Spokane Homeless Count Shows Slight Increase

David Lewis, 509.625.6051

Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 2:50 p.m.

City of Spokane Community, Housing and Human Services Department officials attribute a rise in one-day count of homeless individuals this year to the pilot program that provided temporary shelter space for everyone that need it this past winter and expanded outreach.

Overall homelessness numbers were up 11 percent during the annual Point-in-Time Count, a federally mandated count of homeless in Spokane that occurred on Jan. 16. Increases were also recorded among veterans (15 percent), chronically homeless (73 percent) and unaccompanied youth (20 percent). The city, in partnership with local service agencies, operated a 24-hour temporary shelter program that began in February and continued through April.

“Providing 24-hour emergency shelter regardless of temperature during the winter months gave our homeless population some much-needed relief from the weather and allowed us to make great individual connections,” Spokane Mayor David Condon said. “Those connections helped us capture a more accurate snapshot of the homeless population in Spokane.”

More than 30 local agencies participated in the Point-in-Time Count, including social service, housing and healthcare providers, faith-based organizations, outreach professionals and local governments. Youth and outreach advisory committees expanded community involvement, awareness, and provided feedback this year to expand count efforts in the schools and on the streets.

The Point-in-Time Count is a snapshot census of people experiencing certain categories of homelessness in the Spokane community. The count includes people who, on the night of the count, are:

  • Sheltered (living in emergency shelters or transitional housing) or
  • Unsheltered (staying out of doors or places not designed for habitation including vehicles, streets, parks and abandoned buildings)

How many people were counted?

  • 1,090 persons or 879 household represent the total combined count for our sheltered and unsheltered population
  • 138 individuals, or 13 percent, of all persons counted were unsheltered
  • 952 individuals, or 87 percent, of all persons counted were sheltered
    • 696 individuals, or 73 percent, were in Emergency Shelters
    • 256 individuals, or 27 percent were in Transitional Housing
  • 61 percent of all persons counted were male, 39 percent were female
  • 203, or 19 percent, of all persons counted were under the age of 18
  • 73, or 7 percent, all persons counted were between the ages of 18-24
  • 814, or 74 percent, of all persons counted were over the age of 24
  • 71 percent were in households without children, 27 percent were in households with adults and children, 2 percent were in households with only children

Point-in-Time Count data is used to complete grant applications and reports required by state and federal homeless service funders. The information also supports strategic planning for the allocation of resources that most effectively meet community needs.

For more details about results from Point-In-Time results in 2017 and previous years, visit Community Housing and Humans Services (CHHS) at SpokaneCity.org.