SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane announced coordinated actions aimed at strengthening public safety, improving access to services, and demonstrating progress in addressing encampment and community safety concerns.
The City of Spokane is temporarily closing pedestrian access to the Browne Street viaduct as construction begins on the Pacific Avenue Greenway. Code Enforcement will begin installing construction fencing tomorrow to close off the four entrances to the viaduct. The city understands that this closure will displace many people who live underneath or utilize the viaduct as shelter, which is why the navigation center’s expanded hours are being implemented simultaneously.
During the viaduct closure, the city will conduct a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) analysis to determine what steps can be taken to improve the area. The analysis will evaluate environmental design enhancements and seek partnership with BNSF to improve safety conditions of the property it owns and operates. Potential improvements include installing additional lighting and cameras.
The city is expanding hours at its navigation center, a specialized facility that serves as a centralized location where people experiencing homelessness can connect with critical services. The navigation center will operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
The navigation center was established as part of Spokane’s shift toward a specialized shelter and navigation model focused on connecting people to individualized services and pathways toward permanent housing and treatment.
The city distributes services across multiple micro shelter sites. Each location averages about 30 beds and is tailored to meet the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness. A key component of this model is collaboration with community partners.
The city’s efforts are producing measurable results. The Brown Administration recently closed its 17th large-scale encampment utilizing the state’s Encampment Resolution Program (ERP). Through this program, outreach teams identify people living in encampments, establish by-names lists, connect individuals with appropriate services and housing, and work toward restoring the site.
Since July 2024, the city has placed 377 people on by-names lists and successfully navigated 239 people to housing through the program.
Mayor Lisa Brown emphasized the coordinated approach underlying these actions. “This is what a coordinated community safety system looks like. From homelessness to behavioral health to housing, these challenges are intertwined and demand an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach,” Brown said. “These actions bring the right tools together: enforcement when it’s necessary, outreach and services when they can help, and investments that address the conditions that allow challenges to persist.”
Local business owners in the area are welcoming the changes but say the city needs to do more to address the broader issue. One bar operator located within a block of the viaduct reported making multiple public safety calls per week for incidents involving homeless individuals threatening customers and using facilities to use drugs.
“From our shop we’ve seen people who are obviously in an altered state of mind, people experiencing overdoses, and people showing aggressive behavior. There has been vandalism, trash, and various bodily fluids waiting for whoever is opening shop that day,” the business owner said in a statement. “Closing the viaduct will, I believe, help our business, but will do nothing to address the actual problem and merely move the problem onto other businesses or communities. Our city needs a better way to address both the current reality of homelessness and its prevention.”
To find out more about the navigation center go to this website.
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