SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane’s homeless population is facing particularly tough conditions this winter as shelters have been forced to open their doors for 44 consecutive nights due to inclement weather.
At the Salvation Army’s inclement weather site, underneath the Way-Out shelter, the increased demand has led to the difficult decision of turning people away.
The shelter reports that between 7 and 10 individuals are turned away each night.
“Yeah, this is a hard year and these are hard times, and we do everything within our means in order to care for the least, the last, and the lost,” said Captain David Cain of the Salvation Army.
The Way-Out shelter, which has 25 beds available on nights when temperatures drop below freezing, has been impacted by the closure of the TRAC shelter.
Despite the challenges, Captain Cain says the Salvation Army is doing the best it can to address the needs of the community during this especially harsh winter.
“These low barrier options these are essential, but I think it is a great opportunity for us as a community to not only provide a Band-Aid, but get someone out of the cold, build relationship with them so we can have conversations about next steps,” said Captain Cain.
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