SPOKANE, Wash — The cold front moving through the Inland Northwest is having an impact on Spokane’s unhoused population and their ability to find a warm place to shelter at night.
Tuesday morning as chilly winds ripped through downtown, bed capacity at nearly all the city's shelters was already near capacity according to Shelter Me Spokane, the city's portal reporting open shelter beds.
At the Crosswalk Teen Shelter, the lunch hour was unusually quiet.
"Making sandwiches," one worker said while plating grab-and-go meals. "We usually get a lot more than what you see.”
While there were nearly no takers for the sandwiches, dinnertime was likely to be a different story.
"Our doors are open but our beds are usually full," said Rae-Lynn Barden with Volunteers of America, which operates the shelter and others in Spokane.
At Hope House women's shelter, four women had to be turned away Monday night as snow fell across the region, and referred to other providers.
"Unfortunately we’ve been having to turn away women from Hope House for about the past week," Barden said.
She says they often direct families or women to Family Promise, though that shelter was also low on space Tuesday.
With more winter weather on the way, including expected sub-zero temps, it may make a tough situation worse.
"We’ve been at capacity regardless of the weather," Barden said. "Hope House shelter especially we’ve been at capacity because of rent. We’re seeing the need increase with people not being able to afford rent, they’re on fixed income, it increases and they don’t have a safety net.”
The Trent Resource and Assistance Center, Spokane's largest shelter for unhoused people, reported only 39 of 400 beds free Tuesday.
At Crosswalk, one bed was open at lunchtime Tuesday. But by lights out with wind still whipping outside, that was likely to change.
With so few spaces available across the city's shelters, it means countless others will have to find somewhere else to spend another night.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: Search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
Apple TV: Search "Spokane News from KREM" in the Apple store or follow this link.