‘We’ve Created Slums’: Spokane Councilmember slams Housing First, vows to fight it

The much-maligned “Housing First” approach to homelessness has been an abject failure in getting people off the streets. It’s why the Trump administration issued an executive order last month prompting state and local governments to ditch Housing First in favor of treatment-based programs that actually address the root causes of homelessness. Those that refuse to comply risk losing federal funding.

Spokane is one of many cities that has felt the effects of the Housing First model. And one councilmember wants to put an end to it.

“We’ve actually created several portions of the city that you would probably now consider to be slums,” Spokane Councilmember Jonathan Bingle told The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM.

Spokane councilmember tries to end Housing First

Bingle has teamed up with Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels and local business leaders to draft a memorandum of understanding in the hope that it will pressure Mayor Lisa Brown to ditch Housing First.

“I’m trying to get us as a region to write a letter and say, ‘President Trump, what you’re saying is accurate’… We need long term mental health facilities for folks who are just out of their mind and probably won’t be able to function without serious specialized help,” said Bingle.

Bingle says he is still receiving resistance from his left-wing colleagues, though.

“They’ve become slaves to the experts and slaves to best practices that it’s impossible for them at this point to change course because they would have to admit that they’re wrong,” says Bingle.

How to address homelessness

So, what can be done in the interim to turn things around and get people off the streets? Bingle says enforcing the laws we already have on the books would be a good start.

“We need to be able to enforce our dang laws when people are doing drugs in public, when they’re breaking windows so they can steal for their drug habit.”

Listen to the full conversation with Bingle below.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Seattle Red on 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.