On Wednesday at Spokane Valley Community Center and Food Bank, workers counted the homeless who came to the center’s food bank. Of the 112 households looking for food that day, 11 were without homes of their own.

It surprises some people that homelessness is even a problem in Spokane Valley. The area feels so suburban, and it doesn’t have an official core where those without a place might go to gather. The homeless population in Spokane Valley, especially in the winter, is invisible.

“There are people who are double-upped with relatives or couch surfing, but people don’t think of them as homeless,” explained Sharon Hengy, the center’s program director.

There’s irony in the fact that the same week that residents showed exuberant hospitality to visitors here for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the region’s homeless were being counted in a collaborative effort by Spokane, Spokane County and nonprofit organizations. Results of this “Every One Counts” effort are expected soon. On last year’s count day, 1,592 people were identified as homeless, and 682 more were, in Hengy’s words, “couch surfing” – begging a bed off family or friends. And approximately 6,000 people were found to be homeless at any given time during 2005.

Shelters near Spokane’s core – including Union Gospel Mission, House of Charity, Hope House, Anna Ogden Hall and St. Margaret’s – have served the homeless for years. The nonprofit organizations are run by dedicated staff and volunteers, and some also receive city and county government support. These shelters have become national models for how to show respect for what the Christian Gospels call “the least among us.”

A week before skaters and spectators poured into town, Union Gospel Mission turned a once seedy motel on East Sprague into a shelter for women and children. And the Salvation Army Family Emergency Center was in the news for refusing shelter to a Native American couple because they had tribal identification only. The Salvation Army quickly admitted its mistake, apologized and changed the policy.

As the Spokane area grows more popular with people of means – those settling here or those just visiting for big events – its quality of life will also be judged on how well it deals with people without means.

Though seven Valley churches participate in Interfaith Hospitality Network’s program to provide temporary shelter, there are no permanent homeless shelters in Spokane Valley. There are also no Valley warming centers for the homeless to dip into during freezing weather. This is a gap in the chain of homeless hospitality.

“Everybody deserves a place to live, no matter what their situation or choices they’ve made,” says Sheila Morley, leadership team member for the Spokane Homeless Coalition.

A worthy 2007 challenge for Spokane Valley’s government and nonprofit leaders is to figure out how to work together to fill in this shelter gap. For starters, they could borrow the model of collaborative homeless hospitality that has worked well in Spokane.