177 homeless individuals/families housed through City initiative
Brian Coddington, Communications Director, 509.625.6740
Monday, September 28, 2015 at 12:30 p.m.
On Monday, Spokane Mayor David Condon announced a milestone in the City’s initiative to end veteran homelessness in Spokane, ‘Homes for Spokane’s Heroes.’ The City and its community partners have reached and surpassed a key initiative goal of finding permanent housing for 150 homeless veterans/families. As of this this week, 177 homeless veterans have been housed.
The City began Homes for Spokane’s Heroes earlier this year as part of the national Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. Spokane was chosen to participate in the nation-wide challenge because of the successful partnership between the city and the many nonprofit service agencies that are improving people’s lives every day. Funding for the initiative comes from Goodwill’s Supportive Services for Veterans Families Program (SSVF), Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program, and the Spokane Housing Authority.
“This has been an incredible effort for a very real need in Spokane,” said Condon. “And we are committed to the work we have left to do to end veteran homelessness in Spokane for good.”
To aid in outreach, the initiative set up a community hotline. The City’s ask of the community is simple: If you know of any person (or household) who has served in the armed forces and is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, please call 509.828.2449. The City has also worked together with local landlords, property owners, and managers to find permanent housing for homeless veterans in the area.
