Spokane staff summarize roundtables, propose four homelessness ordinances; downtown stakeholders and residents push back

City staff presented a summary on May 5 of a months‑long series of stakeholder roundtables and introduced a package of four proposed ordinances intended to update Spokane’s homelessness, shelter siting and public‑space rules.

The package includes the “Home Starts Here” policy (a consolidated homelessness policy), a Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) and shelter‑siting ordinance, a consolidated unlawful‑camping/obstruction ordinance intended to protect pedestrian access and unify sit‑and‑lie/pedestrian‑interference rules, and a focused aggressive‑solicitation provision.

Roundtable takeaways and policy design choices

Staff member Nicolette told the committee that stakeholders who attended the roundtables (about 20–50 participants per session) consistently recommended: switching activation thresholds for weather‑related sheltering from fixed temperature triggers to indices (heat index / wind chill / AQI), prioritizing extreme‑cold activations where funding is limited, and moving inclement‑weather activation language into the city’s civil‑emergency code. In a prioritization exercise stakeholders strongly favored allocating scarce activation dollars to extreme‑cold days over heat days.

On shelter siting and Good Neighbor Agreements, stakeholders generally favored expanding the GNA process to city‑funded shelters and recommended a funding threshold of $50,000 to trigger the GNA process (aligning with small‑contract thresholds). Stakeholders also recommended that parties to a GNA include the shelter operator, the city, the property owner (if different from the city) and the neighborhood council; immediate property boundaries were the preferred geographic scope for GNA obligations.

On public‑space rules, the roundtables recommended consolidating sit‑and‑lie and pedestrian‑interference provisions into a single set of citywide rules protecting safe passage, and recommended progressive enforcement measures. When asked whether officers should be required to check shelter‑bed availability before enforcing sit‑and‑lie, 68% of roundtable respondents said no; stakeholders noted, however, that local shelter‑availability data had been “reliably unreliable” during the period of the meetings.

Staff also said the roundtables occurred before the state court decisions and legal changes tied to ballot measures were finalized; staff cautioned that some provisions added after passage of local ballot measures could not be changed without further legal review.

Draft ordinances and key differences

- Home Starts Here: Replaces existing homelessness policy language with four pillars (health care, outreach/navigation, multidisciplinary engagement and economic security) and a set of indicators for success tied to housing stabilization and health access.

- Good Neighbor Agreement and shelter‑siting: Expands GNA obligations to city‑funded shelters above a $50,000 threshold, requires a 24/7 contact point for operators, and exempts shelters under 20 beds (intended to support a scatter‑site approach). Staff removed a prior requirement for an equity subcommittee review after stakeholder feedback.

- Consolidated obstruction/camping ordinance: Creates a citywide prohibition on knowingly obstructing safe passage or camping in public places, retains exceptions for constitutionally protected expressive activity and medical emergencies, requires a seven‑day notice before enforcement for camps (unless an immediate threat exists), and asks the city to adopt an administrative encampment‑abatement policy that protects personal property.

- Aggressive solicitation: If adopted, the ordinance would preserve a separate provision that addresses aggressive or coercive solicitation after pedestrian‑interference language is consolidated.

Public testimony: downtown business concerns and caution about criminalization

Four people spoke during public testimony. Emily Cameron, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, said downtown’s design (wide sidewalks, plazas and a higher level of pedestrian activity) requires tailored management and asked for a role in refining downtown enforcement and operating details. "When we talk about downtown specifically in public space management, we are very concerned because of the conditions in downtown that require unique, expectations, unique, management," Cameron said.

Other public commenters warned against criminalizing people who have no shelter. One resident said criminalizing basic acts of eating, sleeping and toileting in public is "cruel and unusual" without alternatives. A service‑provider advocate urged caution: enforcement should not substitute for housing and services and added that local infrastructure for safe parking, low‑barrier shelters and transitional housing must exist before enforcement is expanded.

What happens next

Staff said the ordinances will be refined and returned to council for ordinance drafting and potential hearings. Councilmembers asked staff to provide full survey results and roundtable materials; one member reported filing a public‑records request to access the underlying survey data.

Ending

City staff asked council to consider the roundtable recommendations and the draft ordinance language; council members and downtown stakeholders said more operational detail and tailored downtown language will be needed before final votes.