- Moses Lake, WA
Governor Jay Inslee will be visiting Moses Lake today discussing two main topics housing, and homelessness concerns. During his visit today he will be meeting with local elected leaders. He will visit the communities new miniature housing
(Sleep center) between SR-17 and SR-171 Broadway Ave.
2018 brought a lot of controversy to the city when a spike in homeless was beginning to show and sparked an outrage in a city council meeting. In result the city council at that time passed a controversial ordinance that prohibited camping in city parks but that was changed in 2018. This was due to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Martin vs. City of Boise where a city cannot criminalize camping or sleeping in open public spaces – or on sidewalks – if the city does not provide shelter for the homeless, at the time the ordinance was passed Moses Lake didn’t have the current sleep center or any temporary winter sleep shelters.
Inslee will be discussing the matter at a closed meeting with Moses Lake city leaders at 1:45pm. He will then be taken on a tour of the sleep center at 2:25pm with a media availability expected to begin at 3:00pm. MLWA 7 News will broadcast it to our Facebook page when the governor is ready to address.