City of Spokane's Homeless Outreach Team Adopts New Structure to Enhance Response
Washingtoner/10257201

~ Spokane, WA - The City of Spokane's Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) has recently implemented a new structure in order to better address complaints and serve the community's needs regarding illegal camping and other secondary impacts of homelessness. This change aims to improve response time, expand coverage across the city, and provide more efficient services.

Previously, HOT consisted of two Spokane Police officers, multiple Code Enforcement Litter Control staff, and outreach partners who operated as one unit on a daily basis. However, in order to increase and improve response, HOT has now divided into two teams: the Neighborhood Team and the Downtown Team.

The Neighborhood Team is made up of seven staff members and accompanied by a Spokane Police officer. They are responsible for addressing issues outside of the boundaries of the SPD Downtown Precinct. On the other hand, the Downtown Team consists of six staff members and a Spokane Police officer who focus on addressing issues within the boundaries of the precinct.

In addition to HOT's response, SPD's Abandoned Auto Unit is also taking action against nuisance vehicles. This allows for two staff members to handle these cases separately, eliminating the need for the larger team to respond when there are no secondary impacts that need to be addressed.

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Mayor Lisa Brown expressed her support for this new structure stating, "This structural change allows our Homeless Outreach Team to continue their critical work in a much more efficient way." She believes that these changes will result in more frequent coverage throughout downtown and neighborhoods, ultimately improving their response to complaints.

According to Luis Garcia, Director of Code Enforcement and Parking Services, this new model has already shown improvement. Under their previous operations, HOT was able to respond to approximately 12 cases per day. However, on their first day with this new approach, they were able to address 34 cases. While this data is still preliminary, Garcia is confident that this new structure will provide a better response overall.

Interim Police Chief Justin Lundgren also expressed his support for this collaborative approach, stating, "The Spokane Police Department is engaged in a collaborative approach to deal with illegal camping and trespass activities throughout the City of Spokane." He believes that this new structure will allow them to visit problem areas more frequently and provide necessary resources to those in need, utilizing education and enforcement when necessary.

With this new structure in place, the City of Spokane hopes to better address the issue of homelessness and its secondary impacts. The Homeless Outreach Team will continue their critical work in a more efficient manner, providing much-needed assistance to those experiencing homelessness while also addressing community concerns.

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