SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Business Association (SBA) says Spokane’s homelessness and drug crisis has reached a tipping point, formally declaring a “major crisis” during a press conference Thursday morning at the former Redemption Church on Division Street.
Standing in the same building that a downtown congregation was forced to vacate, business leaders called on city council candidates to sign what they’re calling the “75 Percent Leadership Pledge.” The pledge supports new legislation modeled after Proposition 1, the 2023 voter-approved initiative that banned camping on public property and within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and childcare centers.
“The biggest change we all hoped for was clear outcomes, firm dates, and measurable performance standards,” said Gavin Cooley, the SBA’s director of strategic initiatives. “All of those are still missing. Without those, it just feels like another bag of fog, leaving us all to wonder when, if ever, this crisis will be resolved.”
Cooley said the group’s Blueprint for Legislation aims to provide those measurable standards, combining enforcement with immediate engagement that would connect people experiencing homelessness to available services.
Brad Barnett, president of the Spokane Business Association, said the goal is to force action after what he described as years of inaction.
“We’ve called on city leaders to declare a joint state of emergency,” Barnett said. “They haven’t — so we’re calling it what it is. This is a crisis, and we’re bringing real solutions.”
For Pastor Miles Rohde, the issue is personal. He led Redemption Church at Second and Division for nearly a decade before relocating after repeated break-ins, overdoses, and safety concerns.
“For us it was a little bit too little too late,” Rohde said. “But for those who are still here and in need of help, they need to know the laws will be enforced and that their safety matters too.”
Rohde said his congregation tried for years to minister to those struggling downtown but eventually felt forced to leave.
“We tried for ten years to make an impact on the community here — to care for people who are hurting — but over time we were forced out. The city lost a gospel presence that had been here for over a hundred years,” he said.
The SBA says it plans to publish a list of city council candidates who sign the 75 Percent Leadership Pledge ahead of Election Day.Leaders argue the effort isn’t about politics, but about restoring public spaces and giving both businesses and vulnerable residents a clearer path forward.
