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Spokane leaders say end is in sight for Camp Hope

Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs speaks to reporters Wednesday alongside service providers and other city council members at Camp Hope.
Rebecca White/SPR
Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs speaks to reporters Wednesday alongside service providers and other city council members at Camp Hope.

Spokane leaders say the end is now in sight for Camp Hope. Two legal battles between local governments, the state, and residents have been resolved. The camp’s physical footprint is also shrinking as abandoned tents and belongings are cleared and people move into alternate housing options.

According to a new Washington State Department of Transportation estimate, there are now 124 people living in the camp. Those remaining have the most challenging barriers to moving into a shelter or getting an apartment, such as an eviction record, medical issues or disabilities that most homeless service providers aren’t equipped to address.

Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs said Wednesday more housing is likely needed for the remaining residents. That could be a sanctioned RV park elsewhere, or a pallet or tiny home community. Beggs said he’s discussed additional funding with state legislators, and Governor Jay Inslee.

“Basically, the pitch that I’ve been making to them is if we have decommissioned 500 people out of 630 people here,” he said. “More than any other place in the state, reward of us with more money to finish the job.”

Beggs said those conversations have been positive, and he’s hopeful more funding will be available soon. For now, non-profits and local governments will continue to look for housing options that meet the needs of those remaining.

Rebecca White is a 2018 graduate of Edward R Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. She's been a reporter at Spokane Public Radio since February 2021. She got her start interning at her hometown paper The Dayton Chronicle and previously covered county government at The Spokesman-Review.