Residents press Spokane council on encampments, shelter funding and fentanyl during public comment

Dozens of residents and service providers addressed the Spokane City Council during open forum, pressing elected officials to act on encampments near schools, transparency and oversight of shelter funding, the quality of temporary church-run shelters and a recent rise in fentanyl overdoses.

Several speakers tied recent council funding decisions to on-the-ground problems. Derek Azaro, identifying himself as from Logan District, asked the council to explain how $220,000 allocated for cold-snap sheltering was distributed and to provide expense and referral data from contract providers. Azaro provided a line-by-line breakdown he said had been approved the previous week: “Weighout shelters, 25 beds — you gave them $70,000 for 25 beds. That works out to $2,800 per bed. Catholic Charities, 134 beds — $120,000, that’s $895 per bed. Revive, 15 beds — $30,000, 15 beds, that’s $2,000 per bed,” he said, adding that contract reporting and accountability were missing from the record.

Speakers representing neighborhoods described encampments and motor homes near school routes and said families were frightened to let children walk to class. Derek Azaro and Raul Pena said motor homes and vehicles near schools created safety concerns and described neighbors’ calls for more code enforcement.

Several commenters asked the council to prioritize children’s safety and to reconsider contracting choices. Wendy (last name not provided) described recent overdose losses and a public memorial and urged the council to “stop funding Catholic Charities and make our streets safe again,” and called for declaring a state of emergency to address fentanyl. Christine Quinn, speaking later in the forum, told councilors some middle-school students are being Narcaned and said, “Our kids are overdosing. Our first responders are being called to schools to bring them back to life.”

Sunshine Wiggins, who identified herself as experiencing homelessness, criticized the sanitary conditions and lack of showers in temporary church shelters and urged investment in humane, permanent shelter facilities instead of short-term contracts. “I feel that you guys would be better off not giving us anything and building us an actual shelter that’s humane,” she said, and referenced council allocations she summarized as $342,000 to provide 60 beds for six months, which she calculated at roughly $950 per bed per month.

Several speakers also raised concerns about enforcement and neighborhood notification when shelters open. Jerome Green, director of Magic Bus Spokane, raised a separate but related issue: a condominium association letter seeking to stop street musicians in front of River Park Square that he characterized as harassment of performers and children who participate in the program.

Council members did not take action during open forum; the meeting record shows the forum concluded and the council adjourned. Speakers repeatedly urged clearer reporting from contract providers, more code enforcement around encampments close to schools and faster, targeted responses to fentanyl overdoses.