Spokane Prepares To Disband the State’s Largest Community of Unhoused People

Writing for RANGE Media, Carl Segerstrom describes the uncertain future facing the residents of Camp Hope, a growing encampment located on land owned by the Washington Department of Transportation. “Covering a full city block just off of Interstate 90 a couple miles east of downtown Spokane, Camp Hope is home to more than 600 people, making it the largest encampment on state land in Washington.”

According to Segerstrom, “Service providers regularly visit the camp to connect residents with services like addiction treatment and healthcare. A dozen port-a-potties line the sidewalk and, on the day we visited, a shower trailer was available for residents to use.” As such, “The combination of on-site services and a tight-knit community has drawn people experiencing homelessness to the encampment.”

As Segerstrom writes, “What’s to come  — more than $24 million in state funding and the relocation of the camp’s residents — is a testament to the endurance of the Camp Hope community and the intractability of the homelessness crisis in Spokane and across Washington.” But residents are worried about the future of their community and the options before them. “One solution that residents said they prefer over congregate shelters is pallet shelters — small, semi-permanent structures that are climate controlled and can be locked.” Segerstrom notes that “Surveys of 601 Camp Hope residents conducted by Jewels Helping Hands found that every camper would be willing to move into a pallet shelter or tiny home, and only 51 would be willing to go to a shelter, depending on the operator.” 

How the funding will be used is yet to be decided by city and county officials, but there is some agreement on purchasing a hotel and renovating an existing shelter.