Jeff Humphrey, Media Manager, 509.625.6308
Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 1:57 p.m.
Inside the Trent Resource and Assistance Center (TRAC), people can get out of the weather, eat healthy food and get a safe night’s sleep.
However, for those folks with substance abuse or mental health challenges, the TRAC also offers on-site solutions.
“The whole idea behind having a navigation center where there’s actually an outpatient behavioral health service provider in the shelter is to help people end that cycle of homelessness that happens when you come to a shelter and you get kicked out, you end up homeless, and you can’t back in because you had problems with your behavioral health issues,” said Layne Pavey of Revive Counseling Spokane.
That’s why the City and County have now contracted with Revive to provide counseling services to guests who have relocated to the TRAC.
“Now we’re bringing the help into the shelter. People can start getting help with those things, so they can navigate out of the shelter, in a positive direction, instead of getting kicked back into the cycle,” explained Pavey.
Revive Counseling Spokane now has 14 counselors inside the navigation center who assist clients staying at the TRAC.
That’s where the center’s operator, The Salvation Army, is working with Revive, to create an atmosphere that lends itself to asking for and receiving life-changing guidance.
“They can go to inpatient, outpatient rehab. They can go to detox. There’s a lot of opportunities that this first landing can send them to. Again, the idea is to provide them with a location where they can feel safe and they can start working on the important things in life, to kind of help them move forward,” explained Major Ken Perine from the Salvation Army of Spokane.
“I’m grateful, you know? I’ve tried a couple of places out, but I’m grateful to at least have a roof over my head,” said guest Shawn Samuels from his bed inside the TRAC.
Once people no longer have to spend every waking moment seeking out food and shelter, they can concentrate on finding the resources that can help them escape homelessness.
“DSHS is going to be coming in to help people get food stamps, cash assistance, AVD and vouchers. And, we work with every landlord in town, and every housing voucher program in town, to help people get in that position where they can start affording low-income housing,” emphasized Pavey.
And that’s why The Salvation Army of Spokane is calling the TRAC “The Way In.”
A new place for people to enter, and then navigate a system that offers a better life off of Spokane streets.
