The 8th Annual Homeless Connect will take place Wednesday, January 30th, 2019, from 10AM to 3PM at the Salvation Army Community Center, located at 223 East Nora Avenue in Spokane. The purpose of the Connect is to address homelessness in greater Spokane by bringing together more than 50 service providers offering a wide variety of services under one roof for anyone experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. Last year’s event saw more than 300 attendees and expects to serve even more at the 2019 Connect.
Addressing and solving homelessness represents a genuine community challenge, and the annual Spokane Homeless Connect is made possible with Community support via sponsorships. The Planning Committee for the Connect is pleased to acknowledge the support of all our amazing sponsors, including The Black Lens News, Avista Foundation, and our newest sponsor, the Downtown Spokane Partnership.
The timing of each year’s Connect is coordinated with the City of Spokane’s Community, Housing, and Human Services (CHHS) Office to coincide with the City’s annual “Point-In-Time” (PIT) Count of Spokane County’s homeless population. The complete results of the nation-wide 2018 PIT Count (taken last January) were reported last week in The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress and showed Spokane as 5th in the nation for the number of homeless in the geographic category of “Other Largely Urban.” Among states with the largest populations experiencing homelessness, Washington State was 5th with 22,304 people.
Modeled after the San Francisco Homeless Connect, which started in 2004, the Spokane Homeless Connect is now celebrating its 8th year. Services available on-site during the event will include emergency shelter referrals, housing assistance, medical and dental screenings, ID restoration and DSHS benefits assistance, a “Warrant Fest” and much more. The annual event brings together volunteers and case workers from a wide variety of local non-profits and service providers who serve the common goal of ending homelessness.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Spokane Homeless Connect is looking for Volunteers to help out on the day of the Connect with a wide variety of tasks. It’s a user-friendly opportunity to serve others. We’ll reward you with pizza and a free “Volunteer” tee-shirt! For more information on volunteering contact Call Sabrina Bukowski at 509.710.1471 or email sbukowski@chas.org.