Homelessness & Social Services
Homelessness & Social Services
OPPOSE ORD-C36549: “Homelessness Rights Ordinance”
No individual should face discrimination while seeking and during employment, but the Homelessness Rights Ordinance extends protections well beyond the scope of hiring with potentially significant unintended consequences. By creating a new protected class status for the homeless, this ordinance will create confusion and ambiguity that in practice will hinder, not help, our ability to support individuals out of the path of homelessness. There have been several amended versions proposed by CM Navarrete since being introduced last month that do not limit the scope of the ordinance to employment:
- There are too many unknowns in adopting a policy that can selectively be applied with a special set of exemptions and privileges.
- This creates uncertainty that could expand perceived liability to public and private property owners.
- This creates definitions that could limit the use of surveillance equipment, management of public spaces and private property.
- This creates a community that is less safe for both the housed and unhoused.
- No other city or government in Washington has adopted a similar definition.
To see the DSP's letter of opposition sent to CM Navarrete, as well as her response, click below. The final vote on ORD-C36549 has been deferred by City Council to a to-be-determined date.
SUPPORT ORD-C36544: “Prohibition of Camping Near Support Facilities”
In 2023, Spokane voters overwhelmingly passed Prop. 1 to amend the Spokane Municipal Code and expand the prohibition on illegal camping to those areas within 1,000 feet of schools, day cares, and parks. This ordinance expands the prohibition against unlawful camping to include areas that provide comprehensive support services for the Spokane community, including addiction treatment, resource distribution, congregate shelters, transitional housing and behavioral health services and providers.
On August 19, the DSP submitted a letter to City Council in support of ORD-C36544, anticipating a vote at the upcoming legislative meeting. Despite the DSP's efforts to advance the matter, the Council chose to defer the ordinance to a committee meeting at a later, to-be-determined date.