Spokane officials to consider 'housing status' as a protected class

(The Center Square) – Spokane’s elected officials are set to vote on an ordinance tonight that could help homeless individuals find jobs; however, some businesses are concerned it will exacerbate existing issues.

The city council heard its first reading of Councilmember Lili Navarrete’s ordinance that would add “housing status” to a list of protected classes last month; now, it’s up for a final reading and potential vote unless the majority defers it for another week.

Navarrete engaged with the community over the legislation, which sparked a wealth of concerns she attempted to dispel last week in emails with the Downtown Spokane Partnership. She said it basically prohibits employers from discriminating against a homeless applicant.

“I do want to make it clear right off the bat that this ordinance has absolutely no effect on the enforcement of prop 1 , sit/lie, drug use crimes, or illegal camping,” Navarrete emailed in a thread of roughly 250 people. “If it did, it wouldn’t have gotten past our city’s legal department.”

The ordinance also grants homeless individuals the right to retain their property and to be free from “unreasonable searches” while seeking care and shelter services, among other things. However, DSP President Emilie Cameron contends that some of the protections could go too far.

Initially, Cameron emailed Navarrete, telling her that the DSP, having employed homeless individuals, recognizes their barriers to employment. Still, Cameron argued that the ordinance could be broadly construed to invite the behavior fueling the homelessness crisis.

“To avoid confusing interpretation that may further hinder the ability of our community [to] address the crisis of homelessness locally,” Cameron wrote, “the DSP urges you to remove this ordinance from consideration.”

Navarrete responded with an answer to each of the DSP’s questions in Cameron’s initial email. She pushed back that the legislation wouldn’t have the unintended consequences that many skeptics fear; however, some in the email thread, including Chris Batten, vice chair of the Spokane Business Association, think her explanation didn’t go far enough.

Batten emailed Navarrete with a formal statement on behalf of the SBA, stating their opposition and requesting that the ordinance be pulled from consideration.

“Not being able to enforce our existing laws will result in businesses relocating, vacancy rates increasing and crime spiraling out of control,” Batten wrote, “while compromising our legal system and overwhelming law enforcement.”

Navarrete stated in a prior email that it wouldn’t affect the enforcement of existing laws, but the SBA and DSP believe that unintended consequences could pop up down the road.

“Our intention is not to burden business owners or other law-abiding citizens, and I honestly don’t believe this ordinance does that,” Navarrete wrote in the informal thread. “This is a response to a need in our city that came to us and we perceive to be legitimate. We simply believe that it’s wrong to discriminate against someone based on their housing status.”