Everyone Agrees It’s an Emergency: Time to Pivot to Emergency Response
Day-12 of our 5AM walk carried an almost spring-like feeling—an air of renewal and the potential for real change. Yet, when I invite elected officials and community leaders to participate, I often receive condescending and dismissive responses—variations of: “I’m fully aware of the struggles and suffering happening downtown… I don’t need to walk with you to understand that.” And it’s true: anyone driving through Spokane’s downtown can see the challenges—homelessness, substance use disorder, and mental health struggles—that have become all too visible.
But those responses miss the point. This walk isn’t about acknowledging that a crisis exists—it’s about pivoting toward treating it as an emergency that demands urgent action.
Other critics argue that our focus on the downtown chronic homeless population is too narrow, that we’re missing—or even trivializing—the bigger picture of homelessness, public health, and safety in our community. But that perspective ignores an essential truth: meaningful change often starts with a single, targeted action.
Consider the cities that have made progress in addressing homelessness by first focusing on a specific population—veterans. In 2010, the Obama administration launched Opening Doors, the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. The plan outlined an ambitious goal: to end veteran homelessness by 2015 and chronic homelessness by 2017. With dedicated funding and resources, this initiative became a catalyst for broader efforts. The strategy worked—many cities saw significant reductions in veteran homelessness, and for many, that success laid the groundwork for larger-scale reforms to address homelessness more broadly.
Real solutions to big problems don’t happen all at once, but they have to start somewhere. We are proposing that by urgently addressing the chronic homeless population downtown—those most at risk, those most visible, those suffering and dying on our streets—we are taking the first necessary step toward broader solutions.
Spokane has some of the highest homelessness and addiction-related death rates in the country, and while other cities are seeing improvement, Spokane’s crisis remains severe. We cannot afford to wait. This walk is about NOT WAITING—it is about committing to real action now, showing up, and taking responsibility for an urgent first step. If we start here, with focus and a true sense of emergency, we can create the momentum Spokane needs to make meaningful, lasting change.