City tells Blessings Under the Bridge to leave I-90 overpass

Grace Ditzler by Grace Ditzler

Over the past ten years, Blessings Under the Bridge has become a staple for Spokane’s homeless and low income populations.

Every Wednesday, the organization serves meals and provides resources to hundreds of people under the I-90 overpass.

But now, the organization is facing a major obstacle.

The City of Spokane sent a letter on Friday to Blessings Under the Bridge, saying in part:

“As BUTB has grown the services provided and the number of people served, secondary impacts of events have also increased. The City has received consistent feedback from those who live and work around BUTB’s event site about litter, loitering, and concern over public safety.”

It goes on to say, despite BUTB’s efforts to provide extra clean up and work with the homeless population to be better neighbors, “the immediate neighborhood around I-90 continues to be impacted. The City is requesting that over the next 120 days, BUTB transition to a new location for weekly events.”

Blessings Under the Bridge found Jessica Kovac is upset about the news, but the City says it plans to work with the non-profit to come up with a solution.

A possible solution the city has identified is to have Blessings Under the Bridge and Catholic Charities work together to host BUTB events at the House of Charity.

The City says it has allocated grant money for “capital investments” that will help support Blessings’ success in a new location.

For Jessica Kovac, the location under the overpass is at the heart of all that is Blessings Under the Bridge.

“I don’t think the City understands we are out[side], we are not in[side],” she said. “We don’t care if it’s seven degrees, we don’t care if it’s 100 degrees. We want to be with the people where they are.”

But the City of Spokane says while Blessings Under the Bridge has been successful at bringing people together and serving those in need, as the organization has grown, the impacts and challenges from their events on the surrounding area have also grown.

“Those challenges include garbage, and employees of surrounding businesses and customers of surrounding businesses feeling threatened by behaviors that are unfamiliar to them,” said Neighborhood and Business Service Director Jonathan Mallahan, “and that really does have an impact on their ability to do business and enjoy the space they’re investing in as well.”

Spokane Eye Clinic, located just across the street from the Blessings site, says the City’s decision is a relief, because the weekly service is drawing people to the area and encouraging them to stay.

“I think the service and the ministry, where they’re coming from is a very good place,” said CEO of Spokane Eye Clinic Jan Simpson. “Maybe people if they have the choice of not coming here because of that draw, they will make the choice to seek services and assistance elsewhere.”

Simpson believes while Blessings Under the Bridge may have to make some compromises to their ministry with this location change, ultimately it will be the best solution for the City, the population they minister, and to the local business.

But Blessings Under the Bridge says the problems won’t go away even if the organization does.

“With loitering and littering and all of these things, we’re here one day a week,” Kovac said. “Yeah we put on a big show, but we clean up, we take pictures when we leave, we have garbage cans, the homeless will pick up the garbage for us. I can’t be responsible for what goes on the other six days of the week.”

In his letter Mallahan suggested Blessings move to the nearby House of Charity, where the City can better focus resources to mitigate the associated issues.

“The nice thing about that area is that we have infrastructure in that place to respond to those needs more specifically,” he explained.

And Catholic Charities says it works with BUTB regularly, and is happy to help.

“Like any partner in town we’d be happy to work with them or help them in any way we can,” said CEO Rob McCann, “offer them space in and around the building here. Certainly, we want their services to continue. They’re an important part of the community.”

But Kovac doesn’t believe relocating to or near House of Charity will work because BUTB serves 300 to 400 people each week.

“If [this issue] is all about where the homeless goes, going to the parking lot, guess what, we’re going to disrupt those neighbors, too,” Kovac said, “They’re not going to want us over there. Wherever we go, because of what we bring and draw, no one’s going to like it.”

Kovac says regardless of what happens, Blessings Under the Bridge will continue to serve those in need in the Spokane community.

“Just know Blessings is not going anywhere,” she said. “We will not leave our friends, we will not deny them, we will not not show up for them.”

The City of Spokane and Blessings Under the Bridge plan to meet on Tuesday to discuss possible solutions and the City says it plans to “keep the people in need at the forefront of their minds during the conversation.”

Mallahan says the most important stakeholders in this situation are the people in need, and they want to make sure that they are not impacted.

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