SPOKANE, Wash. – As the temperature changes across Spokane the reality for many, is they don’t have a warm place to go.
The topic of homelessness in the City Of Spokane has recently become one that has polarized many groups. But one looking to take action versus talk is Love 4 Spokane.
“It’s not about the politics, It’s about taking care of our community,” Raelee Rosenblit with Love 4 Spokane said.
Love 4 Spokane is a group of students from Eastern Washington University and other area colleges working to make an immediate impact on the unhoused population.
“So Love 4 Spokane originally got started of a college project,” Kohl Leroy with
Love 4 Spokane said.
Leroy and Rosenblit along with a group of their friends are making small care packages for people experiencing homelessness, something they’ve done for the last three years.
They say they continuously notice the need which is why they work to do more each year.
“The first year we made about 100 care packages and this year we are shooting for 200,” Rosenblit said.
They would happily go beyond that number but financially it makes it difficult, as again they are a group of students doing this in their free time.
A snapshot from the City of Spokane says there are roughly 2,300 unhoused people across the area, according to The Spokesman-Review that’s a 36% increase from this time last year.
“We know through experience that one of the most requested items it’s just a warm pair of wool socks or people who are unhoused so targeting wool socks helps us make that impact,” Leroy said.
As they work to make their care packages they’re hoping for additional support from the community in their mission to help more people.
“So each care package is about eight dollars, the most expensive item in there is the wool socks, eight dollars isn’t too much look at last year we did 150 for instance that adds up real fast,” Leroy said.
They’re hoping members of the community might step up and make a few donations. With that said, they’ve seen massive small-dollar donations from fellow college students.
“I think that’s a cool part about this drive it’s the younger people who want to make a difference in our community,” Rosenblit said.
Rosenblit added that many of the College students are strapped for cash they are the ones sponsoring one or two care packages, though they can’t get much—they are trying to contribute a solution to a much bigger problem.
If you’d like to make a contribution you can follow the QR code link.
