Spokane’s annual homeless count delayed a month by COVID-19

The annual count of Spokane’s homeless population will be delayed until next month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Point-in-Time Count will be conducted from Feb. 24 to March 1, instead of starting on Thursday as originally planned.

This is the second consecutive year the census has been impacted by the pandemic.

Last year’s count still took place, but was modified to exclude the usual outreach to people living unsheltered in places like downtown streets or encampments near the Spokane River. Instead, the count relied on homeless shelters to report their occupancy level.

The count is innately imperfect, providing only a snapshot of homelessness at a given time. Still, it’s valued by the city.

The lack of outreach to the unsheltered has frustrated city officials aiming for a clearer understanding of Spokane’s shelter needs – which became clearer this winter when as many as 343 people accessed a temporary warming shelter operated by the city earlier this month. Both Mayor Nadine Woodward and the City Council have endorsed opening a new shelter, but a location has yet to be decided.

This year’s count will include outreach to people living without shelter, despite the pandemic.

“This data is crucial to building and enhancing our regional system of resources to best meet the needs of our most vulnerable,” Woodward said in a statement on Friday. “We rely on partnerships with other governmental entities and community organizations to make sure everybody is counted so that our community receives federal funds to help those most in need.”

The Point-in-Time Count is a requirement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which approved the city’s request for a delay this week, because Spokane receives federal funds for homeless services.

“This change is based on strong recommendations from the Spokane Regional Health District and partner organizations in the community that have expressed concerns about public health and staff safety related to the expected peak of the omicron variant over the next few weeks,” said Eric Finch, the city’s interim director of the Neighborhoods, Housing and Human Services.

Although the Point-in-Time Count is a regional census, it is taken on by the city in partnership with a variety of service providers and volunteers. The city will need about 100 volunteers for the count, and more information can be found online at Spokane.pointintime.info.