SPOKANE, Wash. – The city of Spokane is witnessing a decline in homelessness, according to new data shared at a Spokane City Council finance and administration meeting.
Dawn Kinder, the director of Neighborhood, Housing and Human Services, revealed that the 2025 Longitudinal Systems Analysis report shows an 11% reduction in individuals served by the homeless system from 2024 to 2025. Kinder highlighted, “We saw a 31%, 31.8% increase in people exiting homelessness into permanent housing. We saw an 85.7% increase of individuals exiting emergency shelter straight to permanent housing. And then we saw 42.9% fewer people returning to the system in the first 130 days of exit,” said Kinder.
These improvements align with the city’s adoption of a five-year plan aimed at ending homelessness through an inter-local agreement. Despite the progress, Council Member Michael Cathcart expressed concerns about the allocation of city funds towards drug treatment and rehabilitation compared to housing.
Kinder acknowledged the challenge, stating that the struggle between treatment and housing is a reality for many individuals facing these choices.
