City of Spokane adjusts shelter operations to meet needs as temperatures continue to drop
SPOKANE, Wash. — With more cold weather on the way, the City of Spokane is adapting to make sure those experiencing homelessness have a place to stay warm.
When temperatures dropped last week, the regional shelter system utilized hotel rooms as a form of housing in order to avoid large groups congregating during the pandemic. That hotel voucher program, operated by SNAP, ends Saturday. When it does, Catholic Charities will take over services as part of a separate continuing overflow program.
According to a release, the City is in the process of figuring out ways to access additional federal funding. In the meantime, the amount of adults accessing shelter space has declined throughout the week and there is room to house more people, as it stands.
“The flexibility to utilize hotels has been a unique solution based because of COVID response combined with extreme weather conditions,” said Mayor Nadine Woodward. “These adjustments continue to illustrate the knowledge and excellent teamwork of available resources.”
READ: City of Spokane, local shelters expanding space for homeless people during cold snap
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
