Spokane-area governments agree to talk homelessness, but strong philosophical differences remain

After months of talking about homelessness, Spokane-area governments have agreed to talk some more.
Whether they do anything else together remains to be seen.
A regional approach to homelessness, where local governments and service providers coordinate their efforts rather than operate alone, has for years been envisioned by local leaders as the best path to reducing homelessness in the area. If successful, proponents say Spokane could start operating more like Houston, a city quickly becoming legendary for effective homelessness reduction initiatives using a similar coalition.
“We are a regional hub, the city of Spokane is, for homelessness in our area, and we need to start addressing it differently,” said Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward. “Pooling our resources, our funding and decision-making under one entity will get us better outcomes.”
The effort to bring Spokane-area governments together has been led by Gavin Cooley, Rick Romero and Theresa Sanders, three former Spokane City Hall officials who worked in Mayor David Condon’s administration.
In the last few weeks, elected leaders from Spokane, Spokane Valley and Spokane County have agreed to begin a 90-day conversation about working more closely on homelessness. Each government signed onto a joint statement outlining what the group would be discussing in the next three months.
Even getting to that first step was complicated. County commissioners and Spokane Valley City Council members proposed a slate of edits to the original document: instead of a regional “authority,” they agreed to talk about a regional “effort,” and declarative statements about what the group “will” accomplish were replaced with what the group “could” do.
The 90-day due diligence period, when all parties would decide on the actual goals and structure of the regional effort, was originally meant to kick off with a splashy Feb. 11 public announcement. Instead, edits, logistical issues and other delays meant the month ended without a unified announcement, though all three parties did separately agree by the end of the month to start formal talks.
“The more people you bring in, the longer it takes,” Woodward said. “I think we have to exercise patience during all of this. It isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight.”
The first meeting between the three entities, and the formal start of the 90-day discussion period, is expected sometime in the next week or so, Romero said in an interview.
There are four specific questions that need to be answered during that period, Romero added: how will the regional effort be funded, staffed and governed by its members? And how would it be legally structured, as a nonprofit or other type of organization?
“We’re going to focus during the 90 days more on the what than the how,” Romero said. “The thinking is, we would recommend some type of structure that, if stood up, would then delve into how they’re going to function.”
Officials from the county and two cities all want a seat at the table, though some have expressed an unwillingness to commit to anything more, and there are already signs of philosophical disagreements between the various stakeholders.
“As far as this whole concept of the regional effort, I have a lot of concerns,” said Spokane Valley City Councilwoman Laura Padden.
“Spokane calls it a regional effort and yet they’re the ones that came to us,” she added. “It’s their brainchild, and our goals aren’t the same.”
Some, like Padden, are wary about how much money smaller entities like Spokane Valley would be expected to pony up, and how much sway they would have over the group’s decisions.
The neighboring cities have had different approaches to homelessness, said fellow Spokane Valley City Councilman Rod Higgins, with Spokane pushing for housing and shelter as the immediate solution to get people out of homelessness. Those resources have been inefficiently used and have simply enabled homeless people who do not want help, Higgins argued.
“Right now we seem to be in a mode where we are bending over backward to facilitate – if you will, to actually attract – homeless people here with the services we provide,” Higgins said.
“I’m wondering if we might not ought to be looking at it from the other side of the equation, and make things less attractive here,” he added.
Unless the regional homelessness group is based on a philosophy of “tough love,” Higgins expressed doubt that it would get off the ground.
Even if it does, and a regional homelessness authority starts to make decisions, some worry the coalition would collapse if it acted in a way unpopular with one of its members.
“Would (the Spokane City Council) be able to pass an ordinance banning that practice within city limits?” asked Spokane County Commissioner Josh Kerns. “Would they be able to totally blow up this deal because they don’t like the manner that this new entity is trying to end or prevent homelessness?”
While philosophical differences could pose a challenge, Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs emphasized that the city wants to keep its partners at the table.
“Any marriage can end in divorce, but that’s not a great reason for not getting married,” he said. “As long as the county and the valley are putting substantial funds in the programs they believe in, if they have stipulations, that’s not a deal breaker.”
“Those are resources we don’t have right now. I’ll take it.”
Kerns said he believed that the regional coalition at least has a shot at making a difference. And at the very least, everyone wants a seat at the table in the coming months.
“I have reservations about various things here, but I think that we have to be in the discussion,” said Spokane Valley City Councilman Arne Woodard. “We have to give our points of view.”