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Camp residents, as well as Jewels Helping Hands and Disability Rights Washington, which are also suing, say clearing the camp is unconstitutional, and discriminates against people with disabilities, according to the lawsuit.
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The contractor, the Guardians Foundation, has a former employee under investigation for embezzlement. City staff has also found several accounting discrepancies and poor financial record keeping.
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A survey by a non-profit on the ground found the majority of residents at the large homeless camp next to Interstate 90 did not have a birth certificate or ID card, a barrier to accessing both services and housing.
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A letter from Washington transportation secretary Roger Miller called Spokane's chronic nuisance notice “constitutionally suspect. The letter also says if Spokane doesn’t back off, the state may sue the city.
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Police are investigating an employee at the Guardians Foundation, which operates two city-owned homeless shelters. The non-profit recently won a nearly $6.6 million contract with the city.
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The sheriff says he plans to take matters into his own hands if the camp isn’t removed by mid-October, by declaring the site an unlawful assembly.
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State agencies say they plan to gradually reduce the size of the camp as new housing options come online.
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A group of neighbors and developers in Spokane’s West Hills neighborhood has filed a lawsuit to stop the city and homeless service provider Catholic Charities from opening a new supportive housing project in an old hotel.
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The city of Spokane could soon tighten the rules on illegal camping city-wide, giving police officers the authority to break up any camp they see as a safety hazard.
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The city of Spokane is now enforcing its code against sitting, or laying down on sidewalks in downtown Spokane.