SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown announced more funding has been set aside for emergency weather sheltering.
$800,000 will be added to the existing $250,000 set aside by the city council. The funds come from the city’s 1590 HEART Fund, which is taxpayer money for affordable housing and supportive housing services.
The new funds will go toward contracts that allow more extreme weather beds at five different locations across the city.
The contracts will start on November 1 and stay in place through the end of the year.
“I previously acknowledged the challenges caused by the inadequate funding set aside for inclement weather sheltering. My team has worked hard to address these gaps and put forward solutions that will provide more effective and reliable shelter when it is needed most,” Mayor Lisa Brown said.
Earlier this month, the city published its inclement weather plan which identified 357 surge beds that could be made available in the case of emergency weather. The city said it could not afford all 357 beds. Before this new funding, the city could only afford to operate 100 beds for 38 nights.
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The city said it will now be able to fund 133 surge beds for 143 nights between The Way Out Shelter, Hope House, House of Charity, Revive and the Salvation Army’s Family Emergency Shelter.
“Long term, the local housing dollars are an investment in building the new affordable units we need in Spokane. Short term, we need to do everything we can to prevent people from dying this winter,” said Daniel Roberts of the West Central Abbey and a member of the Spokane Alliance team that supported City leaders in creating the 1590 HEART Fund. “I’m glad to see that the City is taking steps to make sure we have more robust inclement weather plans this year.”
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