Erin Hut, Communications Director, City of Spokane, ehut@spokanecity.org & Carl Segerstrom, Communications and Storytelling Manager, Empire Health Foundation, carl@empirehealthfoundation.org
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 10:05 a.m.
A new specialized shelter serving women is opening this week at Knox Presbyterian Church. This partnership between Knox Presbyterian, Jewels Helping Hands, Empire Health Foundation, and the City of Spokane will provide much needed shelter capacity for women experiencing homelessness in Spokane.
The Knox shelter is one of eight sites in the City’s pilot navigation center-specialized shelter model. Each site operates on a referral-only basis and serves a maximum of 20 to 30 people.
Additionally, each shelter serves a specific population from families to folks with medical needs, to people seeking substance use treatment. These specialized services promote community cohesion and steadiness as people work together on their path to stability and permanent housing. The Knox site previously operated as a temporary shelter site for three months.
“We are excited for this shelter to open and serve women experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Barbra Bowman, Empire Health Foundation Program Director of the Spokane Community Homelessness Initiative. “This site and this new shelter model are built on community collaboration, and we’re so thankful for all the work being done to serve our unhoused neighbors. From congregations to service providers, to the city, this effort shows the value of coming together to create safe, stable places where people can prepare for the next step in their housing journey.”
“The only way we are going to see instrumental change is through partnership. This new site is a great example of what can happen when faith communities, service providers, health experts, and the City come together,” Mayor Lisa Brown said. “This new site will provide stability to women in our community and connect them with the resources they need for success.”
“The reopening of Knox Presbyterian establishes a vital women's shelter that addresses the unique challenges faced by women experiencing homelessness,” said Julie Garcia, Founder and Executive Director of Jewels Helping Hands. “This collaboration embodies the success of the specialized model of care, which focuses on meeting individual needs and providing specialized support tailored to the diverse circumstances of the homeless population.”
