Moses Lake council to consider homeless response tonight

Key points: 

• Moses Lake City Council to talk about, and possibly approve, homeless response proposal. 
• Shift away from direct services to facilitating access to other organizations.  

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake City Council members will consider recommendations for the city’s response after the closing of the Open Doors sleep center tonight. Mayor Dustin Swartz said the city, if the council approves the draft plan, would focus on facilitation rather than providing direct services.  

“We understand that other agencies that operate both inside and outside Grant County are better equipped to deal with (providing services),” Swartz said.  

The draft plan includes a proposal for the city to contract with an outside provider to help people connect with regional shelters, addiction recovery programs, housing assistance, transportation for placement or reunification and navigating basic needs such as obtaining identification or enrolling in benefits. The contract would be funded through document recording fees, homeless prevention and assistance funds, according to the proposal. 

Swartz said sometimes a person needs help immediately, even if that’s outside of normal business hours. In that situation, it’s been difficult to find places for people to go, he said. 

“When they’re ready, there's nobody ready to catch them,” he said. “We want to try to facilitate making those connections.” 

The contractor would be asked to provide quarterly reports to the council that include the number and types of referrals made, outreach interactions and transportation requests fulfilled, trends in how many clients accept or refuse services and other data the council requests. 

Under the proposal, city ordinances will be updated to address issues with camping on public and private property, and an ordinance would be added to address people sitting and lying on public sidewalks. Portions of this are on the agenda to be addressed as well during the meeting. 

City officials will publicize the updates and new ordinances and talk to homeless people to inform them of the changes. More signs will be added in city parks and public areas, which was one of the requests to come out of a community forum in early June. 

“Many participants expressed a desire for increased visibility of public rules and ordinances,” the report said.  

Additional public outreach is proposed, which would include more promotion of organizations that can provide help, and information about how people can support them. City officials have talked to business leaders and residents and held a community forum, where one of the requests was for more information on how residents can report issues when they encounter them. People also wanted more information on how they can get involved. 

City officials estimate it will cost about $85,000 to close the sleep center, including the remaining lease payments. Some of that could be paid through revenues designated for homelessness services, but some may have to come from the city’s general fund, the report said. 

“(The proposal) emphasizes enforcement-based stability paired with structured access to services for those willing to engage,” it said. 

To view the full agenda, visit: https://bit.ly/MLAGENDA0624