SPOKANE, Wash. — Homeless men opened up to complete strangers inside the Union Gospel Mission Monday night, revealing how they ended up there.
"It helps with your empathy a lot," Molly Hanson said.
Hanson is a senior at Whitworth studying housing and homelessness. She's one of roughly 200 volunteers surveying Spokane County's homeless population during this year's Point-in-Time Count.
Russell Moore lost housing in September.
"Last winter, got sick back to back and I used up all my sick time and I was over like three days over than they allowed and they had to let me go," Moore said.
Too sick to work, Moore says he burned through his savings paying rent. Now, he's living at UGM.
"Hopefully, by next year, I will have a job and housing," Moore said. "If I'm back here next year, then we will see what happens."
Moore hopes he won't need to be counted next year. So does Victor Ruiz.
"Eight months ago, I was not homeless," Ruiz said.
Ruiz suffered a heart attack and used up the money in his 401k. He moved in with his in-laws. Then, his father in-law died and the family lost their home. Now, Ruiz is on a waiting list to get into an apartment.
"This was my first time in the shelter," Ruiz said. "I was really nervous about being here and I'll tell you what, I'm pleasantly surprised. This is a very good place."
The Point-in-Time count helps the city and service providers better understand what people need, what's working and what can be improved.
"So, within that survey, we will have lots of great questions as to why they may not have utilized the shelter, why they would go to a shelter, and shelters they maybe didn't agree with and reasons why they don't," City Program Manager Adam Schooley said.
The annual count is intentionally held in the winter to get a sense of how many people are sleeping outside in the most extreme conditions. It's also when the city funds additional shelters.
Data collected helps determine how much federal aid the city receives to combat homelessness. Last year, volunteers counted and surveyed 2,390 homeless men and women. 955 were considered unsheltered last year compared to 310 in 2018.
Monday night's count focused on people in shelters like UGM. Between now and Saturday, volunteers will also look for people living outside or in their cars across Spokane County.
The results of this year's count will be released this spring.
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