SPOKANE, Wash. — More than 20 months after receiving $44 million in federal fire relief funds, Spokane County has yet to distribute any of the money to victims of the Gray and Oregon Road fires.
The county received the funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in early January 2025. To date, the only expenditure from those funds has been a contract with the Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group to assess which fire victims still require assistance.
Craig Sanders, executive director of the Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group, said the organization is in the early stages of outreach efforts to identify remaining gaps in victim support.
“We’re just starting the outreach to go back out and just ensure that we’ve identified any gaps, any unmet needs that are still out there, so the county can make a determination on where to spend that $44 million,” Sanders said.
The recovery group has identified approximately 85 victims of the Gray and Oregon Road fires who are eligible for federal funding. However, the decision on how and when to distribute the money rests solely with Spokane County.
George Dahl, the county’s Housing and Community Development Administrator, said the distribution process is moving forward. He indicated that the county plans to approve contracts with organizations that will assist fire victims with housing-related projects within the next 45 days.
“Within the next 45 days, getting those contracts fully approved and authorized through the board of county commissioners. There will be a lag time between when those contracts are finalized and when the work actually starts,” Dahl said.
These housing projects will include property cleanup, rebuilding, and repair assistance for fire victims. Once the county finalizes contracts with partner organizations, those groups will begin the actual work of helping victims recover from the fires.
The Gray and Oregon Road fires devastated portions of Spokane County, leaving many residents facing significant property damage and financial hardship. The federal relief funding was intended to expedite recovery efforts and help residents return to normalcy.
County officials have not provided a specific timeline for when individual victims might receive direct assistance, only noting that organizational contracts should be finalized within 45 days.
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