SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane County and city leaders announced the activation of an emergency operations center (EOC) for people experiencing homelessness in Spokane and surrounding areas on Tuesday.
This is the first step in their plan to clear out the homeless camp near I-90 by Nov. 15, 2022. The land is owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
Mayor Nadine Woodward, Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and County Commissioner Mary Kuney believe the homeless camp near I-90 can be cleared out in three to four weeks because of the EOC.
"It gives us the flexibility to purchase items immediately based on the emergency proclamation," Knezovich said.
Knezovich will lead the emergency management team at the EOC. The team will execute plans to move people out of the homeless camp and into housing.
Woodward said the imminent drop in temperatures was one contributing factor to opening the EOC.
"The sudden shift in temperatures with near-freezing overnight lows [on Monday night] and the impending winter weather has only added to the urgency that we are all feeling about the overall public health and safety of the individuals inside that encampment," Woodward said.
The purpose of the EOC is to bring regional resources and agencies under one roof.
The EOC is also where all the major decisions regarding the I-90 homeless camp will be made. Local officials will use the space to execute plans to move people out of the homeless camp and into housing. That plan includes turning the Trent Shelter into a navigation center where regional resources will connect people to services that will meet their individual housing needs.
"It's basically bringing people inside in a temporary situation, connected to services, meals, showers, restrooms and then having them have a temporary space while they are waiting, eventually, for the housing options that will come their way rather than being in a field, in a tent with frozen ground and snow falling around them," Woodward said.
WSDOT sent a letter to the city on Monday stating the county's EOC is not needed because the state is already implementing all of the county's proposed actions.
Woodward said regional leaders will work every day to make sure there are enough beds available at the Trent Shelter and other facilities to take in people waiting for housing.
Residents can expect daily updates from the emergency management team about the progress being made on moving people out of the camp, according to Knezovich.
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