Retain Beggs

Homelessness in Spokane limits economic growth and constrains use of downtown businesses and recreation, especially in visitor districts. As longtime locals, even we feel concern biking through our parks and encountering large homeless groups. Local leadership needs to ensure the safe use of our downtown for all, through enforcement, engagement and protection.

Breean Beggs (for City Council), has provided long-term programmatic advice to homeless services, giving him a community-wide knowledge of the issues. As a downtown business owner, he understands how we are all impacted, and helped negotiate with the mayor to guarantee funding for 24/7 shelters. He also supports novel programs for the intersecting issues of mental health and criminal justice, including Smart Justice, which uses science-based, least-cost methods that minimize recidivism; and the Spokane Community Court, which minimizes endless short-term jail sentences and promotes community service with intense supervision and disease treatment, for those who comply.

Spokane is a leading city in health care and recreation. Instead of “pie in the sky” economic development plans, let’s be an example of a clean, fun destination with compassionate, accountable homelessness solutions. Retaining Breean Beggs is pivotal to that goal.

Joanna and Dennis Clifton

Valleyford