Months of frustration surrounding Spokane's homeless crisis may have come to an end Monday night, as the Spokane City Council voted to set aside a combined $250,000 to cover improvements to two local warming centers.
Three of the four buildings which served as warming centers last year will not reopen this winter and the only option on the table for a 24/7 shelter fell through this week. Mayor David Condon promises he has a plan, but some in Spokane worry history will repeat itself and hundreds will be left out in the cold yet again.
Bitter cold temperatures are taking a toll on the hundreds of people in Spokane who don't have a warm place to call home. Lows of zero degrees have sent Spokane's homeless flocking to warming centers across the city.
Thousands across the Inland Northwest are getting ready to brave below-freezing temperatures this week, including Spokane's homeless. While they look for a warm place to stay, the city is gearing up to enforce its "sit and lie" ordinance once again, starting Friday.
