District judge halts sweeps of Camp Hope in Spokane

Camp Hope is the largest homeless encampment in Spokane, at one time hosting as many as 600 residents. City, county, and state officials have been trying to move residents elsewhere, but when and where has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, scheduled sweeps that would have cleared out the encampment have been delayed.

This week, Eastern Washington District Court Judge Stanley Bastion ruled in favor of a restraining order requested by Camp Hope residents, effectively stopping any sweeps by county sheriffs over the next month.

In November, Spokane County made an emergency proclamation over the situation at Camp Hope with the goal of unlocking more funding for housing options. Officials at the county and city levels have wanted a sweep of the camp for months, citing increases in crime and drug use in the surrounding neighborhood and businesses of the East Central neighborhood.

The soonest a sweep could take place after the emergency declaration was announced would have been Nov. 15, but there was also speculation that the date could push into early December as the city converted a Quality Inn Hotel into an emergency shelter (known as "The Catalyst" project). The hotel can house up to 100 residents.

Even as, following Judge Bastion's injunction, any potential sweeps are further delayed through December, Camp Hope residents are heading elsewhere. The latest counts from the Washington Department of Transportation, which owns the land Camp Hope sits on, show that 377 people remain living in the camp. That's down from a rough estimate of 450 in November.

"It's important to recognize that this is a transient population," said Carl Segerstrom, reporter and co-owner of RANGE Media in Spokane. "Some people might have just been passing through, might choose to stay there while the weather was nice and leave to somewhere else."

Segerstrom noted residents are also moving off the camp and into shelter and housing options in town. As The Catalyst project comes online, roughly around 12 people a day are moving into the converted hotel.

Just hours after Judge Bastion approved the restraining order, the Spokane City Council approved a resolution condemning law enforcement and other city staff who engage in sweeps of the camp.

"They're refusing to defend somebody if they get sued, which they could definitely get sued because of a potential constitutional violation," Segerstrom said. "I think that's a pretty big deal."

Segerstrom says the camp will likely continue to decrease in size, and lawyers for residents of Camp Hope are optimistic both sides (residents and local officials) can work out a timeline for camp removal in the near future, ideally by Dec. 28 when Judge Bastion's temporary restraining order expires.

Listen to Soundside's full conversation with Carl Segerstrom by clicking the "play" button on the audio above.

Find more of RANGE's reporting on Camp Hope here.