SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane City Council members are considering using general fund dollars to ensure emergency shelters remain funded as the new year approaches.
The city disclosed it is running out of funds dedicated to housing and support projects, referred to as 1590 funds.
The council discussed the funding issues during a pre-council meeting on Monday. Council Member Paul Dillon emphasized the importance of this funding.
“This money saves lives, like, straight up,” said Dillon.
According to Spokane’s municipal code, city leaders must establish inclement weather centers when conditions require it. Their strategy is to add beds to existing shelters.
Dillon highlighted the risks faced by the unhoused during extreme weather.
“When we see folks that are unhoused who are at risk of freezing to death, these deaths are preventable,” said Dillon.
Inclement weather conditions include any two-day stretch of 95 degrees or hotter, 32 degrees or lower, or smoky conditions. Erin Hut from the City of Spokane explained how often these conditions occur.
“The reality is, here in Spokane we hit those thresholds a good portion of the year. You know I think it’s about one-third of the days of the year we’re in that heat or that cold range,” said Hut.
Traditionally, funding came from the 1590 fund, which is supported by a 0.1 cent sales tax aimed at building affordable housing units and providing services like behavioral and mental health. However, that fund is now depleted, prompting council members to consider using the general fund.
Council Member Jonathan Bingle expressed concerns about the spending strategy.
“What happens every year is it gets cold every year. We spent those 1590 dollars knowing that winter was coming. And so this isn’t something that snuck up on us. It’s not. So, we made a conscious decision here to spend those dollars knowing what was coming,” said Bingle.
The Mayor’s office explains the $137,000 in general fund dollars that council members are discussing come from a $1 million pot that was set aside a year ago in the general fund. “It’s just standard protocol that we have to go through Council to tap into those dollars, as we’re paying these contracts in increments” said Hut.
Councilman Dillon adding, “There’s a flexibility in there that we might move some funding around, but ultimately the goal is to keep this as intended for extreme weather events.”
The mayor’s office clarified the difference between inclement weather sheltering and emergency sheltering. They explained that emergency sheltering is the standard homeless response, while inclement weather sheltering is a life safety measure activated when needed. This funding is separate from the overall homeless response and affordable housing approach.
The Spokane City Council is scheduled to vote on this issue on Monday.
