It was difficult not to feel at least somewhat inspired by the energy that surrounded Camp Hope, the activist camp erected at City Hall to spur action on our community’s homelessness crisis. At its height in early December, the encampment grew to include 25 donated tents, dozens of participants, and various displays of community support. Protesters expressed discontent with the city’s sit-lie law, which bans the activities downtown during nighttime hours, and the lack of safe shelter space, as well as the city’s policies toward homelessness more generally.

In a very public way, the protest drew focused attention to the festering issue––and to the heartbreaking, personal stories of individuals experiencing homelessness. Many outlets even gave substantial airtime to protesters and unsheltered people themselves.

Ultimately, Camp Hope was cleared in early December, but the protest arguably succeeded in raising awareness, and maybe in heightening a sense of urgency. And while the protest’s methods were not without flaws and miscalculations, it did give the people most directly impacted by the crisis an opportunity to share their stories in a raw, difficult way––and for the broader community to show solidarity.

In order to maintain energy and commitment surrounding the issue, the community should continue acting boldly and swiftly. Each person unhoused in this city is one too many.

Given a growing body of evidence that housing affordability and homelessness are linked, we should take steps to implement a land trust––a community-owned group dedicated to purchasing and developing affordable housing. By pooling properties into a single tax-exempt nonprofit organization, CLTs have seen success in cities across the country, and allow for new, often small-scale models of development that would not be possible under a private developer. 

We should explore better use of city assets, like community centers, to address the crisis. While these spaces would not have the resources or infrastructure for true overnight shelter space, they might make passable emergency warming shelters in extreme temperatures. And as one of the largest property owners in the region (especially when rights of way, like streets, are counted), the City should take every opportunity to offer that space for affordable housing, shelter space, tiny homes, or new public, private or nonprofit development. Some of this work is (thankfully) already underway. 

Finally, some of the Camp Hope protesters expressed a desire for something even more fundamental—a space to store their belongings. Imagine the difficulty of seeking medical care, taking a class, or finding a job if you had to keep your possessions with you.

Naturally, some of these solutions feel like low-hanging fruit, while others are more vexing than they appear at first glance. We cannot gloss over that complexity. If Camp Hope tells us one thing, it’s that we cannot abandon our efforts to aggressively confront homelessness—and the conditions that lead to it. We have to treat it as the human crisis it has become. 

Anthony Gill is an economic development professional and the founder of Spokane Rising, an urbanist blog focused on ways to make our city a better place to live.