SPOKANE, WA – A coalition out of Spokane is preparing to collect signatures from leaders across the region to coordinate a countywide homelessness response without funding commitments attached.
The idea started after Spokane City Councilmember Jonathan Bingle wrote a letter to President Donald Trump. His goal was to avoid losing federal funding after Trump issued an executive order to prioritize regions aligned with a treatment-based model. However, Bingle handed the effort off to someone else.
Bingle said he stepped back after handing it off to Sheldon Jackson, a local real estate developer and commercial property owner. Jackson runs an email chain with hundreds of residents, business owners and state and local politicians tuning in, including Mayor Lisa Brown, the council and law enforcement…