A Remarkable Meeting
Last Wednesday, June 28th, the Spokane Regional Collaborative (SRC) held a meeting at the Convention Center from 8AM to 10AM to present its recommendation for the formation of a Spokane Regional Authority for Homelessness, Housing, Health and Safety. Three former City of Spokane officials retired from the Condon administration (the one that preceded Nadine Woodward’s), Gavin Cooley, Rick Romero, and Theresa Sanders, presented their findings and recommendations to a packed audience of around 200, including many elected officials from Spokane County and municipal governments within the county.
Homelessness is a growing nationwide problem rooted in imbalances in our national and local economy, an issue made painfully obvious to all by the dislocations that surrounded the Covid 19 pandemic. Gavin Cooley characterized the issue of homelessness somewhat optimistically as a symptom of Spokane’s economic success, i.e. Spokane is seen as a desirable place to live, attracting people with money who have driven up home and rent prices that make living space unaffordable for the least advantaged among us.
The issue of homelessness in our region is highlighted by the controversy that surrounded the existence and manner of closure of the homeless encampment on Department of Transportation land near I-90 and the Freya exit, the encampment that came to be known as Camp Hope. The last residents left Camp Hope on June 9 after an 18 month run overseen by Jewels Helping Hands under the remarkable leadership of Julie Garcia.
The lead-up to Wednesday’s meeting and presentation by the SRC trio ranged over more than a year and included visits to several other regional programs that are enjoying varying degrees of success. The Houston metro area’s program is cited as the model to emulate. Cooley, Romero, and Sanders, self-described policy and data wonks, assembled a detailed recommendation for the formation of a Spokane Regional Authority as a nonprofit corporation. (Think of the Spokane Transit Authority as a similar regional collaborative effort.) The Spokane Regional Authority for Homelessness, Housing, Health and Safety would bring under one roof the necessary tools and expertise to apply for monetary grants from federal, state, and local programs and coordinate efforts among the many providers in the region. It was an impressive presentation about which there is much more to be said—and which I hope to cover better in later posts. Judging by the number of sponsors, there is the potential for a lot of productive buy-in.
Shortly after the meeting started there was an incident that could have changed the tone of the whole presentation—but did not, thanks to the timely intervention by compassionate people with lived experience. The story was written up by my friend Dan Simonson. I’ve pasted it below from his Substack ShelterSpokane.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry
Compassion vs. Choke Holds: A great story from yesterday’s Homeless Authority meeting
Jewels Helping Hands (JHH) and Julie Garcia to the Rescue
by Dan Simonson
Jun 29
As the meeting began yesterday, at one point a lady came into the session. She was very vocal, very belligerent. She was yelling about how could we do this, she was homeless, she was denied medication, and many other things. We all held our breath. She was obviously in a mental health crisis – how were we going to react?
Thankfully, Theresa Sanders, who was standing at the podium at the time, came off the podium and asked her gently and sweetly to please take a seat – which she “kinda” did. She withdrew, muttering, off through a side door for a few minutes, but then we could hear her starting up again. It was such an awkward moment – what to do? Murmuring went around as she proceeded to amp up her volume.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye and behind me (I was sitting toward the front), I saw a few folks in black JHH shirts moving from their seats to the door and this terribly upset lady. Then I faintly heard Julie’s voice, soft yet straightforward. The yelling moved back down to muttering, and then peace.
Julie, Ken, Maurice – the whole JHH crew – saved this vitally important meeting from a potentially awful scene that would have ruined it. Imagine police or security officers, called in to remove this lady. She was not about to leave without a battle, and the screams would have unnerved us all. Yet Julie and her crew, without yelling, without chokeholds, with simple human persuasion and love, got her under control and calmed her down. They did it with firm yet loving kindness. She deserved to be heard, just not there and then. They saved all of us, not just the poor little lady.
I had to pass on this story. There are saints wandering around this town, and I just saw some in action. Lifted my heart for the whole day. Thank you so much, Julie and the JHH crew!
Dan
Addendum: I (Jerry again) was told later by others in attendance that a Spokane policeman was in the back of the hall. At the beginning of the scene, he stepped forward in anticipation, and then, seeing that the JHH team was activated, quietly and wisely stepped back. Maurice Smith later added that he (Maurice) also stood down from the intervention, wisely understanding that a tall man might be perceived as threatening by the distressed woman. I understand the JHH team convinced the woman to accompany them back to the the JHH drop-in center on Springfield Ave where she calmed down and spent part of the day.