As we move deeper into the Christmas season, downtown Spokane is energized by renewal and excitement, seen in busy shops, full restaurants, packed events, and a growing sense of life on the streets.
That energy is not accidental. It is emerging alongside a meaningful shift in the downtown environment, as our City leaders confront the health and safety crisis driven by synthetic opioids and work to restore public order and safety. The question now is not whether progress is happening, but how we sustain it and build on it.
The first step is recognizing the extraordinary amount of work underway and acknowledging the leadership that has made this moment possible. At a time when Spokane, like many cities across the country, is facing tight budgets and the impacts of a synthetic opioid crisis, our Mayor, City Council, first responders, and service providers have made a deliberate shift away from isolated efforts, instead leveraging coordination and partnerships, bringing together people, systems, and resources regionally to deliver real results.
Here are some key examples.
The City’s scattered shelter strategy, supported by the recently adopted Safe and Accessible Spaces ordinance, is being leveraged across dozens of organizations region wide. At the center of this effort is the Navigation Center at 8th and Cannon. Each day, roughly 75 to 125 people who were previously living unsheltered come through its doors to get connected to shelter, treatment, and longer-term services.
This level of coordination is not easy. It rests on the professionalism, persistence, and problem-solving skills of the Navigation Center leadership, staff, and thousands of trained professionals operating at the intersection of enforcement, outreach, and care every day.
The Spokane Police Department is deeply integrated into the broader response system, working alongside outreach teams, service providers, and the Navigation Center. They are practicing what Chief Hall has described as compassionate enforcement, blending accountability with pathways to help. It is a careful balancing act. Nearly half of a group of “Chronic offenders,” responsible for a large share of downtown crime, have recently entered services. Two have entered the criminal justice system and several others appear to have left town.
As a community, our role is clear. We should celebrate real progress while recognizing that this work is far from finished. Sustaining momentum requires understanding and supporting the effort needed each day to coordinate enforcement, outreach, shelter, and treatment. A word of encouragement to a frontline worker, a note of appreciation to City Hall, or other public support genuinely matters. And just as importantly, come downtown, take part, support local businesses and events, and help sustain the momentum firsthand.
While many cities continue to struggle with the nation’s health and safety crisis, Spokane is charting a different path, grounded in coordination, partnership, accountability, and care. That progress is real, and sustaining it now depends on all of us.
