The problem of homelessness is vexing nearly every city across the country. A quick check of headlines finds: “Phoenix trying to help homeless in summer.” “San Francisco uses part of welfare to help homeless.” “Homeless (in Athens, Ga.) to get food vouchers.” But topping the national headlines on homelessness last week was the standoff staged by a group protesting the city of Spokane’s anti-camping ordinance, which the mayor plans to sign on Monday. The downtown encampment was the culmination of a debate that stretched back to last year, when the Police Department first sought the ordinance. The police said it needed the law to help bring order to public spaces where transients sleep, stash their belongings and sometimes cause trouble. The initial proposal triggered a backlash among the homeless and some advocates, who thought the police were being too harsh. Caught in the whipsaw of heated exchanges, the City Council twice deferred the issue. Those delays have turned out to be blessings because it gave the city time to reach out and get a better understanding of the overall problem. Ultimately, tempers cooled and civility took over. And on Thursday, thanks to a patient Police Department, compassionate charity workers and peace-minded protesters, the standoff was resolved without incident. The police still got the ordinance it sought, but with it came assurances that it would be enforced with sensitivity. The ordinance is reasonable. Letting people sleep wherever they like, especially when beds are available, is a bad idea for the overall health of the community and a misguided interpretation of civil rights. One protester inadvertently got it right when he described the protest as “as a cross between Gandhi and Woodstock.” The peaceful aspect was commendable, but no city can tolerate a Woodstock, with all of its implications, in its public spaces. The ordinance aside, the community still faces a challenge in better dealing with homelessness. Mayor Jim West says he is reconvening his transition team on human services to look for ways to help those who are homeless in the short term. A key to that effort will be producing more beds year-round and communicating their availability. The city is also working with the federal Housing and Urban Development agency on a national 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness. But the agency itself has become part of the problem with a policy change that is costing thousands of people the Section 8 vouchers they need to afford housing. Another huge hurdle is coming up with enough money to help the mentally ill and substance abusers who make up a large percentage of the homeless population. A city cannot solve homelessness. It takes a commitment from state and national leaders in collaboration with homeless advocates. But cities can serve as the nation’s conscience by prodding leaders to address this disgrace.