Rebekah Tuno, Homeless Program Specialist, No Phone Number Available
Monday, December 2, 2019 at 12:26 p.m.
Due to a lack of safe affordable housing and increasing housing costs, families struggle to meet their basic needs. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) and the National Governors Association (NGA), almost 57,000 families reside in a place not mean for human habitation such as vehicles, parks, abandon buildings, or streets, with approximately 150,000 families residing in emergency shelters and/or transitional housing over the course of a year.
While families may qualify and receive a housing subsidy, which would enable them to pay no more than 30% of their income to rent. Unfortunately, one in four receive this type of subsidy. Nationally, 6.7 million households pay more than 50% of their income to housing. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) Out of Reach 2019 report, indicates that in the state of Washington in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment a household must earn an hourly wage of $27.78. As of 2019, the Washington state minimum wage is $12, which makes affording housing, food, and other basic necessities a challenge. At $12 an hour an individual would have to work 75 hours per week to afford a modest one bedroom apartment at fair market rent.
With the increasing burden of housing costs, families frequently double-up by staying with family and friends. This dynamic can cause increased stress that can often result in the family being asked to leave, leading the family experiencing homelessness to seek emergency shelter services hoping to find a long-term housing option.
Rapid Re-housing is the primary housing service used to reconnect families to housing. Rapid Rehousing is a time-limited intervention that provides families with housing search and landlord negotiation assistance, temporary financial assistance and case management services designed to promote housing stabilization and connection to needed supports.
The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is a snapshot census of people experiencing certain categories of homelessness in given community on one night in January. The count includes people who, on the night of the count, are:
On a single night in Washington State in January 2018:
In Spokane County, during the 2018 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, 12% were identified as families experiencing homelessness. In 2019, 1,309 people were counted, and 23% were families which represents an 8% decrease from the 2018 PIT Count.
*2019 Spokane City/County CoC PIT Count
Of those identified as families in the 2019 PIT Count in Spokane County, most identified as White. Comparatively, families that identified as African American represented 15% of those counted compared to only representing 2% of the overall Spokane County population. Staggering overrepresentations of people of color experiencing homelessness were found amongst the American Indian and Alaska Natives (9% - PIT; 1.80% overall population), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (8% - PIT; 0.60% overall population), and those identifying as Multi-Racial (9% - PIT; 4% overall population). The disparities amongst people of color experiencing family homelessness is indicative of socioeconomic factors and institutionalized systems of power that disproportionately impact communities of color.
*2019 Spokane City/County CoC PIT Count
Our Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Families Leadership Committee continues to increase partnerships and collaboration, improve landlord relationships, increase affordable housing, increase employment and income, and leverage other community supports to put an end to homelessness among families in Spokane.
Each year in the preparation of the PIT Count, the City operates a donation drive to collect a variety of gently used items to be distributed to those experiencing homelessness by volunteers and outreach workers. For Spokane’s 2020 PIT Count, which will occur from January 23 through January 30, focusing on where people slept on the night of the 23rd, we would like encourage the community to be compassionate to those in need by supporting the numerous donation drives and organizations in our community that benefit our families experiencing a housing crisis. Many organizations provide basic necessities and essential items to households experiencing homelessness. Please reach out to these organizations directly to get involved and assist those in need.
We are setting a goal for the 2020 PIT Count to be able to create and distribute at least 1,309 “care bags”, comprised of a bottle of water, hat, scarf, gloves, hand warmers, soft granola bar, and travel-size hygiene supplies. These bags provide some very basic need items to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. If you would like to help us reach our goal, you can go to our Amazon Wish List to purchase items needed for creating the care bags.
You can also help a family in need of housing by connecting them with Homeless Families Coordinated Assessment (HFCA) at 509.325.5005. HFCA will work with the family to understand what their needs are and connect them with housing and community supports to address barriers with obtaining housing.
For assistance getting into housing you may visit Homeless Families Coordinated Assessment at 19 W. Pacific Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: 509.325.5005
Walk-In hours are M- TH 12:30-5pm
You may also apply for housing assistance at the Spokane Housing Authority
55 W. Mission Ave Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: 509.328.2953
www.spokanehousing.org
If you have children under the age of 18 and need immediate shelter, please contact Family Promise Open Doors Shelter at 631 S. Richard Allen Court Spokane, WA 99202 Phone: 509.723.HOME
YWCA
Phone: 24HR Helpline: 509.326.CALL (2255)
Email: help@ywcaspokane.org
www.ywcaspokane.org
Lutheran Community Services - Domestic Violence/Sexual assault
210 W. Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99201
509.747.8224
www.lcsnw.org
Jonah Project
Phone: 509.655.7886
http://jonahproject.org
Alcoholics Anonymous
509.624.1442
http://www.aa.org
Frontier Behavioral Health
107 S Division St, Spokane, WA 99202
509.838.4651
http://fbhwa.org
First Call for Help: Crisis Support line
509.838.4428
Narcotics Anonymous (Eastern Washington)
509.325.5045
https://www.na.org
Planned Parenthood
509.207.3017
https://www.plannedparenthood.org
Two locations:
Spokane Regional Health District
1101 W College Ave Spokane, WA 99201
509.324.1500
https://www.srhd.org
Washington Health Plan Finder
Phone: 1-855-923-4633
https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org
Center for Justice (Low Cost Legal Services)
35 W Main Suite 300 Spokane, WA 99201
509.835.5211
www.Cforjustice.org
Community Court (Healthcare/Insurance, SSI / Disability assistance, Education and job training Clothing, Behavioral Health, Housing, ID cards, Food, Library services, Crime victim assistance/advocacy, Trauma therapy, Veteran programs DSHS assistance, Nutrition education, Payee assistance)
Downtown Library
906 W. Main Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 (Corner of Lincoln St. and Main Ave.)
Community Court is held every Monday starting at 10:30 am
Gonzaga University School of Law (Low cost Legal Assistance)
P.O. Box 3528
721 N. Cincinnati St. Spokane, WA 99220-3528
509.313.5790
https://www.law.gonzaga.edu/academics/law-clinic/legal-help/
Northwest Justice Project (Legal assistance/consultation)
1702 W. Broadway Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: 509.324.9128 or 1.888.201.1019 or 1.888.201.1014 (CLEAR - Client Intake)
Fax: 509.324.0065
https://nwjustice.org
Team Child (Legal Aid for youth ages 12 to 18)
1704 W. Broadway Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: 509.323.1166
Fax: 509.232.3051
www.teamchild.org
YWCA – Childcare and Early Childhood Education
930 N. Monroe Street
509.326.1190
https://ywcaspokane.org/programs/children-and-youth/
EduCare
509.328.6702
info@help4women.org
www.help4women.org
YWCA - Women to Work Program
930 North Monroe Street
509.326.1190
https://ywcaspokane.org/programs/heal-and-grow/women-to-work
Career Path Services
10 N. Post Street # 200 Spokane, WA 99201
509.326.7520
www.Careerpathservices.org
Fulcrum Institute (RISE Program)
211 W. Augusta Spokane, WA 99225
509.838.2799
http://www.fulcrumdispute.com
Job Corps
901 E. 2nd Ave #100 Spokane, WA 99202
509.340.7813
https://www.jobcorps.gov
WorkSource Spokane
130 S Arthur St, Spokane, WA 99202
509.532.2000
www.worksourcewa.com
Community Colleges of Spokane
501 N. Riverpoint Blvd #203, Spokane, WA 99202
509.434.5162
http://www.ccs.spokane.edu/
New Leaf Bakery Job Training Program
509.328.6702
info@help4women.org
www.help4women.org
