Housing & Homelessness Program

Homelessness is a worldwide crisis that impacts Spokane Valley and our region. Ending homelessness requires a collective effort of government, non-profit, faith-based organizations, businesses and community members. 

The City works with Spokane County, City of Spokane and private and non-profit partners in a collective effort to prevent and end homelessness. View a fact sheet about the program.

On Dec. 5, 2023, the City Council adopted the Spokane Valley Homeless Action Plan. This high-level plan provides a roadmap to address, reduce and prevent homelessness in the city.

CONNECT people to resources

Spokane Valley is focusing efforts on helping individuals and families who experience homelessness and want to be helped by connecting them to available resources.

Outreach Team

The City uses a co-deployment model, including one dedicated full-time city staff member, one homeless outreach police officer within the Spokane Valley Police Department (and beginning Dec. 1, 2024, a second homeless outreach officer), and 1.5 social workers through a contract with Frontier Behavioral Health. These individuals make up the Spokane Valley Outreach Team and work together daily to contact individuals experiencing homelessness and connect them to resources. 

INVEST in services, shelters and stability 

Shelters

The City is part of the Spokane County Consortium, along with all other cities in the county outside the City of Spokane. Through this county consortium, Spokane County administers funds for community development, affordable housing and homeless services that the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocates to the City, unincorporated Spokane County and other cities in the consortium. The funds are used to fund area shelters, affordable housing projects and other services for all county residents, including those from Spokane Valley. If the city’s Homeless Outreach Team encounters someone who needs shelter, they are referred to these facilities, and transportation can be provided if needed.

Find links to shelter resources under Quick Links on this webpage. 

Housing and Homelessness Grants

Through community partnerships, the City is funding a variety of housing and homelessness projects. The Spokane Valley City Council allocated approximately $8 million in grants for affordable housing and homeless-related projects. Grant recipients include:

  • $4 million grant to Partners Inland NW (formerly Spokane Valley Partners) for the acquisition of a new facility to house their food, clothing and diaper banks.
  • $1 million to Family Promise for its F.L.A.S.H.- fast leasing and sustainable housing program that provides assistance for families experiencing or soon to experience homelessness to eliminate or drastically eliminate their stay in a shelter or being unhoused.  They will also use a portion of their award to establish a family shelter in Spokane Valley
  • $1.4 million to Reclaim Project Recovery for its home base facility, operations and a transitional housing facility in Spokane Valley.  Reclaim provides a transformational platform for men transitioning away from addiction, homelessness and criminality.  They offer comprehensive support programs including recovery classes, transitional living resources, work opportunities, occupational development and an active sober community.
  • $500,000 to Volunteers of America for its Crosswalk 2.0; a youth shelter and transitional housing project. In addition to housing, this program will provide wrap-around services including counseling, medical resources, employment readiness programs, GED tutoring, etc.
  • $470,000 to Habitat for Humanity for the acquisition of property to provide affordable home-ownership opportunities in Spokane Valley
  • $470,000 to SNAP for its Broadway Senior Affordable Housing Project

PARTNER to leverage funds, coordinate efforts and improve outcomes

The City actively participates in regional conversations and efforts to prioritizes strategies for best investing homeless-related funding that maximize the effectiveness of the available resources in Spokane Valley and throughout the county.

Housing Homelessness Assistance Act (HHAA)

In August 2023, Spokane Valley began collecting and managing the Housing Homelessness Assistance Act (HHAA) money collected through real estate document recording fees. Spokane County collects these funds, but both the City of Spokane and Spokane Valley manage their own portion of the revenue.

Community Advisory Boards and Funding Distribution

Spokane Valley actively participates in the regional boards that assess community needs for affordable housing, homelessness and community development, including the City of Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force, the Continuum of Care (CoC), Spokane County Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee, and City of Spokane Community Housing and Homeless Services (CHHS).  

Addressing Homelessness for Businesses 

The City is working to empower businesses by providing helpful guidance and information to minimize the negative impacts that individuals experiencing homelessness and/or persons living in vehicles and tents may have on their property. Visit the Addressing Homelessness webpage to learn more or view the online resource.

Spokane Regional Resources