SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane City Council approved $200,000 in contract amendments last night for inclement weather sites. Four different shelters were given an additional $50,000 from 1590 Funds.
So far this season, the city has activated its inclement weather centers 35 times. With colder weather on the way, that number is expected to go up.
The Salvation Army is one of the sites receiving additional funds which it says are essential to keep its inclement weather site running through the rest of the winter months.
“We were functioning on a good faith handshake agreement just for the last few nights since January began,” said the Salvation Army’s Captain David Cane. “Knowing and trusting that that money would come through.”
The closure of the TRAC shelter reduced the number of available beds for extremely cold nights in Spokane. While the Salvation Army acknowledges this has been a challenge, it also sees a silver lining, with the move of its inclement weather site to the building of The Way Out Shelter
“The way out is a program that has levels of accountability built into it so that individuals are working towards next step solutions,” said Cane. “To have a low barrier option just below it gives us an opportunity to introduce folks upstairs.”
So far, 11 people have moved from Salvation Army’s inclement weather shelter to The Way Out Shelter. “It’s certainly a good thing to be out of the weather and stay warm and stay alive,” said Joe Parrilla who made the move over about a month ago. “It’s a helpful environment.”
Cane said there have been several nights this year they have had to turn people away due to the sheer volume of need in the community.
“Because it is a first come, first serve basis. It breaks our hearts. We have to close our doors and the difficult portion of that is that there aren’t beds at other facilities to help those folks,” Cane said.
Parrilla is one of the fortunate ones who made it in. He now has basic necessities like a warm bed, food, and most importantly, a sense of hope.
“Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that there’s going to be a day where I can take care of myself,” he said.
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