Spokane opens Cannon Street daytime navigation center as city expands outreach, enforcement tools

Mayor Lisa Brown announced the opening of the Cannon Street daytime navigation center on Wednesday, saying the facility is part of an expanded, citywide effort to connect people experiencing homelessness to health care, housing and employment while increasing enforcement options for repeat public-disorder cases.

Brown said the city aims to end public camping, reduce open drug use and hold purveyors of fentanyl accountable while ensuring individuals in crisis can access services. "The people of Spokane are united around the goals of ending public camping," Brown said. She described the navigation center as one option in a broader system linking outreach teams, health providers and shelters.

The navigation center will be staffed by partner providers who will offer behavioral health triage, nursing care navigation, and connections to respite and permanent housing. Dr. Robert Littman, a behavioral health clinician with Providence Community Clinic, said Providence will place a nurse care navigator at the site and provide behavioral-health clinicians during the week. "At that center, year to date, we have served 116 individuals in respite," Littman said, describing work at the Healing Hearts Respite Center and the clinic's role in referrals and follow-up care. He said Providence had served 59 people in the first two quarters and…