Spokane’s top homelessness official departs amid work to form regional authority

Spokane’s top official tasked with managing homeless services in the city has resigned, effective Sept. 22.

Jenn Cerecedes, who has served as director of the city’s Community, Housing and Human Services department since December 2021, told city officials last week that she had accepted an offer with another employer and didn’t further elaborate, according to city spokesman Brian Coddington.

“You hate to lose anyone of the knowledge they have, but she was offered a good opportunity,” he said.

Cerecedes’ departure comes amid a pivotal time for the city as it attempts to form a regional entity with other governments such as Spokane County and Spokane Valley that would manage homeless services. City council members, particularly Councilwoman Karen Stratton, have raised concerns that this process has left the future of city staff working on homelessness in the lurch, both once the regional coalition is formed and some city positions may become redundant, but also as staff are asked to assist in creating the coalition.

In early August, Mayor Nadine Woodward issued an executive order providing access to city staff and data in order to facilitate the creation of the regional homeless authority. The union representing Community, Housing and Human Services staff later submitted a complaint asking for the city to pause implementation of the executive order until questions about staff impacts could be resolved.

“We’re generally supportive, but had some concerns regarding the staff impacts for granting that access,” John Klapp, president of the Managerial and Professional union, said in an interview. “Are you now beholden to a different interest, a third-party entity you’re responsive to that you were formally not?

“We’ve asked for status quo to be maintained until we have an opportunity to engage in bargaining.”

In an interview, Coddington downplayed the executive order’s effects on staff and said the grievance filed by the union was unnecessary and premature. He also said that the process to create a regional coalition would not be slowed by the grievance.

Though Cerecedes leaves the city before that coalition could be formed, Coddington wrote that the director left the city in a good position to move forward.

“She put a great team and system in place and a plan will be developed around those critical pieces,” he wrote. “That will include continued participation in the regional homeless collaborative partnership discussions.”

Cerecedes was brought on to lead the city’s homeless services following the departure of former Director Timothy Sigler in spring 2021 and a broad exodus of staff in the department throughout the year.