Spokane: Housing and Human Services Dept. Provides Update on Housing and Homelessness Initiatives

~ Spokane, WA - At Monday's Urban Experience Committee meeting, the City of Spokane Housing and Human Services Department (HHS) presented a comprehensive update on their efforts to address housing and homelessness in the city. The presentation, led by HHS Communications Director Erin Hut, highlighted various initiatives including homelessness response, inclement weather shelter operations, affordable housing development, and long-term planning.

As the regional Continuum of Care administrator, the City of Spokane is responsible for creating and facilitating local Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) requirements. This competitive application process distributes funding for housing and homelessness programs based on eligibility requirements, priorities, and scoring criteria set by HUD.

However, with HUD's new priorities in place, the City of Spokane is anticipating a significant impact on their funding. This includes a potential 50% reduction in funding for permanent housing projects, consolidation of coordinated entry systems, and a decrease in youth-focused projects. These changes could result in a loss of approximately $3 million locally and would affect contracts beginning in August 2027.

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In addition to addressing funding concerns, HHS also discussed their inclement weather sheltering plan. Over the past two years, the City has expanded capacity in existing programs to provide shelter for unhoused individuals and families during severe weather conditions. From October 2025 to May 2026, the inclement weather plan was activated for 128 days with surge capacity offered at various locations throughout the city.

HHS announced that their 2027 inclement weather plan will operate similarly with a continued prioritization of beds at existing shelter locations. The department will open the NOFO to applications on July 15th and plans to have the finalized plan posted by the end of September.

The annual Point-in-Time Count (PIT) is a federally required snapshot estimate of the local unhoused population. This year's count, conducted on January 27th, surveyed 1,738 individuals representing 1,500 households across Spokane County. This is a decrease from the 1,806 individuals counted in 2025.

The number of people experiencing sheltered homelessness also decreased from 1,189 in 2025 to 1,095 in 2026. However, during the night of the count, there were still 643 unsheltered individuals and 183 unoccupied beds within the shelter system.

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Other data points from the PIT Count include a decrease in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness and an increase in the number of young adults between the ages of 18-24.

Lastly, HHS presented their latest round of HEART Fund capital recommendations. This round includes nearly $2.5 million in investments to build or rehabilitate affordable housing units. Some of these recommendations include funding for projects such as Mujeres in Action's Casa MiA and Ministry Housing Investments Group's MHIG Apartments.

HHS Director Dawn Kinder expressed her team's dedication to managing federal housing contracts and volunteering during this year's Point-in-Time Count. "This team has diligently worked to ensure that our limited resources are being put back into the community and navigating a challenging, and constantly changing, authorizing environment," she said.

Mayor Lisa Brown also commented on the progress being made in addressing homelessness but expressed concern over potential funding cuts from the federal government. "At a time when we are moving in the right direction and cannot afford to lose momentum, the federal government is proposing to reduce funding that Spokane taxpayers help support," she said. "Those dollars should be coming back to our community to sustain the work that is delivering results and improving both lives and public safety."

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