SPOKANE, Wash. – As the weather gets colder and more people are in need of warm shelter, the Salvation Army’s Family Emergency Safe Shelter officially opened.
On Nov. 4, the shelter opened to house homeless families with children. It provides 11 self-contained units that are fully furnished, where guests can stay for up to 90 days. Families will work with a case manager to improve their situation and find affordable housing during that time frame.
“As the weather changes, we are seeing a record number of families looking for safer sheltering options,” said Captain David Cain, corps officer of The Salvation Army Spokane. “The rising costs of living have driven families out of their homes. In these difficult times, The Salvation Army is compelled to stand in the gap for those who need us most.”
Those requesting shelter must meet with a Salvation Army Case Manager to assess their eligibility.
Cain told NonStop Local that the rising cost of housing living is driving people out of their homes. He added that after the holidays is when they typically see an uptick in people needing housing, but this year, the need came much sooner.
“We’ll start to see an influx of families that are experiencing homelessness after the holidays, because there’s oftentimes a safe place to stay with other relatives, and then it’s time to figure out the situation after the holidays,” said Cain. “This year is historic. We’re seeing families coming to us before the Christmas season with no place to go. The number of people that are experiencing this sort of crisis is larger than we’ve seen in past years.”
Although today was the shelter’s first day back open, they have already received many applications for housing.
For more information, visit the Salvation Army website.
