City outlines 311-based outreach, short-term shelter expansions and mobile treatment in mayor—s emergency response

City staff said the mayor—s emergency declaration will coordinate outreach and short-term shelter expansions while procuring longer-term solutions through normal RFP cycles. Dawn (City staff) outlined a new integrated workflow that routes 311 reports (online 24/7 or phone during business hours) into a mobile worker queue by precinct; outreach teams can escalate to Spokane Police Department officers if safety issues require law enforcement support and can also move sites to code-enforcement queues for abatement after outreach engagement.

"The online reporting is 24/7. Those reports are still funneled directly into an outreach person's queue," Dawn said, explaining that intake submitted outside business hours still populates the outreach queue (68:22). Staff emphasized an in-app ability to mark a site as a priority so outreach or code enforcement does not wait its turn in the queue.

On shelter capacity and contracts, staff presented confirmed and potential short-term expansions: four additional beds at CAT (bringing that site to 29), additional family stays through the YWCA (budgeted for an estimated 350 household stays), and 20 additional beds at existing Revive locations; two sites were listed as —in discussion— (Way Out Shelter +5 beds and a potential 15-bed church scatter-site in Perry). Staff proposed 12-month contracts for these emergency expansions to avoid repeated short-term openings and closings that would destabilize providers and clients and to bridge to the 2026 RFP cycle.

Councilors raised procurement concerns about the 12-month term and whether an emergency declaration was needed to expedite contracting. Staff said the 12-month approach is intended to ensure staffing stability and allow providers to compete in the next RFP cycle, and that contract funding would come from a mix of HEART funds, a state emergency housing passthrough (Department of Commerce) and local human services grants.

For treatment access, staff recommended a mobile medication-assisted treatment (MAT) van operated by CAT for up to 12 months at a proposed cost of $200,000. The van would provide on-site Suboxone, assessments and transport to outpatient services or the daytime navigation center and would be available to outreach teams and SPD for immediate referrals.

Finally, staff reported that the eviction-prevention RFP closed and that the CHHS RFP committee recommended awards totaling about $2.9 million in state pass-through funds. Those recommendations will go to the CHHS board and be briefed to council on the regular committee calendar.

Councilors requested additional detail before contract execution, including final scopes, per-site budgets, staffing plans and updated RFP timelines. Staff said the city's intent is to execute contracts that preserve operational continuity for providers while returning to normal competitive procurement processes in 2026.