SPOKANE, Wash. — Editor's note: The above video is from previous reporting about the shelter system adding additional spaces as temperatures dropped in the Inland Northwest in February.
The Spokane area's regional shelter system is ending the hotel voucher program as temperatures are expected to rise above freezing in the coming days, according to Communications Manager for Neighborhood, Housing and Human Services Kristin Davis.
Federal funding covered the cost of hundreds of hotel rooms over the past two weeks as extreme weather patterns have activated additional response required by Spokane's Municipal code, Davis said. The number of single adults using the voucher program has steadily decreased over the past week, according to the city.
The hotel voucher program will end Saturday at checkout. SNAP staff will be onsite to help transition clients, Davis said. The program was initially extended based on SNAP's staffing capacity and the weather forecast, but ended on Saturday, Feb. 20.
Families in hotels will be able to stay through a separate overflow program run through Catholica Charities of Eastern Washington, Davis said.
"The flexibility to utilize hotels has been a unique solution based because of COVID response combined with extreme weather conditions,” said Mayor Nadine Woodward. “These adjustments continue to illustrate the knowledge and excellent teamwork of available resources.”
City staff is exploring other ways to use federal funding as temperatures are expected to drop back below freezing within the next few days, according to the city. The city will assess the need to provide additional spaces as the weather changes. As of right now, existing shelters are still providing extra spaces, and have also removed some barriers for entry.
A recent regional shelter system report showed shelters have capacity available, which includes low barrier entry spaces for men and women. Hundreds of spaces were added in existing shelters over the past two weeks as temperatures dropped and spaces have been open throughout the night, Davis said.
Regional fire and law enforcement agencies have responded daily to a few cases of exposure among the homeless population, Davis said. No deaths have been attributed to cold weather since temperatures started dropping on Feb. 9.