City of Spokane Launches Homeless Navigation Center

City of Spokane Launches Homeless Navigation Center

In partnership with the Empire Health Foundation and Revive Counseling Spokane

Erin Hut, Director of Communications, City of Spokane, [email protected]

Friday, October 11, 2024 at 10:04 a.m.

The City of Spokane, in partnership with the Empire Health Foundation and Revive Counseling Spokane, has launched a homeless navigation center as part of a strategic move to a new shelter model.

The navigation center, housed at the Cannon Street Shelter, is a specialized facility designed to provide temporary housing and comprehensive support services to those experiencing homelessness. The focus of this navigation center will be on both providing immediate shelter, but also connecting residents with mental health care, addiction treatment, and housing placement services through individualized case management.

Empire Health Foundation (EHF) has been selected as the navigation center shelter operator and Revive Counseling has been selected as a subcontractor to provide services to those utilizing the facility. EHF is also responsible for working with providers and community partners to manage new scattered site shelters.

EHF and Revive have been operating the Cannon Shelter as a pilot navigation center since July through the Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation's Right-of-Way Encampment Resolution Program.

The program was designed to connect people living in the 2nd and Division Corridor to the services they needed, including housing and treatment. Overall, the program served 39 people. Of those, 12 were exited to Catalyst, 11 exited to Revive Transitional Housing, seven individuals utilized sobering services, two exited to emergency shelter, and three have completed coordinated entry assessments and are awaiting permanent placement.

The center will continue navigating individuals toward treatment and housing, including new scattered site shelters.

"The successful pilot navigation center has shown the power of providing stable support and resources to those in need. Now, as we move towards making it more permanent, we are not just investing in a program, but in the promise of dignity and stability for our community's most vulnerable," Mayor Lisa Brown said.

"We are grateful for the hard work of Revive and service providers across the community who show up every day to serve the most vulnerable people in our community," said Zeke Smith, President of Empire Health Foundation. "We appreciate the support and resources that the Commerce Department and City of Spokane are dedicating to address the housing and opioid crises. While we continue to provide administrative support for these programs, we call on the community as a whole to find ways to come together and contribute to solutions that move people into housing and recovery."

"We feel so blessed to be able to work with the City and Department of Commerce to create these kinds of invaluable resources and support options for our most marginalized community members. These individuals wanted this opportunity and braved the journey to come off the streets and move towards recovery," said Layne Pavey, Executive Director of Revive. "We look forward to continuing to spread this hope with the opening of the homeless navigation center. The opioid epidemic and housing crisis have seemed overwhelming, but as a community, we must not give up on interventions that support health, connectedness and cooperation."

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