SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane announced on Friday that it has launched a homeless navigation center in partnership with the Empire Health Foundation (EHF) and Revive Counseling Spokane.
The navigation center will be at the Cannon Street Shelter and will function as a facility to provide temporary housing and comprehensive support services to those experiencing homelessness as part of the city's shift to a new shelter model.
According to a press release from the city, the navigation center will focus on providing immediate shelter as well as connecting residents with mental health care, addiction treatment and housing placement services through individualized case management.
EHF has been selected as the navigation center shelter operator and Revive Counseling has been selected as a subcontractor to provide services to those utilizing the facility.
EHF will also be responsible for working with providers and community partners to manage new scattered site shelters.
The city says EHF and Revive Counseling have been operating the Cannon Shelter as a pilot navigation center since July through the Department of Commerce and the Department of Transportation’s Right-of-Way Encampment Resolution Program.
“The successful pilot navigation center has shown the power of providing stable support and resources to those in need. Now, as we move towards making it more permanent, we are not just investing in a program, but in the promise of dignity and stability for our community’s most vulnerable,” Mayor Lisa Brown said.
The program was designed to connect people living in the 2nd and Division Corridor to the services they need, including housing and treatment.
The city says the program served 39 people. Of those, 12 were exited to Catalyst with Catholic Charities and 11 exited to Revive Transitional Housing. seven individuals utilized sobering services, two exited to emergency shelter and three have completed coordinated entry assessments and are awaiting permanent placement.
“We are grateful for the hard work of Revive and service providers across the community who show up every day to serve the most vulnerable people in our community,” said Zeke Smith, the president of Empire Health Foundation. “We appreciate the support and resources that the Commerce Department and City of Spokane are dedicating to address the housing and opioid crises. While we continue to provide administrative support for these programs, we call on the community as a whole to find ways to come together and contribute to solutions that move people into housing and recovery.”
The new navigation center will continue guiding individuals toward treatment and housing, including new scattered site shelters.
"We feel so blessed to be able to work with the City and Department of Commerce to create these kinds of invaluable resources and support options for our most marginalized community members. These individuals wanted this opportunity and braved the journey to come off the streets and move towards recovery,” said Layne Pavey, the executive director of Revive Counseling. “We look forward to continuing to spread this hope with the opening of the homeless navigation center. The opioid epidemic and housing crisis have seemed overwhelming, but as a community, we must not give up on interventions that support health, connectedness and cooperation."
