SPOKANE, Wash. – As temperatures drop, Spokane is preparing for winter by leveraging existing shelters for homeless residents, similar to its summer cooling plan.
This past summer, Spokane city code required cooling shelters to open when temperatures hit 95 degrees or higher for two or more days. However, formal cooling centers never opened. Instead, the city utilized existing spaces like libraries and park facilities.
Spokane is taking a similar approach for winter. The city plans to use existing shelters across Spokane, rather than establishing formal warming centers.
Erin Hut, the Director of Communications and Marketing for the City of Spokane, explained the strategy.
“We have contracted with a variety of shelter providers in the region who know that when we meet a certain threshold they need to activate a certain number of shelter beds. So they surge in those existing facilities. And the idea there is that we’re utilizing existing space, existing staff,” Hut said.
The city acknowledges that a lack of resources in surrounding cities, such as Spokane Valley, may place additional strain on Spokane’s resources.
A spokesperson for Spokane Valley confirmed this, stating, “The City of Spokane Valley does not stand up warming shelters during cold weather, but we work in collaboration with our regional partners.”
The statement further explained that Spokane Valley pools its share of state and federal funding with other small cities in the county to support housing and homelessness efforts.
In light of the recent snow, inquiries were made to local shelter organizations like Jewels Helping Hands and Catholic Charities about their capacity. Although they were unavailable for immediate comment, Spokane’s dashboard indicates that 7 out of 12 listed shelters currently have space.
