Spokane mayor says shelter beds ready, homeless campers need to come out of the cold | Washington

(The Center Square) – One year ago, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward said, the city council majority was upset about not having enough shelter space to get homeless people out of frigid winter weather. She wondered why, with great strides have been made to provide more than 1,000 shelter beds, the same councilors now seem to be fighting to keep residents of Camp Hope outdoors for an indefinite period of time.

“There’s no reason why anyone should be living out in this weather, it is not humane or safe,” she said.

Woodward was referencing the 5-2 vote on the council earlier this week to remove liability protection from Spokane Police Department officers who assist Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich with plans to close Camp Hope unless authorized by a court.

The resolution was intended to protect employees from unintended consequences, said the council majority.

Woodward has championed getting people out of the state’s largest encampment on public land as quickly as possible. The camp is located in East Central on Washington Department of Transportation land and has been in place since December 2021.

Woodward updated The Center Square this week on work done by her administration to open up space for the campers before winter.

In August, the city opened the doors to the Trent Resource and Assistance Center, which can shelter 350 people, and more during emergencies.

In addition, Woodward said a shelter was opened with 44 beds for young adults, ages 18 to 24.

Services at the Cannon Street Shelter were expanded from seasonal use to year-round with 80 beds.

The Hope House for women can also provide 80 beds and Catholic Charities has just opened the old Quality Inn to provide units for 82-100 people.

The Way Out Center has added 60 spaces for individuals ready to undertake steady work as they prepare to enter permanent housing.

The city has also added funding to Truth Ministries to secure 40 more spaces for men.

“We have added hundreds of beds,” said Woodward, noting that there are other facilities that also provide transitional housing.

To make finding shelter space easier, the city is now offering a dashboard of information at ShelterMeSpokane.org.

The portal shows bed availability, shelter locations and contact information, check-in times and a weather forecast.

The cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley, as well as Spokane County and the Spokane Regional Health District, partnered on the dashboard project.

Earlier this year, Councilor Jonathan Bingle called out the council majority for setting the mayor up with “impossible tasks” that could not be fulfilled. He said now that Woodward’s administration has managed to overcome hurdles set up by the council to get more shelter space, it is time for the council to show its support.

Toward that end, he is hoping to be joined by his peers in assembling 350 metal beds for the Trent center. That work will be done Dec. 19-21 at the fairgrounds.

“I think people would like to see us working together so I’ve told everyone about the opportunity,” he said.

The metal beds will replace existing wooden ones that are less sturdy. In addition, there is a low metal partition between the new beds to provide shelter guests with some privacy. They will also have access to storage containers for clothing and other personal items.

There will be enough tables and chairs for 200 people to use at a time, according to a presentation at Monday’s council meeting by Johnnie Perkins.

He said the Trent center will also soon have a quarantine area and space for changing rooms. Handwashing stations are being moved indoors to keep water from freezing and other work is being done to accommodate hygiene needs.

City building official Dermott Murphy signed off on new Trent occupancy permits that would allow a capacity of 375 people, including 25 support staff.

At the Dec 12 meeting, Murphy said the 33,000 square foot warehouse leased and renovated by the city has a maximum occupancy of 688 people, but the shelter is staffed right now for only 350. Officials are analyzing the costs involved in expanding operations.

Major Ken Perine of the Salvation Army said, in the first 42 days after the Trent center opened, there were 10,598 overnight stays, many involving the same guests, and 31,794 meals served.

At Cannon, which the Salvation Army also oversees, there had been 3,360 bed nights in the same time period, and 10,080 meals served.

Perine said wraparound services are also being made available to help shelter guests overcome addictions and mental health issues, as well as find a job and get into permanent housing.