sandy Delta River for more than five years.

“We don’t have ill intentions. Never have, never will. You keep that out of the woods,” Jacob said. “This stuff right there. This is home. This is family. This is where you come to sit down and eat something, drink, you know, we got you.”

Now he and others living on 50 acres of state-owned land are being forced to pack up and go after DSL closed the site for restoration in mid-May.

The encampment community has a shifting population of about 20 people, ages 13 to 70, according to advocates like Salena Noell.

“This is an established commune of people who live out there, and there are generations of them and so with a lack of resources, with a lack of funding, with a lack of any kind of adequate housing,” Noell said. “I’m very worried for where these people are going to go… Are they going to go to the sidewalks of Troutdale?”

For a year, Noell and her daughter have been visiting the camp and helping transport pets to the humane society for vet care — like Lucy, who’s lived here longer than Jacob.

“These dogs they’re our life support,” Jacob said. “She’s lived out here eight-plus years — all her life. You take that away, you’re destroying a family.”

DSL said cleanup and restoration will start over the next week at an estimated cost of $125,000-150,000. A mix of private security and Salvation Army outreach workers were seen across the site on Monday.

In a statement, DSL said, “We recognize that this is a difficult and emotional moment for those affected, and we remain committed to a respectful, person-centered approach. The area is not suitable for long-term habitation due to wildfire risk, environmental damage, and public health concerns.”

“Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened, or second or third,” Jacob said. “Sure won’t be last.”

A Cooperative Stewardship Proposal for the Sandy River Delta, authored by some of the campers and obtained by KOIN 6 News suggests alternatives to the sweep.

It recommends community-led cleanup drives and invasive flora removal, the development of fire zones and hazard waste plan, among other potential solutions to address safety and ecological concerns.

When sent the proposal, a DSL spokesperson told KOIN 6 News a response would not be possible by the publication of this story.

The site will reopen October 1, according to DSL.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.