SPOKANE, Wash. – The City of Spokane has scrapped — a move initially meant to help fulfill Mayor Lisa Brown’s promise to lower the burden of homelessness services on downtown.
In a statement shared on Thursday, Brown said the $1.8 million earmarked for that purchase will now go towards implementing a “, a major undertaking of her administration.
“Every day, I hear calls for increased services and treatment options for members of our community who struggle with addiction,” Brown said. “I have been clear in my intent to have the city be a partner to the providers offering these services, while simultaneously de-congregating services off the Division St corridor.”
The initial plan to help pay to move CAT was panned by other city officials and community members
Without naming anyone specifically, Brown accused critics of failing to articulate alternatives for siting homelessness services despite publicly supporting.
“I call on those critics to come to the table and propose constructive solutions, rather than merely pointing out flaws,” Brown said.
Brown previously caught flak in May from downtown businesses over rumors that downtown shelter House of Charities, run by Catholic Charities, might have been eyeing a move to the Carlyle building just a few blocks west.
Catholic Charities and the Brown administration in some capacity considered an agreement in which the service provider closed .
In August, Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper and Spokane County Commissioner Al French to use as a homeless facility.
Spokane City Councilmember Jonathan Bingle took ownership over the suggestion that the Pine Lodge building in Medical Lake be used as a shelter, and Brown’s office repeatedly said the mayor never planned to use the facility.
