Spokane hosts community roundtable on homelessness measures

Spokane recently hosted a community roundtable focused on homelessness, where Council President Betsy Wilkerson and Councilmember Zack Zappone guided numerous stakeholders through discussions. The meeting began with an overview of the rules and a review of the city's municipal code addressing homelessness. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires about the effectiveness of laws that allow police to cite the homeless and those that protect them. However, the deferred ordinances, which many expected to discuss, were not mentioned during the meeting. Nicolette Ocheltree, the council's Housing and Homelessness Initiatives manager, emphasized that discussions should not focus on Proposition 1, a voter initiative that restricts camping near schools and parks. Although Proposition 1 cannot be altered for three years, new policies could potentially strengthen it. Despite this, the council members did not communicate this to the attendees, leading to confusion. Feedback from the meeting revealed widespread concern about the ineffectiveness of current strategies. Justice Forall, a local advocate, argued that criminalization is counterproductive and called for more community events to engage the homeless population positively. Data presented indicated that the Spokane Police Department had cited a minimal percentage of calls related to illegal camping, highlighting the ineffectiveness of current enforcement measures. Overall, the roundtable underscored a disconnect between community expectations and the council's agenda, with many participants feeling that their concerns about the deferred ordinances were overlooked.