2025 Point-In-Time Count & Homeless Connect Event
The Point in Time Count and Survey (PIT) is a yearly, nationwide event with a mission: to identify and better serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The data collected during this event helps secure millions of dollars in funding for vital resources, informs policy at every level, and guides how our community allocates resources. This data is sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Washington State Department of Commerce, giving them a snapshot of people experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness in Spokane County.
This year's PIT took place January 21 - 29 with a record number of 134 volunteers from the community including students from WSU and Whitworth as well as volunteers from street outreach teams across various community organizations, including SNAP, Jewels Helping Hands, Pioneer Behavioral Health, Volunteers of America, CHAS, Revive, CAT, and Goodwill. Volunteers passed out goodie bags that included drinks, snacks, hand and foot warmers, socks/gloves, resource guides, and more. Because of our volunteers, this year's PIT count covered more areas across Spokane County and counted more individuals experiencing homelessness than years prior. This year's PIT also coincided with the Homeless Connect event that took place on January 25th at the Convention Center. This year's Homeless Connect had over 120 vendor stations from community service providers that provided free access to veterinary services, health care, haircuts, food, ID restoration, and so much more to nearly 2,000 individuals who attended. For more information regarding the PIT, visit https://my.spokanecity.org/PIT or for more information about Homeless Connect, visit https://spokaneconnect.org.
Thank you to everyone in the community who participated in the PIT and Homeless Connect. We could not have done this without you!
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Inclement Weather Shelter Beds
CHHS has partnered with multiple community organizations in an effort to expand shelter bed availability when the temperature reaches inclement weather activation criteria pursuant to SMC 18.05.020 which requires warming shelter beds to be activated when the temperature is predicted by the National Weather Service to be 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
In November and December 2024, the total number of days activated was 32 with a total spend of $171k. January 2025 has been the coldest so far with a total of 28 days of activation.
Unsheltered homeless individuals or other vulnerable individuals seeking shelter from inclement weather conditions can visit https://sheltermespokane.org/ for bed availability and contact information.
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Inclement Weather Bed Shelters for 2024-2025
Hope House
10 Beds for Women
House of Charity
35 Beds for Men
St. Margaret's Shelter
2 Family Units (7 beds per unit for Families with Children)
Revive
15 Beds (10 for Men & 5 for Families (up to 3 people with minor children)
The Way Out Center
25 Beds for Adults
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Winter Clothing Donation Drive
City of Spokane employees held a winter clothing donation drive at City Hall with hundreds of items donated by City Staff including blankets, sleeping bags, snacks, gloves, beanies, scarves, socks, jackets, pants, shirts, hygiene items, children's clothing, and more. Items from the donation drive will be distributed across various shelters providers throughout the community. A special thank you goes out to City of Spokane Employees who donated and to Sarah Nuss, the City of Spokane's Director of Emergency Management, for organizing the donation drive!
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CHHS Shoutout!
The Community, Housing and Human Services Department appreciates all of the community partnerships! We would like to send a THANK YOU to Rob and Tonia Bryceson for allowing us to use The Gathering House for the PIT and for spreading the word about our efforts to the community.
THANK YOU TO THE GATHERING HOUSE TEAM FOR ALL YOUR HELP!
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Eviction Prevention Grant Updates
The CHHS Department received $3.4 million from the Washington State Department of Commerce to support eviction prevention following the COVID-19 pandemic. After subcontracting $2.4 million to providers in 2023, $1.26 million remains and must be spent by June 30, 2025. To expand impact, CHHS issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in November 2024, awarding funds to SNAP, Catholic Charities, and Transitions, who now join Carl Maxey Center, Nuestras Raíces Centro Comunitario, and Family Promise of Spokane.
A Network of Support
Each organization plays a vital role in stabilizing Spokane households at-risk of homelessness:
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Carl Maxey Center: Addresses systemic barriers to housing, focusing on Spokane’s Black community.
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Nuestras Raíces Centro Comunitario: Provides culturally responsive housing and employment resources for immigrants and Spanish-speaking households.
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Family Promise of Spokane & Catholic Charities: Support families with children at risk of eviction.
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SNAP & Transitions: Assist households without children in maintaining stable housing.
Impact and Outreach
Between July and December 2024, these organizations served:
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Carl Maxey Center: 109 households
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Family Promise of Spokane: 78 households
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Nuestras Raíces: 35 households
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Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Updates
The City of Spokane’s Community, Housing, and Human Services (CHHS) Department's CDBG application for funding during the 2025 program year closed on January 15, 2025. Forty-eight (48) CDBG eligible applications were received, and are currently under review by both the CHHS Board’s Affordable Housing Committee and Human Services Committee. A total of $14,925,305 in requests for funding were submitted for an estimated total of funding available of $3,236,400.
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Citizens are encouraged to attend CHHS Board meetings held on the first Wednesday of every month from 4-6 p.m. Meetings are held at Spokane City Hall in the City Council Briefing Center. Virtual/hybrid options are available by emailing spokanechhs@spokanecity.org. Public comment is allowed on items relevant to the CHHS Board during the first 10 minutes of each meeting. Agendas are posted online before each meeting.
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Know the Number Flyer
Outlines Service Lines
To assist the community with which number to call during different service-related needs, the City built the "Know the Number" flyer.
The flyer provides details on how and when to call, as well as what the services should be utilized for. Read the blog post for more information.
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Consider Giving to Give Real Change
One way to give toward homeless efforts in the community is the City-operated Give Real Change program started several years ago.
You can give at the kiosk located at the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza, or through your online utility bill or by contacting 311 at City Hall.
The funding has been used to support the annual Homeless Connect event, Point-in-Time Count and providers.
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