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Moses Lake council says sleep center will close when state grant ends; outlines 'homegrown' plan for drugs, camps and park safety
Summary
Mayor Dustin Swartz and city staff told residents the city will allow the sleep center to close when its state grant expires in June and outlined a multi-part plan of ordinance changes, park monitoring, policing emphasis and nonprofit partnerships to address drug activity, illegal camping and homelessness.
Mayor Dustin Swartz told a packed council chamber that a majority of the city council has decided to allow the community sleep center to close when its state grant ends in June.
The decision was framed as a shift in the city’s role in addressing homelessness. “We know there are plenty of good things happening in Moses Lake,” Swartz said, adding that residents “deserve a clean, safe city.” He said the city lacks resources to provide broad social services and that other governments and nonprofits are better equipped to deliver many of those services.
City Manager Rob Marlinzi told the council the city’s role now is to prepare for likely impacts from the closure rather than to “solve homelessness.” Marlinzi described staff work to produce a high‑level plan and timeline: community engagement this month, a town hall on June 3, and a council review and possible adoption of the plan tentatively scheduled for June 24.
The draft plan outlined by…
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