CORE Program Shows Promise: Now Let’s Keep the Pressure On

Spokane’s CORE (Crisis Outreach, Response, and Engagement) pilot program, announced by Mayor Lisa Brown on October 10 and launched on October 14, is a pivotal moment for downtown Spokane. It comes after the Spokane Business Association (SBA) advocated strongly for a similar, but more comprehensive approach back in late August, seeking meaningful actions to address the growing crime, drug use, and disorder that have impacted our downtown core and other neighborhoods.

This 30-day pilot program, which partners police officers with behavioral health teams, aims to re-establish safety and reduce the pervasive drug and criminal activities across downtown. CORE is already showing signs of promise, although we still await an official report with concrete statistics. Similar programs in other City’s have evolved over time to build on positive changes and also tackle new challenges as illegal activities spread to other areas of the City. These issues must be addressed by a continued commitment of resources and evolving tactics over an extended period of time, before we can see meaningful and sustained improvements.

Cities like San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles and Seattle have all turned to stronger enforcement coupled with public health programs with rapid and powerful results. Spokane’s CORE program shows that we can achieve similar outcomes if we stay the course. Keeping the additional officers on the ground and integrated with public health programs beyond the pilot’s end in mid-November is essential. The SBA will continue to advocate for sustained enforcement and collaboration to ensure that our downtown and neighborhoods become safe and welcoming spaces for all.

San Francisco's Strong Enforcement Yields Significant Drop in Homeless Encampments

Mayor London Breed of San Francisco recent focus on strong enforcement against public camping has resulted in a substantial decrease in visible homeless encampments, with the tent count falling to 242 as of October 2024—a 60% reduction from July 2023.

TRAC Closes, Winter is Coming, and Questions Remain

The Trent Resource and Assistance Center (TRAC), Spokane’s largest homeless shelter located on Trent Avenue, has closed its doors as part of Mayor Lisa Brown's unfolding plan to transition to smaller, "scattered site" shelters.

Throughout its operation, TRAC was managed with dedication and compassion by the Salvation Army, which did an outstanding job under often challenging conditions. Their team worked tirelessly to support Spokane's most vulnerable, even as they faced capacity limits and resource constraints.

However, big questions remain. Without capacity or clear communication on where individuals can go now that the shelter has closed, and with the arrival of winter temperatures, we see the beginnings of a civic and humanitarian crisis unfolding. A crisis that didn’t need to happen – as quoted in today’s Spokesman Review:

“We’re behind the eight ball, and I don’t think painting it any other way is worth doing. I think, in an effective system, we would have had service providers and funders in a room together back in June or July…we didn’t do that. We started having conversations with service providers four weeks ago.”

- Zeke Smith, President Empire Health Foundation

For now, there is growing concern that Spokane’s downtown and neighborhoods may soon see an increase in displaced individuals. The uncertainty around this transition leaves both the homeless community and Spokane residents anxious about the potential impact.

2024 Spokane Business Association Board of Directors