City Provides Update on Housing and Homelessness Initiatives

Housing and Human Services Dept. Provides Update on Housing and Homelessness Initiatives

Erin Hut, Communications Director, [email protected]

Monday, June 15, 2026 at 2:23 p.m.

At Monday's Urban Experience Committee meeting, the City of Spokane Housing and Human Services Department (HHS) presented a comprehensive update on a range of housing and homelessness initiatives.

The presentation outlined efforts spanning homelessness response, inclement weather shelter operations, affordable housing development, and long-term planning to demonstrate how the City of Spokane is building a more responsible and coordinated housing continuum.

Continuum of Care Notice of Funding Opportunity

The City of Spokane is the regional Continuum of Care administrator, and both creates and facilitates local Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) notice and requirements.

This competitive application process distributes housing and homelessness funding based on eligibility requirements, priorities, and scoring criteria set by HUD.

Based on HUD's new priorities, the City of Spokane is anticipating an initial impact of:

• Approximately 50% reduction in funding for permanent housing
• Consolidation of coordinated entry systems
• A reduction in youth and young adult-focused projects
• Potential $3 million loss locally

These funding and policy changes would impact contracts that begin in August 2027.

Inclement Weather Sheltering

For the past two years, the City of Spokane has expanded capacity in existing programs to shelter unhoused individuals and families during inclement weather.

From October 2025 to May 2026, the City's inclement weather plan was activated 128 days, with surge capacity offered at the House of Charity, Morning Star Shelter, The Way Out Center, and St. Margaret's Shelter.

HHS announced the 2027 inclement weather plan will operate similarly and with a continued prioritization of beds at existing shelter locations. The department will open the NOFO to applications on July 15 and will have the finalized 2027 plan posted by the end of September.

2026 Point-in-Time Count Results

The Point-in-Time Count (PIT) is a federally required annual snapshot estimate of the local unhoused population. Data collected during the local PIT count is sent to HUD and the Washington State Department of Commerce to provide information on people experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness throughout Spokane County.

This year's PIT Count was conducted on January 27, and surveyed 1,738 individuals, representing 1,500 households across Spokane County, Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Airway Heights. This is a decrease from the 1,806 individuals counted in 2025.

The number of people experiencing sheltered homelessness (in emergency shelter or transitional housing) decreased from 1,189 in 2025 to 1,095 in 2026. During the night of the count, 643 unsheltered individuals were counted; 183 beds within the shelter system were unoccupied during that night.

Other PIT Count data points include:

• 84 total veterans; a decrease from 106 last year;
• 640 adults surveyed reported suffering from serious mental illness;
• 404 adults surveyed reported suffering from substance use disorder;
• 139 adults surveyed reported surviving domestic violence;
• 119 young adults between the ages of 18-24

HEART Fund Capital Recommendations

Lastly, HHS presented the latest round of HEART Fund capital recommendations. This round includes nearly $2.5 million in investments to build or rehabilitate 70 units of affordable housing.

The recommendations include:

• Mujeres in Action - Casa MiA: $160,000
• Cochran Management, LLC - Great Northern: $1,190,000
• Spokane Housing Ventures/Catholic Housing Ventures -Wilton Apartments Rehabilitation: $450,000
• Ministry Housing Investments Group - MHIG Apartments: $641,135

"The Housing and Human Services Department has been hard at work managing everything from federal housing contracts to volunteering during this year's Point-in-Time Count. This team has diligently worked to ensure that our limited resources are being put back into the community and navigating a challenging, and constantly changing, authorizing environment," said Housing and Human Services Director Dawn Kinder.

"We are seeing progress in our homelessness response and that is reflected in data, like the Point-in-Time Count, that we report to the federal government. At a time we are moving in the right direction and cannot afford to lose momentum, the federal government is proposing to reduce funding that Spokane taxpayers help support. Those dollars should be coming back to our community to sustain the work that is delivering results and improving both lives and public safety," Mayor Lisa Brown said.

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