City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 18
Chapter 18.05
Section 18.05.010
 

Title 18 Human Rights

Chapter 18.05 Protections for Homeless People

Section 18.05.010 Legislative Findings and Purposes
  1. Centers for the protection of vulnerable and homeless individuals and families during inclement weather is vital, whether due to extreme cold, extreme heat, poor air quality conditions, severe storms, or other types of civil emergencies.
  1. The City Council has, from time to time in the past, passed resolutions stating the guidelines and triggering conditions for the activation of emergency warming centers in the City of Spokane, noting that extreme weather conditions can create an extreme danger for vulnerable and homeless people in Spokane and puts a great strain on service providers.
  1. This chapter is intended to codify and supersede those prior resolutions, including, most recently, Resolution No. 2014-0018 (Feb. 24, 2014).
  1. The City Council finds that gaps in shelter and services have been a recurring problem during extreme heat, cold, and poor air quality events, in addition to the continuous public health and safety problem of vulnerability and homelessness in our community.
  1. The City Council also finds that the City must approach this issue with the foresight, increased resources, and prior planning which is a characteristic of prepared and resilient cities around the world, so that Spokane is ready at all times to handle the types of conditions that require the provision of emergency shelter for all people in Spokane who need it, including securing written agreements with private and government entities to provide additional shelter on short notice.
  1. The City Council also finds that providing protection to Spokane residents from extreme heat, cold and unsafe air is an essential government function no less than is the provision of water, wastewater, police, fire, and emergency medical services.
  1. The City Council finds that adequate inclement weather centers can be cost-effectively provided within existing City resources to those actually seeking shelter without providing capacity for every vulnerable and unsheltered homeless individual within the City since not all individuals seek out shelter at inclement weather centers.

Date Passed: Monday, July 12, 2021

Effective Date: Monday, July 12, 2021

ORD C36077 Section 1