As one reads this article, it becomes clear that this was a “want”, not a “need”; that this is nothing more that Lisa Brown and the Spokane City Council wasting taxpayer dollars.
On Thursday, the City of Spokane announced they would not be buying the building on East Springfield in the Chief Garry neighborhood to relocate Compassionate Addiction Treatment (CAT) to.
In a press release, the office of Mayor Lisa Brown said they would repurpose the $1.8 million from that American Rescue Plan Act that would’ve been used to move CAT. The funding will now go towards implementing a new scattered site shelter model, which was authorized in the original Special Budget Ordinance passed by Spokane City Council.
Mayor Brown released the following statement about the decision in the Thursday press release:
“Every day, I hear calls for increased services and treatment options for members of our community who struggle with addiction. I have been clear in my intent to have the City be a partner to the providers offering these services, while simultaneously de-congregating services off the Division St corridor. But there are vocal critics who will never be satisfied with efforts to make those needed changes. Progress, it seems, is always welcome – just as long as it’s happening somewhere else.”
“I call on those critics to come to the table and propose constructive solutions, rather than merely pointing out flaws. I also look forward to continuing our partnership with Spokane County to bring their behavioral health dollars to bear on these issues. Constructive dialogue is essential for progress, and those who raise concerns should also bring actionable items to move us forward.”
This comes after a group of businesses and neighbors in the Chief Garry neighborhood created a coalition opposing CAT being moved there.
There were no details about if CAT and the City of Spokane would still be looking to move to a new location.
