SPOKANE, Wash. — A new set of applications has opened for the Salvation Army’s transitional housing program.
The housing is a part of the organization’s Stepping Stones program. It provides families who are without permanent housing a place to live while working through their financial situations.
The program features a 30-unit apartment complex for families with children who meet the HUD financial requirements of 30 to 50 percent of Spokane’s annual median income.
Rent is adjusted to 30 to 50 percent of a family’s adjusted gross income for the house size, so each household’s rent will differ.
In addition to housing, the program also provides families with financial counseling to help them budget their income and move into permanent housing.
Courtenay Covert, her husband and their four children have been a part of the program for four months.
The family moved from a difficult housing and financial situation in Reno, Nevada to Spokane.
For periods during their move up north, Courtenay said they found themselves without a home.
“You find yourself not knowing where you’re gonna go or if you’re gonna be able to provide for your family,” she said. “We were trying to find a place where we could just settle and not move around all the time.”
Soon after they arrived in Spokane, Courtenay said she found out about the Stepping Stones program.
She said the program has given the family more stability and their children a safer place to live.
“(The children) completely love it,” she said. “It’s a complete and total 180 from Reno. They’re really thriving in their school. Here they’ve really been able to flourish.”
It’s been a journey, but the Coverts said the program has given them the opportunities they needed for success.
At the end of February, the family said they are preparing to move into their new home.
“We used this as, literally, a stepping stone to be able to get to the next and more stable situation for our family,” she said.
For more information on how to apply to the program, click here.