SPOKANE, Wash. — A bill in the Washington State Legislature could change how Spokane handles homelessness.
The “Shelter Not Penalties” Act would prevent cities from citing people for sleeping outside unless adequate shelter is available.
Spokane adopted its camping ordinance three months ago. The ordinance gives officers the power to cite people camping publicly. If this new bill passes, officers would lose that power unless adequate shelter exists.
The bill defines adequate shelter as free space that allows partners, pets, and possessions, accommodates disabilities, and stays within city limits.
Representative Natasha Hill represents Spokane’s district and co-sponsors the bill.
“How do we work better together to ensure we have a place for everyone to go and not punish them because we don’t have what they need in our community?” Hill said.
Gavin Cooley from the Spokane Business Association opposes the bill. He worries it will limit police options.
“None of our shelters would qualify for that. The eighth and Cannon shelter, where we have a lot of navigation going on towards services wouldn’t qualify,” Cooley said.
Cooley believes Spokane has made progress since the ordinance started. He says downtown looks better because the city addresses harmful behaviors while connecting people to services.
“I think people can see it in downtown, where we’re saying no to these behaviors that really damage business and commerce downtown, but we’re also moving people into the help they need,” Cooley said.
In three months, 482 people received citations under the new law according to a Spokane Police Department dashboard. They must appear in community court. A county judge says Monday will be one of the largest court dockets she has seen.
Hill argues the legal system creates barriers and can traumatize people. She believes citations are unnecessary.
“We don’t need citations to get people to services. We know when we get people to services, we have better outcomes and we need to invest in housing,” Hill said.
The bill had a public hearing this week. The ACLU of Washington supported it. Several law enforcement agencies opposed it.
The House Housing Committee will discuss the bill in executive session Tuesday.
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