SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane and Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington said they were selected to present their joint homeless outreach program at the National Conference on Ending Homelessness.
City leaders said the presentation focused on Spokane’s “Smart Street Response” model and how it connected people experiencing homelessness with shelter, behavioral health support and housing resources while also working alongside the Spokane Police Department on public safety goals.
The city said that the coordinated outreach program launched in the fall of 2025. It used Spokane 311 to collect reports about people who may need help and unauthorized encampments, then used an internal mobile app to direct the response.
Depending on the report, the city said the response could include outreach workers, code enforcement or law enforcement. Since the launch, teams responded to and closed more than 4,100 service requests, according to city officials…