SPOKANE, Wash. — New data shows over 7,000 people in Spokane used a homeless service that offers a bed within the last year.
In the past two years, the number of people who have moved into permanent housing in the city has doubled.
“In 2023, we set the record for the most families that we had ever gotten into housing at 104 families in one year,” said Joe Ader, CEO of Family Promise. “This past year, that number jumped to over 240.”
Family Promise says the answer to moving people off the street and into housing is not by providing beds every night but by having services that work with someone through their journey.
The new study from the City of Spokane looked at all different types of shelters and housing programs. Out of the over 7,000 people that used services, 75% of them went into emergency shelters that offer a bed for the night and 19% went into rapid rehousing programs, which offer case workers and people who help an individual fund a long-term housing solution.
Out of the 75% in emergency shelters, 7% moved on to permanent housing. Out of the 19% in rapid rehousing, 69% of them moved into permanent housing.
“People need a lot more than just a bed,” Ader said. “They need others that can help them guide through all the options and all the services and also know what to do next.”
The city says this data will help look at what programs are working and where funding should go in the future.
Family Promise says having more programs that work with someone throughout their journey is needed to get people off the street and end the cycle of homelessness.
“I think our whole conversation needs to shift as a community to how do we get more people into housing and reduce the number of people that are entering homelessness in the first place,” said Ader.
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