City of Spokane Announces Next Chapter of HOME Starts Here Initiative

Spokane city officials will announce the next phase of the H. O. M. E. Starts Here initiative during a Public Safety meeting and a press conference on Tuesday.

This initiative seeks to address public camping and open drug use by providing law enforcement with greater discretion to issue citations. The plan includes forming a new coordinated street outreach team and launching a daytime navigation center to connect individuals in crisis with essential resources. Mayor Brown stated the importance of balancing compassion with accountability, emphasizing the need to end public disorder for the safety of the community. Councilmember Zappone echoed this sentiment, highlighting the goal of creating a system that connects resources to those ready for assistance while holding others accountable. Chief Hall added that updated accountability measures will align with the new outreach efforts.

Recommendations for ordinance updates will be developed in collaboration with community and business partners. The details of the press conference will be announced shortly.