(The Center Square) – After months of gridlock and stalled proposals, the Spokane City Council made good on its word to propose new policies around homelessness on Monday. Picking up the “Ban The Address” ordinance, the council floated the idea after a similar “Homeless Bill of Rights” failed last year.
Councilmember Paul Dillon proposed the measure more than six months after asking residents for feedback on how the city handles the issue. His ordinance marks the first official proposal to follow the homeless roundtables after the community backed it during the discussions.
The Center Square previously obtained and reported on six draft proposals for ideas floated during the roundtables. Neither Dillon’s ordinance nor Councilmember Lili Navarrete’s “Homeless Bill of Rights” measure was among the drafts, but he said public interest seems to have pivoted to the idea.
“We’ve had lots of discussions about all the ordinances,” Councilmember Zack Zappone said during Monday’s committee meeting. “Just wondering why we’re starting to pull one out. Why not pull them all out? Why pick one over others? Because there’s lots of community demand.”
Dillon argued that his proposal fit directly within the Finance and Administration Committee’s purview. Some of the other draft proposals related to ordinances that the council majority referred back to the committee of origin. Dillon called it a “standalone” measure that had not been routed through a committee yet.
However, Navarrete’s proposal did reach a committee last July before the council stalled the ordinance due to significant opposition from residents. Dillon’s policy pulls back on establishing “housing status” as a protected class, focusing instead on employment discrimination.
The “Ban The Address” ordinance prohibits employers from rejecting applicants based on their housing status rather than tackling broader issues like decriminalizing homelessness.
Navarrete said she asked Dillon to propose this ordinance, which she called “low-hanging fruit.”
“A lot of the people on the dais did not want to vote for the original one,” she said, calling Dillon’s version progress compared to what failed to gain support last summer.
Navarrete said the intent is to help homeless individuals find a job. She previously went back and forth with residents and business owners over her version. Many felt that making housing status a protected class would exacerbate issues with camping on public property around town.
Councilmember Michael Cathcart cosponsored Dillon’s proposal after previously pushing back against Navarrete’s measure. Among the conservative minority, Cathcart expressed hope that his peers will vote on the ordinance in the coming weeks after a series of delays for others last summer.
Cathcart and Councilmember Jonathan Bingle introduced several proposals related to homelessness last year, with many stalled by the progressive majority. They cited the roundtables and the need for community feedback, but Cathcart said it’s time to stop delaying votes on Monday.
“I had been under the assumption that all of these ordinances were to come forward a month ago,” Cathcart said. “Whatever the reasons for the delay, and I’ve been informed of a few things happening behind the scenes that are not public right now that are unfortunate, but I don’t think we should be delaying just for the sake of delaying or some sort of coordination.”
Dillon encouraged the dais to bring other proposals forward and denied Zappone’s claim of “cherry-picking” specific ordinances related to the roundtables.
“I think it’s time to vote,” Dillon said.
The Spokane City Council will likely vote on Dillon’s proposal sometime next month.
