Washington’s largest homeless camp closed in Spokane
Earl Anderson, a resident and security employee with Jewels Helping Hands, which operates Camp Hope. (Young Kwak for Crosscut)
After nearly 18 months, the state’s largest homeless encampment closed Friday after securing housing for its last resident.
Camp Hope, located on state Department of Transportation property in Spokane’s East Central neighborhood, sheltered up to 600 unhoused people last summer. As a coalition of service providers worked to relocate residents to other housing options, the population dwindled to fewer than 70 by early March.
Workers are now cleaning the site, including removing fencing and a portable office, according to WSDOT. No new individuals will be allowed to live there.
The encampment sparked political debate and several lawsuits. Local officials wanted the state to clear the encampment more quickly because of concerns over crime and drug use, but state officials and local homeless advocates said that while it also wanted to clear the encampment, it was necessary to address its residents’ underlying issues.
In March, a Spokane County Superior Court judge agreed that the city of Spokane had met the requirements to declare the encampment a nuisance property but allowed the encampment to continue operation while all parties worked on a closing plan.
Camp Hope started in December 2021 as a protest at Spokane City Hall over the lack of available shelter beds. Protesters then relocated to the WSDOT property off the Interstate 90 interchange.
While WSDOT did not grant permission to use the site, state officials said they wanted a gradual and “more humane” resolution to close the site. The state contracted with the nonprofit Empire Health Foundation to coordinate camp operations while simultaneously finding housing, mental health and other assistance for its residents.
Because the camp was on WSDOT property, the state agency was able to use $25 million from its Right of Way Safety initiative plus additional funds from the Department of Commerce to provide assistance and housing. That included a $15 million grant to Catholic Charities’ Catalyst Project to rehabilitate a hotel into temporary housing for nearly 100 people.