Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Needless Meddling Threatens Future Of Affordable Housing

Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Revi

Far more than the privileges of a few troublemakers is at stake in a standoff between civil rights zealots and the management of a Skid Road safe house in downtown Spokane.

Contrary to what political correctness police in Washington, D.C., and in local government mandate, the core issue here is not protecting the right of a self-destructive minority to inflict themselves on others.

Instead, what is at risk is nothing less than the future of public support for affordable housing in Spokane.

One way or another, for good or bad, the outcome of this confrontation will impact thousands of struggling individuals and families truly deserving of a helping hand.

Not only that, but also in jeopardy are efforts to reclaim West First Avenue from pushers and prostitutes and gang members and thugs and just plain low-lifes.

Rehabilitating the old Commercial Building in the 1100 block of West First - maybe the worst block in Spokane - is a great concept. But government interference has made the execution a bad joke.

The undertaking was ballyhooed as an affordable housing demonstration project. It was designed to showcase the effectiveness of a collaborative effort by public and private social service agencies and organizations, bankers, lawyers, etc.

It debuted with much fanfare and self-congratulatory back slapping by officialdom just three months ago.

Meantime, a year ago, self-confident public housing officials presented Spokane voters a $20-million tax-levy proposal. It would have leveraged another $62 million, generating a total of $82 million to subsidize affordable housing on a broad front.

But voters didn’t buy the program, despite the backing of credible business and civic leaders. At the time, the director of Spokane Legal Services, Jim Bamberger, assured, “We can make government work the right way.”

Back to the Commercial. When it finally opened after years of promises and public/private alliances, stuffed-shirt administrators who make comfy careers out of performing good deeds for the government saw fit to give themselves a reception and blow a lot of smoke about their accomplishments.

Then they turned their backs on West First, and for a while, all was well, as long as others doing the real work were allowed do their jobs.

In April, the 52-room shelter had 42 tenants.

But then three complained that rules - designed to support the recovery of substance abusers and others making a life-changing comeback - were too strict for them.

“These people didn’t wish to live by the rules we believe we need to make this work,” says project general manager Ann Finke.

Re-enter Jim Bamberger, the head of Spokane Legal Services, again. The civil rights activist - some would say extremist - equated the Commercial’s house rules with “martial law.”

That brought in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD in many minds a synonym for government graft, corruption, waste and slums breeding cultural decay and crime and hate and hopelessness. HUD said a curfew, sign-outs, cleanup chores, urine tests, possible room searches and no alcohol or drugs discriminated against addicts and drunks.

So HUD, which pays a third of the rent, yanked its subsidy in order to whip excessively law-abiding managers of the Commercial into line with Uncle Sam’s low standards.

Now the Commercial has lost most of the tenants whose lives it was trying to help change. The place is being trashed. Pushers, prostitutes and drunks come and go. “It’s total chaos,” says resident manager Dan Vorbach.

Says Finke, “Everybody’s supporting us except the government.”

Laments Jim Delegans, speaking for the owners, Otis Limited Partnership, “We’re not generating the kind of results wanted in public housing. We are not making progress helping people.”

Not just addicts, but others seeking a safe harbor in which to make life-changing transitions, are out of luck.

“If we can’t pull the program together,” sighs Delegans, “we will have spent the taxpayer’s money on a place for people to continue doing what they did on the streets. The public is tired of just paying the bills and not seeing good results.”

Sure enough, the community is watching this fiasco.

If public officials persist in thumbing their nose at mainstream voters, it’s bye-bye affordable housing.

, DataTimes MEMO: Associate Editor Frank Bartel’s column appears on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Review

Associate Editor Frank Bartel’s column appears on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Review