SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council, local businesses and community organizations will host two more homelessness roundtables before hosting a final town hall later this year.
The two roundtables are scheduled for Thursday, November 7 and Tuesday, November 19. The final all-city town hall is Tuesday, December 10.
The City said the purpose of the events is to review homeless-related ordinances. The events are also meant to "educate, gather input and feedback, to ensure that the pending ordinances are enhanced effectively and reflect the diverse needs of the community," according to a press release sent from the City of Spokane to media.
Topics for the roundtable discussions and town hall include lawful and unlawful camping, pedestrian interference and sit+lie and a summary of the roundtables and next steps.
Each event is at the third-floor event space of the Central Library in downtown Spokane from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. No registration is required for the roundtables or the town hall.
As a reminder, here is a breakdown of the events happening over the next few weeks.
- Roundtable: Lawful and Unlawful Camping, Thursday, November 7 from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
- Roundtable: Pedestrian Interference and Sit + Lie, Tuesday, November 19 from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
- All City Town Hall: Summary of Roundtables and Next Steps, Tuesday, December 10 from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
"Hosting and participating in these roundtables has been highly impactful for us as Council Members and stakeholders," Council Member Zack Zappone said in the press release sent from the City of Spokane to media. "Through the roundtables, we have been able to engage with the community and listen to their concerns, suggestions, and ideas regarding the development of policies that affect our most vulnerable citizens while also considering the crucial needs of our businesses and service providers. We look forward to the upcoming roundtable discussions and a larger town hall meeting to deliberate on our collective findings and the next steps for the Council. Council will likely consider an update to the ordinances discussed at the beginning of the new year."
The City hosted its most recent homelessness roundtable Tuesday night, focusing on the topics of shelter siting and emergency sheltering activation criteria.
