Spokane prepares for expanded count of homeless population

Donald Stamper prefers to sleep inside, but he doesn’t always have a choice.

Stamper, who’s been homeless since March, has been battling frostbite on his foot since he waited outside in freezing weather for a meal at Blessings Under the Bridge. He puts antibiotic cream on it, but said he’s worried about the condition spreading.

Last week, Stamper stayed out in freezing weather overnight. He often sleeps at the House of Charity, but said he was in West Central until the evening and couldn’t get a bus to the shelter because the routes were running on a holiday schedule.

Instead, he sat under a bridge for four hours, not sleeping, waiting for morning to come.

“I didn’t have a blanket. I didn’t have anything,” he said. “I just zoned out.”

Spokane is getting ready for its annual count of homeless people Jan. 26. The count, which must happen during the last 10 days of January, is a requirement for federal funding for homeless services.

But this year, the city is expanding the count, coupling it with a supply drive and effort to bring more help to people like Stamper who end up outside in weather that can be dangerous or deadly.

Count teams are expanding the geographic area they search and are planning to put special effort into counting homeless youths. David Lewis, who manages the city’s homeless management information system, said better information from the count will help the city better plan services and see where unmet needs still exist.

Starting Monday, the city will collect items most needed by homeless people and shelters during the winter. Collection bins are available at City Hall, Downtown Spokane Partnership offices and the downtown and Shadle libraries.

Outreach teams that do the count also will distribute supplies, with shelters and service providers receiving the leftovers.

Lewis said the goal is to emphasize that “everyone counts” during the annual survey.

“We’re really looking to push the envelope on what we’re able to accomplish,” he said.

Some of the needed items are obvious: blankets, warm coats, hats, thick gloves, boots and winter socks. Warm winter clothes are always needed, especially because homeless people often don’t have places to store their belongings. That means gloves or coats left at shelters or out in public may be thrown away.

But other items might be less apparent to people who don’t work with the homeless.

Hand and toe warmers are always popular, said Ilze Zarins-Ilgen, an outreach worker with the Community Health Association of Spokane. She starts out with about 50 when she goes out on patrol and said they’re sometimes gone in the first two hours.

Foot powder and medicated cream also can help people who are struggling to keep feet dry or are treating cold-related injuries. First-aid supplies help people on the street prevent infections.

Every year, Zarins-Ilgen said she sees homeless people who have fingers and toes amputated because of frostbite.

“Last year, we had quite a few,” she said. She’s not aware of any amputations so far this year, but she said it’s still early in the winter season.

The city is also hoping to collect essential supplies for shelters, which are often at capacity during the winter. Cleaning supplies like sponges, brooms and dish soap all help staff keep things clean when hundreds of people stay overnight.

Pet food and diapers are also needed.

Clothing donated should be new or gently used. Outreach workers said people sometimes donate socks with holes or very light gloves that provide almost no protection against the cold.

“If you wouldn’t wear it, don’t donate it to somebody else,” CHAS outreach worker Johnnie Beans said.

Lewis said the city plans to do a supply drive twice a year to meet seasonal needs for homeless people and shelters. Over the summer, the focus will be on bus passes.

“We can have the best services in the world, but if we can’t get somebody there, then what’s the point?” Lewis said at a meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition last week.