SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown declared an emergency Wednesday as families throughout the community run out of federal food assistance benefits while the federal government remains shut down.
The emergency declaration addresses two critical issues facing the city: families exhausting their SNAP benefits due to the shutdown and the implementation of a new camping ban passed Monday that gives law enforcement expanded authority to cite and arrest people living on the streets.
Under the new camping ordinance, individuals experiencing homelessness face two options. They can either access services or face arrest. Brown’s administration expects increased demand for shelter beds as enforcement intensifies, contributing to the rationale behind the emergency declaration.
“Declaring an emergency allows us to bypass lengthy contracting processes and get funds out more quickly,” Brown said.
The emergency declaration would allow the city to expedite funding without the typical lengthy approval processes. However, the measure faces opposition from at least one city council member.
Councilmember Bingle is challenging the declaration’s scope, arguing in council documents that Brown is using the food crisis as cover to fund non-food programs without council approval.
“The Executive Order is a bald effort by the Mayor to commit nearly #13 million of City funds for non-food related programs without council approval, all under the guise of a purported housing emergency arising from the federal shutdown…” Councilmember Bingle wrote in his amendment.
Councilmember Bingle wants to amend the declaration to focus specifically on food assistance rather than the broader housing and service issues included by Mayor Brown.
The Spokane City Council will vote Monday evening on a resolution to accept, modify or reject the emergency declaration entirely.
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