The Mayor of Spokane asks the city council for help with the nearest warming center

January 13, 2022 7:34 PM

Posted: Jan 13, 2022 7:34 PM

SPOKANE, Wash. – As the Public Works District works to clean up the estimated $ 95,000 in damage from the final thermal center, talks are already underway on the next.

At the special session of Spokane City Council on Thursday, the mayor asked councilors for help.

“I will ask each of you in your districts to provide me with a list of 3 locations in your district that we can use as verified accommodations and I will be by your side to support the community’s commitment,” said Mayor Nadine Woodward.

Both Alderman Karen Stratton and Alderman Breean Beggs said they would accept their offer.

“I am ready to put my name behind some [buildings] so that people know when some get upset, I’ll take the heat for it, ”Beggs said.

He said the city has proven that they can run shelters like the Way Out Shelter and Hope House well without any complaints.

The Convention Center at that time was necessary, but could serve as a lesson for the next time.

“We had to do this to save lives, but that’s not the ideal,” he said. “You really don’t want 100 people in one place.”

Ideally, there would be no more than 60 to 70 people in a room and there would be no carpet.

“It is unrealistic to expect to find a building that nobody will get upset about, that is unrealistic,” said beggar. “Someone will get upset because they imagine the worst possible scenario”

At the moment, the public sector district has closed the ballrooms for cleaning for the next two weeks, but that could take longer.