Spokane Homeless Coalition Meetings are open to the pubilc on the 1st Thursday of every month, 9:30-10:30am at the Gathering House, 723 W Garland.
To sign up for the listserv, email [email protected].
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PAST EVENTS LISTED BELOW
June 28 from 8-10 am (doors open at 7:30 am)
Spokane Convention Center (in the WHALE, the east end, not the Opera House end)
Homelessness in Spokane County is at a TIPPING POINT and this gathering will push it one way or another.
Please attend and push.
This is NOT your usual “How to address homelessness” gathering (i.e., long on talk, short on action).
This is BIG on the next action steps and they are sweeping!
There are better ways to address homelessness in Spokane County and your presence at this event will make a difference.
Homelessness in Spokane County IS going to be addressed differently going forward – YOU NEED TO PART OF THE MOMENTUM.
SPOKANE UNITE COMMUNITY EVENT
June 28 from 8-10 am (doors open at 7:30 am)
Spokane Convention Center (in the WHALE, the east end, not the Opera House end)
334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd
Free and open to public, no RSVP required
Visit spokaneunite.org to learn more
CHANGED LOCATION for February only, unless folks want to stay at the library permanently - The meeting on Thursday, February 2, 9:30-10:30am, is at the Downtown Central Branch Library!!!!!
It will be livestreamed and recorded. Our downtown unhoused friends will have easy access
Scheduled Presentions include:
Notes from Bethiah Streeter, MSW, Social Services Manager, Spokane Public Library, 509.444.5361, [email protected].
Parking will cost about $2.50-4.00. There is plenty of parking available at that time of day at River Park Square. If you attend the meeting as part of your work, maybe your employer will reimburse your parking.
To sign up for the listserv, email [email protected].
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
PAST EVENTS LISTED BELOW
June 28 from 8-10 am (doors open at 7:30 am)
Spokane Convention Center (in the WHALE, the east end, not the Opera House end)
Homelessness in Spokane County is at a TIPPING POINT and this gathering will push it one way or another.
Please attend and push.
This is NOT your usual “How to address homelessness” gathering (i.e., long on talk, short on action).
This is BIG on the next action steps and they are sweeping!
There are better ways to address homelessness in Spokane County and your presence at this event will make a difference.
Homelessness in Spokane County IS going to be addressed differently going forward – YOU NEED TO PART OF THE MOMENTUM.
SPOKANE UNITE COMMUNITY EVENT
June 28 from 8-10 am (doors open at 7:30 am)
Spokane Convention Center (in the WHALE, the east end, not the Opera House end)
334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd
Free and open to public, no RSVP required
Visit spokaneunite.org to learn more
CHANGED LOCATION for February only, unless folks want to stay at the library permanently - The meeting on Thursday, February 2, 9:30-10:30am, is at the Downtown Central Branch Library!!!!!
It will be livestreamed and recorded. Our downtown unhoused friends will have easy access
Scheduled Presentions include:
- Bethiah Streeter, MSW, Library Social Services Manager
- City Councilwoman Lori Kinnear
- New Spokane NHHS department director, Kim McCollum
- UGM Director of Marketing and Communications, Jessica Morgan.
- Sam Renner, Catalyst
- Camp Hope, Julie Garcia,
- TRAC?
- PIT
- Homeless Connect
Notes from Bethiah Streeter, MSW, Social Services Manager, Spokane Public Library, 509.444.5361, [email protected].
- Daily over 1000 people visit Central branch and approximately 50% of them are in need of some type of social service. On Community Court Mondays the number exceeds 1500.
- Daily 66 computers are filled with individuals seeking housing, employment, and various other services.
- Daily meeting spaces are reserved by large groups of youth and individuals of all ages who state they have nowhere else to be.
- Nightly a large group stays under the North awning area off Spokane Falls Blvd because they state the “Shelters aren’t safe”.
- Mental Health support, Food, Employment and Housing resources are the greatest needs for those using library services.
- Every Monday Community Court is held in Events A/B and provides a resource room for people needing services.
Parking will cost about $2.50-4.00. There is plenty of parking available at that time of day at River Park Square. If you attend the meeting as part of your work, maybe your employer will reimburse your parking.
Here is the link to the video recording of the Thursday, January 5, Spokane Homeless Coalition meeting.
The February 2 meeting will be 9:30-10:30 am, at the Spokane Central Branch Library.
The topics covered on January 5 include:
Through the generosity of Dan Simonson it was videotaped and posted at LINK.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1oVIsVg72E)
Video of December 1 meeting = https://youtu.be/mXgg7Sb_4rY
Video of October 6 meeting at Camp Hope. Here is the link = https://www.facebook.com/SCARSpokane/videos/788551969020687
The February 2 meeting will be 9:30-10:30 am, at the Spokane Central Branch Library.
The topics covered on January 5 include:
- Continuum of Care update, Dale Briese
- Street Medicine info on exposure and frostbite, TJ Byrne
- Camp Hope update, Julie Garcia
- City Council update, Nicolette Ocheltree
- Spokane Central Library services for the unhoused, Bethiah Streeter
- TRAC, The Way Out shelter update, Cassandra Cram & Bre Gorder
- PIT Count update, Kimberly Babb
- Homeless Connect
- Spokane Valley Community Advocates, Sherri Gangitano
Through the generosity of Dan Simonson it was videotaped and posted at LINK.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1oVIsVg72E)
Video of December 1 meeting = https://youtu.be/mXgg7Sb_4rY
Video of October 6 meeting at Camp Hope. Here is the link = https://www.facebook.com/SCARSpokane/videos/788551969020687
We had 150 in attendance at the May 5 Coalition meeting via in-person and livestream. Here is the link to the video recording. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANdU2i44v30)
We hosted a panel discussion on the “Homeless Plan 2.0” announced by Mayor Woodward.
(https://static.spokanecity.org/documents/mayor/2022-state-of-the-city/homelessness-plan-2-2022-04-26.pdf)
Panel Participants:
The next Spokane Homeless Coalition In-Person meeting will be June 2, 9:30-10:30 am, at the Gathering House, 733 W Garland, 99205. A livestream link will be sent out about 9:25 am. We are planning to have City Council President Breean Beggs and a report on the PIT count.
We hosted a panel discussion on the “Homeless Plan 2.0” announced by Mayor Woodward.
(https://static.spokanecity.org/documents/mayor/2022-state-of-the-city/homelessness-plan-2-2022-04-26.pdf)
Panel Participants:
- Mayor Nadine Woodward
- Councilperson Lori Kinnear
- Ben Stuckart, Continuum of Care
- Bob Peeler, SNAP
- Breianna Gorder, Consistent Care
- Eric Finch, Director of Spokane City's Neighborhoods, Housing and Human Services Division
- Robert Lipmann, Coalition Chair
The next Spokane Homeless Coalition In-Person meeting will be June 2, 9:30-10:30 am, at the Gathering House, 733 W Garland, 99205. A livestream link will be sent out about 9:25 am. We are planning to have City Council President Breean Beggs and a report on the PIT count.
Coalition In-Person & Livestreamed April 7 Agenda
Social Security offices in-person services resumed April 7. Scroll down for more info.
Click for Livestream recording of April 7 meeting.
The April 7 meeting was attended in person by 90 individuals and viewed livestream by 60. We have tech support in place going forward so we will continue to have livestream. The livestream link will be emailed out around 9:15am on Thursday morning, May 5.
The next Coalition In-Person & Livestreamed meeting will be May 5, 9:30-10:30am, at the Gathering House, 733 W Garland, 99205.
- How Diversion Relates to Coordinated Entry, Julius Henrichsen, Anchor Community Initiative Coordinator, [email protected], PowerPoint attached
- City Council Update, Jonathon Bingle, District 1, attached announces new City homeless shelter, address redacted. Also attached is a list of ARPA funds.
- Spokane Regional Health District: To receive Covid test kits contact Kira Lewis, [email protected] and to refer someone for Covid isolation contact Chelsea Low, [email protected], 509-720-1618.
- Continuum of Care, Ben Stuckart, [email protected], the Empire Health Foundation is facilitating development of a prioritized funding plan for homeless services in Spokane.
- CHHS, Eric Finch, address of the new shelter will be forthcoming.
Social Security offices in-person services resumed April 7. Scroll down for more info.
Click for Livestream recording of April 7 meeting.
The April 7 meeting was attended in person by 90 individuals and viewed livestream by 60. We have tech support in place going forward so we will continue to have livestream. The livestream link will be emailed out around 9:15am on Thursday morning, May 5.
The next Coalition In-Person & Livestreamed meeting will be May 5, 9:30-10:30am, at the Gathering House, 733 W Garland, 99205.
March 3, 2022, Meeting was partially recorded (9:45-10:45am).
March 3, 2022, Meeting Chat linked.
Topics covered March 3, 2022, were:
Zoom Meeting Info
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9096779860?pwd=UXR0TjlJNk96RDF4R0tZdjVSVXp4QT09
Meeting ID: 909 677 9860
Passcode: shalom
March 3, 2022, Meeting Chat linked.
Topics covered March 3, 2022, were:
- Spokane Regional Health District, Kira Lewis & Samantha Carroll
- Continuum of Care, Ben Stuckart
- Point-In-Time Count, Amira Djulovic, Meagan Vincello, Brian Walker & Daniel Ramos III
- The Spokane Homeless Connect, Aileen Luppert
- City Council Update, Lori Kinnear, District 2
- How Diversion Relates to Coordinated Entry, Julius Henrichsen (only 5 minutes – we will have them back to do the entire presentation)
Zoom Meeting Info
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9096779860?pwd=UXR0TjlJNk96RDF4R0tZdjVSVXp4QT09
Meeting ID: 909 677 9860
Passcode: shalom
| homeless_coalition_zoom_chat_february_3_2022.docx |
February 3, 2022 Spokane Homeless Coalition Meeting
Video of meeting = Here is the link and it is on youtube, https://youtu.be/X2fVFGXACpE
The Chat is available to download just three lines up and here, docs.google.com/document/d/1OF8aEtK7K7ErPKBGcpp3cHrBR3b9AHTZ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104477161114917467555&rtpof=true&sd=true
Presenters
Rayan Orbom, WA State Health Care Authority
Jenn Cerecedes, City of Spokane, CHHS
Ben Stuckart, Continuum of Care
Kira Lewis, Spokane Regional Health District
Karen Stratton, Spokane City Council, District 3
January 6, 2022 Spokane Homeless Coalition Meeting
Click this link for recorded video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JoXM5xtWDs
Presenters
City of Spokane, CHHS, Eric Finch
Continuum of Care, Dale Briese
Spokane Regional Health District, Kylie Kingsbury
Homeless Connect, Maurice Smith
Click this link for recorded video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JoXM5xtWDs
Presenters
City of Spokane, CHHS, Eric Finch
Continuum of Care, Dale Briese
Spokane Regional Health District, Kylie Kingsbury
Homeless Connect, Maurice Smith
November 4, Spokane Homeless Coalition Meeting
Welcome to the November 2021 meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition. Our November meeting featured an interview with Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodard, along with Eric Finch, the new director of the City's Community Housing and Human Services Department. Together they answered questions and discussed the City of Spokane's homeless plans and policy. Interest in the topic was strong and we experienced in-person attendance not seen since our pre-COVID days! Below is the Video for the November Meeting, courtesy of Rising River Media.
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The Spokane Homeless Coalition’s next IN-PERSON (bring your mask) monthly meeting will be Thursday, December 2, 9:30am, at the Gathering House, 733 W Garland, 99205. It probably will not be livestreamed.
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August 5 Coalition Meeting
We had 50 in-person attendees at the Thursday, August 5, Coalition meeting. Before the meeting there was a long line at the coffee bar and a chatter of networking. My most important moment was when Dr. Bob Lutz, wearing a triple layer cloth mask, explained that the pandemic is not over. In a crowded indoor setting he wears a mask and he repeatedly urged vaccinations!
Updates
Presenters:
Robert Lippman, chair of the Coalition, opened the meeting with a reflection that focused on that takes all of us working together. We ended the meeting with a litany of announcements, followed by a chatter of networking and business card exchanging.
The next Spokane Homeless Coalition meeting will be IN-PERSON Thursday, September 2, 9:30am, at the Gathering House, 733 W Garland, 99205. My apologies for not being able to set up a livestream. I have reached out to tech gurus and am hopeful next month will have a virtual attendance option.
How to ADD/REMOVE someone to/from Homeless Coalition listserv.
If you want to add/remove someone to/from the listserv just email me directly – [email protected] – or do it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
How to REDUCE the number of Coalition emails you receive.
You can get EVERY Coalition email OR a “Digest Email” (once a day bundled into a single e-mail) or “Abridged Email” (once a day you will receive a summary of new emails). Let me know your preference, [email protected] – or request it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
We had 50 in-person attendees at the Thursday, August 5, Coalition meeting. Before the meeting there was a long line at the coffee bar and a chatter of networking. My most important moment was when Dr. Bob Lutz, wearing a triple layer cloth mask, explained that the pandemic is not over. In a crowded indoor setting he wears a mask and he repeatedly urged vaccinations!
Updates
- Dale Briese, Vice-Chair of Continuum of Care, reported that the CoC is looking at the housing crisis because there is no housing for homeless folks to move into.
- Dr. Bob Lutz, state medical advisor for the Department of Health, gave a wide ranging update including that Fentanyl-related overdoses are increasing across the state.
- Kylie Kingsbury, SRHD Homeless Outreach Coordinator, reported on the efforts to vaccinate and that outbreaks are happening in our community.
Presenters:
- Salvation Army – Major Ken Perine told us of their many outstanding programs and about the Way Out shelter hopefully opening in November.
- Randy Waltman, Cup of Cool Water, explained their ministry to homeless youth.
- Sara Schumacher, Executive Director at Excelsior Integrated Care Center explained their focus is on youth; education, behavioral health, primary care, and social and human services.
Robert Lippman, chair of the Coalition, opened the meeting with a reflection that focused on that takes all of us working together. We ended the meeting with a litany of announcements, followed by a chatter of networking and business card exchanging.
The next Spokane Homeless Coalition meeting will be IN-PERSON Thursday, September 2, 9:30am, at the Gathering House, 733 W Garland, 99205. My apologies for not being able to set up a livestream. I have reached out to tech gurus and am hopeful next month will have a virtual attendance option.
How to ADD/REMOVE someone to/from Homeless Coalition listserv.
If you want to add/remove someone to/from the listserv just email me directly – [email protected] – or do it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
How to REDUCE the number of Coalition emails you receive.
You can get EVERY Coalition email OR a “Digest Email” (once a day bundled into a single e-mail) or “Abridged Email” (once a day you will receive a summary of new emails). Let me know your preference, [email protected] – or request it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
July 1, 2021, Meeting
We had our first in-person meeting at the Gathering House (733 W Garland, 99205) this morning. The room was filled with smiles and hugs and networking. Our next meeting will be Thursday, August 5, 9:30am, at the Gathering House. We also successfully livestreamed the meeting on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlNoYWEZUeQ) The first hour of the recording is of the empty stage. (I will get better next time)
Robert set the context of our emphasis today with some thought about serving young people. We read updates from Ben Stuckart ([email protected], Continuum of Care) and David Lewis, ([email protected], City of Spokane CMIS).
In-Person Presenters:
Kylie Kingsbury, SRHD Homeless Outreach Coordinator, 509-720-1618, [email protected], Among other things, Kylie spoke about a list of cooling centers and the signs of heat stroke vs. heat exhaustion.
Gus Santos, VOA Young Adult Shelter Program Manager (located at Women’s Hearth building) contact info is [email protected], 509-990-0579 and Case Manager, [email protected], 509-990-0679.
Cecily Ferguson, Anchor Community Initiative Coordinator
Jene Ray, The ZoNE, [email protected], on Tenant Resources. Attached is a pdf overview of 1236 (60-day notice to end a lease term). The ZoNE at the Northeast Community Center gives in-person housing assistance paperwork help during the Hillyard Farmer’s Markets weekly Mondays from 3-7 pm. We have Marshallese community partners on site. If you know of a Spokane City household needing other languages support, please let me know so that we can support access to stable housing for all. I will share the next flyer focused on facing eviction next week. Here is an AWESOME EASY Eviction Defense Helper website, https://app.washingtonlawhelp.org/eviction-help-app-v2/1673433
See you at our next meeting Thursday, August 5, 9:30am, at the Gathering House or livestreamed. We are working on possible presentation from the Salvation Army, the League of Women Voters and the Spokane Regional Health district.
How to ADD/REMOVE someone to/from Homeless Coalition listserv.
If you want to add/remove someone to/from the listserv just email me directly – [email protected] – or do it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
How to REDUCE the number of Coalition emails you receive.
You can get EVERY Coalition email OR a “Digest Email” (once a day bundled into a single e-mail) or “Abridged Email” (once a day you will receive a summary of new emails). Let me know your preference, [email protected] – or request it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
Thursday, June 3 meeting
Here is a YouTube recording of the Thursday, June 3 meeting. The first 30 minutes are just me waiting to start the meeting so skip that portion.
Attached are the Captioning and the Chat.
Next meeting is Thursday, July 1, 9:30am. The poll was clear that most wanted a live plus virtual option. The leadership team will work toward that.
Zoom Meeting Info
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9096779860?pwd=UXR0TjlJNk96RDF4R0tZdjVSVXp4QT09
Meeting ID: 909 677 9860
Passcode: shalom
| homeless_coalition_june_3_2021_captioning.pdf |
| homeless_coalition_chat_june_3_2021.pdf |
| homeless_coalition_closed_captioning_for_april_1.pdf |
| homeless_coalition_chat_for_april_1.pdf |
Thursday, April 1, 9:30am, was our Virtual Meeting
VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTeR8R3dfcU
The first 60 minutes of the video has nothing. At the 1 hour mark (1:00) the pre-meeting begins. At the 1:30 mark the official meeting begins. At the 2:35 mark the Action Group report begins. At the 3:37 mark the video abruptly ends mid-sentence because of technical difficulties.
The Chat and Close Captioning (Thank you, Katie!) are included as PDF attachments.
Next meeting is Thursday, May 7.
Zoom Meeting Info
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9096779860?pwd=UXR0TjlJNk96RDF4R0tZdjVSVXp4QT09
Meeting ID: 909 677 9860
Passcode: shalom
The meeting officially starts at 9:30 am. The Zoom opens at 9am and those interested zoom in early and do a little networking and informal introductions. The meeting usually ends around 10:30 am. Again, the zoom stays open after 10:30 am for informal shout-outs, discussion, networking and announcements.
To accommodate more than 100 you can now watch us livestream on YouTube.
How to ADD/REMOVE someone to/from Homeless Coalition listserv.
If you want to add/remove someone to/from the listserv just email me directly – [email protected] – or do it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
How to REDUCE the number of Coalition emails you receive.
You can get EVERY Coalition email OR a “Digest Email” (once a day bundled into a single e-mail) or “Abridged Email” (once a day you will receive a summary of new emails). Let me know your preference, [email protected] – or request it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
- Continuum of Care update by Ben Stuckart, [email protected]
- SRHD Vaccines & COVID update by Kylie Kingsbury, [email protected]
- SNAP update by Amanda Seybert, [email protected]
- David Lewis, City of Spokane CMIS Administrator, [email protected]
- The Action Group report by Joan Medina, [email protected].
VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTeR8R3dfcU
The first 60 minutes of the video has nothing. At the 1 hour mark (1:00) the pre-meeting begins. At the 1:30 mark the official meeting begins. At the 2:35 mark the Action Group report begins. At the 3:37 mark the video abruptly ends mid-sentence because of technical difficulties.
The Chat and Close Captioning (Thank you, Katie!) are included as PDF attachments.
Next meeting is Thursday, May 7.
Zoom Meeting Info
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9096779860?pwd=UXR0TjlJNk96RDF4R0tZdjVSVXp4QT09
Meeting ID: 909 677 9860
Passcode: shalom
The meeting officially starts at 9:30 am. The Zoom opens at 9am and those interested zoom in early and do a little networking and informal introductions. The meeting usually ends around 10:30 am. Again, the zoom stays open after 10:30 am for informal shout-outs, discussion, networking and announcements.
To accommodate more than 100 you can now watch us livestream on YouTube.
How to ADD/REMOVE someone to/from Homeless Coalition listserv.
If you want to add/remove someone to/from the listserv just email me directly – [email protected] – or do it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
How to REDUCE the number of Coalition emails you receive.
You can get EVERY Coalition email OR a “Digest Email” (once a day bundled into a single e-mail) or “Abridged Email” (once a day you will receive a summary of new emails). Let me know your preference, [email protected] – or request it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html.
The March 4 meeting included: (Here is a recording of the meeting.)
A big thank you to Katie Cansler who provided captioning. march_4_zoom_captioning.docx.pdf
Here is the Chat Box, march_4_zoom_chat_box.pdf
We live streamed the meeting on Youtube.
Our next meeting is, as usual, the first Thursday of the month, April 1, (no fooling) @ 9:30 am.
Zoom Meeting Info (same each month, until it isn’t)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9096779860?pwd=UXR0TjlJNk96RDF4R0tZdjVSVXp4QT09
Meeting ID: 909 677 9860
Passcode: shalom
The meeting officially starts at 9:30 am. The Zoom opens at 9am and those interested zoom in early and do a little networking and informal introductions. The meeting usually ends around 10:30 am. Again, the zoom stays open after 10:30 am for informal shout-outs, discussion, networking and announcements.
How to ADD/REMOVE someone to/from Homeless Coalition listserv. I (AND UNFORTUNATELY we) receive many requests to add/remove folks to the listserv. “We,” “all of us,” the entire 1200 listserv recipients do not need to receive those requests, so please do not “reply all.”
If you want to add/remove someone to/from the listserv just email me directly – [email protected] – or do it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html. Thanks for keeping our email boxes less cluttered!
- a Continuum of Care update by Ben Stuckart, [email protected],
- a SRHD Vaccines & COVID update,
- a report from SNAP and Spokane Quaranteam (Rick & Virginia Clark) on the recent cold snap Emergency Hotel/Motel Stays,
- a VOA update on the new Hope House shelter,
- a report on an ambitious Gonzaga University student initiative, Humanizing Spokane, by Michael Larson, [email protected], and
- a long post-meeting discussion which culminated in the spontaneous formation of an “action group” to work on Stop the Sweeps! and other issues. First meeting will be on Friday, March 12 at 2pm. For more info contact Joan Medina, [email protected]. Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81004155187?pwd=YnZjRWcvNzhPc2sxay9qU2Fyc0x0QT09, Meeting ID: 810 0415 5187, Passcode: 928816.
A big thank you to Katie Cansler who provided captioning. march_4_zoom_captioning.docx.pdf
Here is the Chat Box, march_4_zoom_chat_box.pdf
We live streamed the meeting on Youtube.
Our next meeting is, as usual, the first Thursday of the month, April 1, (no fooling) @ 9:30 am.
Zoom Meeting Info (same each month, until it isn’t)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9096779860?pwd=UXR0TjlJNk96RDF4R0tZdjVSVXp4QT09
Meeting ID: 909 677 9860
Passcode: shalom
The meeting officially starts at 9:30 am. The Zoom opens at 9am and those interested zoom in early and do a little networking and informal introductions. The meeting usually ends around 10:30 am. Again, the zoom stays open after 10:30 am for informal shout-outs, discussion, networking and announcements.
How to ADD/REMOVE someone to/from Homeless Coalition listserv. I (AND UNFORTUNATELY we) receive many requests to add/remove folks to the listserv. “We,” “all of us,” the entire 1200 listserv recipients do not need to receive those requests, so please do not “reply all.”
If you want to add/remove someone to/from the listserv just email me directly – [email protected] – or do it through the Coalition website “Contact Us” page, http://www.spokanehc.com/contact.html. Thanks for keeping our email boxes less cluttered!
The February 4 meeting was jam packed, in agenda and attendance. (Here is a link to the recording.) We reached our maximum zoom capability of 100 for the second month in a row. Your leadership team is exploring ways to increase our attendance capability. The topics covered included:
- Vaccines & COVID Update from the SRHD.
- Kevin Lind, Pastor at Opportunity Presbyterian, talked about his church involvement in the Valley.
- Cal Coblentz, CEO of Spokane Valley Partners, told us of their great and extensive work.
- Sherri Gangitano spoke about Spokane Valley Community Advocates.
- Matt Ryan, Northwest Harvest, provided advocacy updates, a plug for Hunger Action week (Feb 8-12) and Hunger Action Day (Feb 12).
- Bridget Cannon updated us on VOA & the Young Adult Shelter.
- Joe Ader, Family Promise, updated us on the status of family shelters.
- Dale Briese reported on the 2020 PIT.
If there are topics you would like covered at our monthly meetings please let us know:
- Robert Lippman, Chair: [email protected]
- Julie Garcia, Co-Chair: [email protected]
- Rob Bryceson, Media Liaison: [email protected]
- Barry Barfield, Administrator: [email protected]
| homeless_coalition_february_4_meeting_chat.pdf |
SHC Zoom Meeting, Thursday, January 7th, 2021
Welcome to Zoom virtual meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition for January 7th, 2021! It was a full meeting. Our Zoom account is limited to 100 participants and we were there the whole morning! Thanks to all who joined us for an update by Joe Ader & Family Promise about what's happening with families experiencing homelessness in Spokane, along with an update on the City Church Warming Center from Janet Yoder and Pastor Kaleb Fisher, and a retrospective on the pop-up warming center at Westminster Congregational Church from Karen Neilson. And more! SHC Zoom Meeting, Thursday, December 3rd, 2020
Our thanks to everyone who joined us for the December 3rd Zoom Meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition. Our special thanks to Bridget Cannon, Senior Vice-President of VOA for updating us on the status of the new Hope House under construction and the planned move of Crosswalk to across from Spokane Falls Community College! And thanks to Brenda Schreiber, the new City of Spokane Homeless Programs Manager for introducing herself to the Coalition. We look forward to working with Brenda. We also heard from Sgt. Jason Hartman about Law Enforcement interactions with the homeless community. Jeanna Swanson from the New Hope Resource Center and Kaleb Fisher from City Church filled us in on how the City Church Warming Center came together to serve residents of a Mead homeless camp that is being evicted. The video of the Zoom meeting is now posted, along with the two videos we featured during the meeting. Our thanks to everyone who participated. Also, a PDF of the chat is below.
SHC Virtual Meeting, Thursday, October 1, 2020Our sincere thanks to:
Next Meeting: Thursday, November 5th, 2020 @ 9:30am. TOPIC: Community Court |
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SHC Virtual Meeting, Thursday, September 3, 2020Our thanks to the panel of presenters from The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance for conducting a "listening session" on local priorities concerning housing and homelessness in preparation for the next state legislative session, which is scheduled to being on January 11th, 2021. If you missed it, the September Zoom meeting is now available to view via YouTube.
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SHC Virtual Meeting, Thursday, August 6, 2020“Rental Housing & the Eviction Moratorium”
Panel of Presenters Terri Anderson, Tenants Union of Washington State Daniel Klemme, Landlord Liaison, Spokane Housing Authority Steve Corker, President of the Landlord Association Some Rental Resources
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July Virtual Coalition Meeting, Thursday, July 2, 2020
Our thanks to everyone who joined us for the July Virtual Meeting (via Zoom) of the Spokane Homeless Coalition. This month's meeting featured a Private Screening of the new documentary from Rising River Media: "Give Me Shelter: The Story of the Cannon Street Warming Center." Below you can view both the Promotional Trailer and the Full Documentary. The Broadcast Premiere of "Give Me Shelter" is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8 through Saturday July 11 at 7:30PM on Community-Minded Television (Comcast Channel 14). Be sure to tell your friends!
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Coalition Meeting
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Coalition Meeting
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Street Medicine
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As part of the "My Road Leads Home" series of documentaries on homelessness, Rising River Media has been filming street medicine outreach with the two medical workers in this clip. There is much more to come, but this will give you a sense of what it's all about. Street medicine is an established practice in other major cities, but it is new to Spokane. It has been prompted locally in no small part by the Coronavirus and the need to know if it has penetrated the homeless community, particularly the unsheltered street homeless. The bigger picture is that it is much cheaper (and even more compassionate?) to treat medical conditions when they first occur on the street and perhaps avoid an expensive trip to the ER.
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AGENDA for March 5, 2020 meeting
8am: Setup
8:30 - 9am: Coffee & Networking
Theme is “Origins” and how it starts with self-determination. Homeless coalition will be interviewing COC board members and Compassionate Addiction and Recovery (CAT) team.
(9-915am) – Welcome & Reflections
Next Coalition Meeting
Thursday, April 2, 2020
@The Gathering House
For questions concerning the Coalition website or the email list-serve,
You can always use the “Contact” option in the website menu at http://www.spokanehc.com
8am: Setup
8:30 - 9am: Coffee & Networking
Theme is “Origins” and how it starts with self-determination. Homeless coalition will be interviewing COC board members and Compassionate Addiction and Recovery (CAT) team.
(9-915am) – Welcome & Reflections
- Homeless Coalition Purpose/mission (Planning, Education/communication, Advocacy)
- Success story (self-determination focused)
- Stories of collaboration on advocating for what the client wants / audience microphone for stories or thanks to other community system workers.
- COC interview with Pam Tietz (SHA), Becky Tuno (COS), Tim Crowley (COS), Dale Briese (Lived experience) and Bob Peeler (SNAP).
- Audience Q&A
- CAT interview with Hallie & Trudy (Founders)
- Audience Q&A
Next Coalition Meeting
Thursday, April 2, 2020
@The Gathering House
For questions concerning the Coalition website or the email list-serve,
You can always use the “Contact” option in the website menu at http://www.spokanehc.com
February 2020 Meeting, Thursday, February 6th
8:30 - 9am: Coffee & Networking
9am: Welcome – Theme is Collaboration & HC Past, Present and Future
(9-915am) - Reflections
(9:15-9:35am) – Case Scenario’s (ice-breaker)
(9:40-9:55) – Coffee discussions on Past, Present and Future
(9:55am –close) - Individual community announcements
9am: Welcome – Theme is Collaboration & HC Past, Present and Future
(9-915am) - Reflections
- Homeless Coalition Purpose/mission (Planning, Education/communication, Advocacy)
- Success story (collaboration focused) – Homeless Connect success
- Stories of collaboration / audience microphone for stories or thanks to other community system workers.
(9:15-9:35am) – Case Scenario’s (ice-breaker)
- Robert to facilitate group splitting and review each scenario
- Groups reflect / collaborate for 5-10 min
- Rep. from each group present findings 5-10 min
(9:40-9:55) – Coffee discussions on Past, Present and Future
- Sara Clements-Sampson, Bob Peeler, Robert Lippman, Julie Garcia
- Q&A
(9:55am –close) - Individual community announcements
January 2020 Meeting, Thursday, January 2nd
Join us for the January 2020 meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition at the Gathering House on Thursday, January 2nd, at 9:00 AM. Wow, only a day into the new year! We have two very important events coming up in January, so we want to focus this month's presentations on those events.
The Point-In-Time Count. Tija Danzig and David Lewis from the city of Spokane will be presenting on the Point In Time Count. This is a national data collection day, gathering information on how many people are homeless in our community. The outcomes determine the amount of federal and state funding that the Spokane area will receive to assist in eliminating homelessness. They will explain how the Count will work, why it’s important, how to volunteer, and when and where volunteers can receive training.
The 2020 Spokane Homeless Connect. The annual Connect is the largest and longest-running homeless services event in our City. It's an opportunity for homeless service providers and related vendors to connect with those who need their services. The 9th Annual Spokane Homeless Connect take place on Thursday, January 30, at the Spokane Convention Center between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM. Aileen Luppert and Maurice Smith from the Connect Planning Committee will present on how the Connect has served Spokane in the past and what we hope to see happen at this year’s Connect! Promotional flyers will be available for pick up and distribution. Discover more on the Connect webpage, or on the Connect Facebook page. Come and discover how to get involved and how to connect those we serve with the multiple services offered at the Connect.
The Point-In-Time Count. Tija Danzig and David Lewis from the city of Spokane will be presenting on the Point In Time Count. This is a national data collection day, gathering information on how many people are homeless in our community. The outcomes determine the amount of federal and state funding that the Spokane area will receive to assist in eliminating homelessness. They will explain how the Count will work, why it’s important, how to volunteer, and when and where volunteers can receive training.
The 2020 Spokane Homeless Connect. The annual Connect is the largest and longest-running homeless services event in our City. It's an opportunity for homeless service providers and related vendors to connect with those who need their services. The 9th Annual Spokane Homeless Connect take place on Thursday, January 30, at the Spokane Convention Center between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM. Aileen Luppert and Maurice Smith from the Connect Planning Committee will present on how the Connect has served Spokane in the past and what we hope to see happen at this year’s Connect! Promotional flyers will be available for pick up and distribution. Discover more on the Connect webpage, or on the Connect Facebook page. Come and discover how to get involved and how to connect those we serve with the multiple services offered at the Connect.
October Meeting - Thursday, October 3
A powerful morning at the October meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition as we watched the locally made documentary End The Violence addressing the issue of domestic violence. Our thanks to presenters from the YWCA who facilitated the discussion after the screennig. In addition, the Spokane Regional Health District updated us on the current Hepatitis A outbreak (5 months and 24 cases so far), along with preparations for dealing with any potential Norovirus outbreak. With an early and possibly long winter season unfolding, forcing people off the streets and into shelters & close quarters, health issues among the homeless community could loom large, and now is the time to get a handle on it.
September Meeting - Candidates Forum On Homelessness A Huge Success
Our The September 5th meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition featured a Candidates Forum On Homelessness including:
More than 200 attendees filled the third floor event venue at the Spokane Public Library (Downtown), along with strong media coverage. Th 2019 Candidates Forum On Homelessness was jointly sponsored by the Spokane Homeless Coalition, the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, and the Spokane Public Library. Coalition Chair Joe Ader moderated the Forum with written questions submitted on 3X5 cards by attendees. Your Leadership Team regarded this event as an opportunity for an open and genuine discussion of homelessness-related issues in Spokane, conducted in an atmosphere of respect toward all of our participants. One Candidate commented that this was the best forum he had participated in thus far in the Campaign. Our thanks to KSPS for posting the Forum on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/Vk9baZHgWck
- Ben Stuckart - Candidate for Mayor
- Nadine Woodward - Candidate for Mayor
- Breean Beggs - Candidate for City Council President
- Cindy Wendle - Candidate for City Council President
More than 200 attendees filled the third floor event venue at the Spokane Public Library (Downtown), along with strong media coverage. Th 2019 Candidates Forum On Homelessness was jointly sponsored by the Spokane Homeless Coalition, the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, and the Spokane Public Library. Coalition Chair Joe Ader moderated the Forum with written questions submitted on 3X5 cards by attendees. Your Leadership Team regarded this event as an opportunity for an open and genuine discussion of homelessness-related issues in Spokane, conducted in an atmosphere of respect toward all of our participants. One Candidate commented that this was the best forum he had participated in thus far in the Campaign. Our thanks to KSPS for posting the Forum on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/Vk9baZHgWck
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Premiere of "My Road Leads Home: The Spokane Homeless Connect"
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended our Premiere of My Road Leads Home last Thursday evening at the Spokane Public Library. Rick Clark of “Giving Backpacks” and Julie Garcia of “Jewels Helping Hands” distributed 30 backpacks to our homeless guests and everyone enjoyed making new friends and helping begin a new conversation about addressing homelessness in our Community. And if you think you missed the Premiere and all the festivities, there's good news. You can watch our video of the Premiere and discover what "Britain's Got Talent" and Susan Boyle have to do with addressing homelessness in our community! In addition, the entire full-length documentary is also available for viewing on our YouTube Channel. Share it on your Facebook page and tell your friends. It’s time to tell a better story and to set a new tone of seeking the welfare (the “Shalom”) of everyone in our Community.
June Coalition Meeting (Thursday, June 6, 2019)
We had a large turn out for the June Meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition and we heard from two great presenters. Rick Clark (below, left), founder of Giving Backpacks here in Spokane, and Julie Garcia (below, right), founder of Jewels Helping Hands. Both people doing amazing work serving the homeless and marginalized of the Spokane Community.
Finally, note on your calendar that there will be NO JULY COALITION MEETING, as the first Thursday falls on July 4th. Happy 4th of July. We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday, August 1, 9:00 am at the Gathering House. Come early for coffee and networking. Amazing things happen when we collaborate and network.
Finally, note on your calendar that there will be NO JULY COALITION MEETING, as the first Thursday falls on July 4th. Happy 4th of July. We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday, August 1, 9:00 am at the Gathering House. Come early for coffee and networking. Amazing things happen when we collaborate and network.
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May Coalition Meeting (Thursday, May 2, 2019)
The May meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition took place on Thursday, May 2 at 9:00AM at The Gathering House (Post & Garland). Thanks to all of our presenters.
Aileen Luppert presented on “The Intersection Of Libraries and Homelessness” and update us on upcoming Summer Programming Activities for the Spokane County Library District. Aileen is the Managing Librarian of one of the largest branches of the Spokane County Library District. From 2013-2016, under her supervision, SCLD was the only library system in Washington, and one of a few in the country, to train and certify staff as Navigators to assist patrons signing up for health insurance. She has presented to state and national library associations on topics including job-seeker support in libraries, community engagement, and serving patrons experiencing homelessness. Aileen also serves on the Leadership Team of the Spokane Homeless Coalition, and on the planning committee for the annual Spokane Homeless Connect.
Rae-Lynn Barden presented on behalf of the Spokane Public Library District. She is the Administrative Services Coordinator for the Spokane Public Library (Downtown) and previously worked for the Spokane City Council as a Legislative Assistant. She is a Leadership Spokane graduate who received her Bachelors in Communications and Masters in Public Administration from Eastern Washington University.
Becky Tuno updated everyone on the results of the January 2019 Point-In-Time Count which showed 1,309 individuals experiencing homelessness in greater Spokane. Becky is a Community, Housing & Human Services Homeless Program Specialist with the City Of Spokane. She serves on the City team which plans, coordinates, executes and analyzes the annual Point-In-Time Count. Becky also serves on the Leadership Team of the Spokane Homeless Coalition.
Coalition Chair, Joe Ader, summarized the substantial funding shortfalls resulting from the recent announcement of the City of Spokane’s 5 Year Grant for funding homeless services among local agencies. The $2.87 million shortfall (the difference between what agencies requested for services and what the City awarded) will dramatically impact many of our shelters and service agencies.
Aileen Luppert presented on “The Intersection Of Libraries and Homelessness” and update us on upcoming Summer Programming Activities for the Spokane County Library District. Aileen is the Managing Librarian of one of the largest branches of the Spokane County Library District. From 2013-2016, under her supervision, SCLD was the only library system in Washington, and one of a few in the country, to train and certify staff as Navigators to assist patrons signing up for health insurance. She has presented to state and national library associations on topics including job-seeker support in libraries, community engagement, and serving patrons experiencing homelessness. Aileen also serves on the Leadership Team of the Spokane Homeless Coalition, and on the planning committee for the annual Spokane Homeless Connect.
Rae-Lynn Barden presented on behalf of the Spokane Public Library District. She is the Administrative Services Coordinator for the Spokane Public Library (Downtown) and previously worked for the Spokane City Council as a Legislative Assistant. She is a Leadership Spokane graduate who received her Bachelors in Communications and Masters in Public Administration from Eastern Washington University.
Becky Tuno updated everyone on the results of the January 2019 Point-In-Time Count which showed 1,309 individuals experiencing homelessness in greater Spokane. Becky is a Community, Housing & Human Services Homeless Program Specialist with the City Of Spokane. She serves on the City team which plans, coordinates, executes and analyzes the annual Point-In-Time Count. Becky also serves on the Leadership Team of the Spokane Homeless Coalition.
Coalition Chair, Joe Ader, summarized the substantial funding shortfalls resulting from the recent announcement of the City of Spokane’s 5 Year Grant for funding homeless services among local agencies. The $2.87 million shortfall (the difference between what agencies requested for services and what the City awarded) will dramatically impact many of our shelters and service agencies.
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April Coalition Meeting (Thursday, April 4, 2019)
Our thanks to everyone who filled up The Gathering House for the April meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition . The April meeting was a joint meeting of the Spokane Continuum of Care Committee and Spokane Homeless Coalition. The meeting featured working breakout groups by subcommittee (Youth, Family, Singles, Seniors, Veterans) facilitated by Committee members of the Spokane Continuum of Care (CoC) Committee. Participants had the opportunity to give input on the City of Spokane's 5-Year Plan To End Homelessness. Again the Leadership Team would like to thank everyone who helped make the day success!
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March Coalition Meeting (Thursday, March 7, 2019)
The March meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition was well attended and featured a great panel of leaders from the City and the business community. Back in December of 2018, the SHC Leadership Team began a conversation with the Downtown Spokane Partnership (DSP) to discuss how our Coalition members could work in collaboration with the Spokane business community to better address homelessness in the downtown business core. The March Coalition meeting was continuation of those discussions in the form of a moderated panel discussion. Panel participants (from left to right) included:
Joe Ader is Coalition Chair, Executive Director of Family Promise of Spokane and the panel moderator.
Kelly Keenan currently works as Director of the Community, Housing and Human Services (CHHS) department at the City of Spokane. The CHHS department facilitates community-based strategic planning for the provision of public services and capital investments that benefit low and moderate-income members of the community including those experiencing housing crises, provides grant funding to community partners in alignment with strategic planning efforts, and reports to funders and the community-at-large on the outcomes of these public investments. Kelly has worked at the City of Spokane for 8 years in a variety of capacities related to community development and human services, including grants and contract management and data system administration. He holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from EWU.
Mark Richard is President and CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership. Born and raised in Spokane, Mark graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Government. He is a former Realtor, spent 5 years serving as a Government Affairs Director for the Association of REALTORS and Spokane Home Builders. He served two four-year terms as County Commissioner on Criminal Justice Reforms, economic development, regional collaboration among jurisdictions, and championing services to care for those who genuinely cannot care for themselves.
Jan Simpson is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Spokane Eye Clinic. Jan is a Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of Health care related services Administration. Jan is a U.S. Army veteran, a graduate of Gonzaga University, and a native of Spokane. Jan joined the City of Spokane and Spokane County Continuum of Care (CoC) board in the summer of 2018 as the Business Community Representative of the board.
Kate Burke grew up in Spokane and loves this city and the people in it. After working for AmeriCorps VISTA, starting her own non-profit, and working in the state legislature, she became a Spokane City Council member for District 1 in 2018.
Jessica Winfrey was born and raised by in Spokane by two local business owners. Jessica entered the workforce at the early age of 14 and is now Manager and Director of Operations for Sweet Frostings blissful bakeshop. Jessica works closely with local service providers including Catholic Charities, UGM, Lutheran Community Services, and the YWCA.
Fawn Schott is President & CEO, Volunteers of America Eastern WA & North ID. Volunteers of America focuses on providing safe housing and shelter for homeless youth, veterans, women and single men. The organization operates the Crosswalk teen shelter, Hope House for women, and housing for homeless veterans and disabled adults, among other programs. She has an MA degree from Washington State University in Project Management and a BA in Education. She serves on the WA State Children’s Justice Taskforce, the Business Improvement District Advisory Board and is the Vice-Chair of Spokane’s Continuum of Care Board and focuses on influencing dynamic system, change and innovative solutions to complex homeless issues in Spokane County.
Joe Ader is Coalition Chair, Executive Director of Family Promise of Spokane and the panel moderator.
Kelly Keenan currently works as Director of the Community, Housing and Human Services (CHHS) department at the City of Spokane. The CHHS department facilitates community-based strategic planning for the provision of public services and capital investments that benefit low and moderate-income members of the community including those experiencing housing crises, provides grant funding to community partners in alignment with strategic planning efforts, and reports to funders and the community-at-large on the outcomes of these public investments. Kelly has worked at the City of Spokane for 8 years in a variety of capacities related to community development and human services, including grants and contract management and data system administration. He holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from EWU.
Mark Richard is President and CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership. Born and raised in Spokane, Mark graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Government. He is a former Realtor, spent 5 years serving as a Government Affairs Director for the Association of REALTORS and Spokane Home Builders. He served two four-year terms as County Commissioner on Criminal Justice Reforms, economic development, regional collaboration among jurisdictions, and championing services to care for those who genuinely cannot care for themselves.
Jan Simpson is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Spokane Eye Clinic. Jan is a Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of Health care related services Administration. Jan is a U.S. Army veteran, a graduate of Gonzaga University, and a native of Spokane. Jan joined the City of Spokane and Spokane County Continuum of Care (CoC) board in the summer of 2018 as the Business Community Representative of the board.
Kate Burke grew up in Spokane and loves this city and the people in it. After working for AmeriCorps VISTA, starting her own non-profit, and working in the state legislature, she became a Spokane City Council member for District 1 in 2018.
Jessica Winfrey was born and raised by in Spokane by two local business owners. Jessica entered the workforce at the early age of 14 and is now Manager and Director of Operations for Sweet Frostings blissful bakeshop. Jessica works closely with local service providers including Catholic Charities, UGM, Lutheran Community Services, and the YWCA.
Fawn Schott is President & CEO, Volunteers of America Eastern WA & North ID. Volunteers of America focuses on providing safe housing and shelter for homeless youth, veterans, women and single men. The organization operates the Crosswalk teen shelter, Hope House for women, and housing for homeless veterans and disabled adults, among other programs. She has an MA degree from Washington State University in Project Management and a BA in Education. She serves on the WA State Children’s Justice Taskforce, the Business Improvement District Advisory Board and is the Vice-Chair of Spokane’s Continuum of Care Board and focuses on influencing dynamic system, change and innovative solutions to complex homeless issues in Spokane County.
February Coalition Meeting (Thursday, February 7, 2019)
The February meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition featured a panel discussion on the effects of the recent Government shutdown on the service community and our clients. Panelists included people from City of Spokane, Spokane County, Spokane Housing Authority, and the Washington State Tenants Union. We experienced record attendance. The Leadership Team would like to thank all of our panelists, and everyone who braved the weather to come and engage in some great interaction. As always, the meeting featured great information, amazing networking and more collaboration between agencies!
January Coalition Meeting (Thursday, January 3, 2019)
Two great presentations at our January Coalition Meeting. Tija Danzig and David Lewis from the City of Spokane's Community Housing and Human Services updated us on the upcoming 2019 "Everybody Counts" Point-In-Time Count. And a team from Lutheran Community Services presented on the issue of Human Trafficking (in honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month). Great presentations and great attendance. Thanks to all!
Remember: Warming Centers/Shelters are functioning and are asking for help, particularly user-friendly food items AND clean dry socks. Also, The 2019 Spokane Homeless Connect is coming up on Wednesday, January 30th at The Salvation Army. Volunteers are needed for a wide variety of Connect tasks. For more information on volunteering contact Call Sabrina Bukowski @ 509.710.1471 or Email [email protected] Visit our Connect Page to learn more about the Connect.
Remember: Warming Centers/Shelters are functioning and are asking for help, particularly user-friendly food items AND clean dry socks. Also, The 2019 Spokane Homeless Connect is coming up on Wednesday, January 30th at The Salvation Army. Volunteers are needed for a wide variety of Connect tasks. For more information on volunteering contact Call Sabrina Bukowski @ 509.710.1471 or Email [email protected] Visit our Connect Page to learn more about the Connect.
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December Coalition Meeting (Thursday, December 6, 2018)
Join us for the December Meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition, Thursday, December 6, 9:00AM at The Gathering House (Post & Garland). December is our holiday gathering. It’s traditionally a time for us to gather, celebrate the year’s accomplishments, and network with people. The morning activities will include:
Plan to join us Thursday, December 6, 9:00AM at The Gathering House (Post & Garland) for our December holiday gathering.
- PIT Count Heads-Up. David Lewis and Tija Danzig with the City of Spokane will update us on preparations for the upcoming Point-In-Time Count.
- Winter Clothing Drive. This is an opportunity to bring socks, gloves, hats and other winter apparel. This year’s donations will go to the Point-In-Time clothing drive being coordinated by the City and which will be distributed at the Connect in January.
- 2018 Recap. This is your opportunity to share with everyone something special about your organization; things like the best thing that happened to you and/or your agency this past year, or something special you’re looking forward to in 2019. There will be a Sign Up sheet at the meeting for everyone wanting to share (because we give everyone a little extra time, so space will be sort of limited).
- Networking. The Coalition is growing and there are many new faces. We'll have networking games to help everyone break the ice and get to know someone who may be new to the Coalition. Networking and getting to know new people is part of how this Coalition does such an amazing job of solving problems and serving others. Networking isn’t time spent, it’s time invested!
- Elections. Elections for the positions of Coalition Chair and Media Liaison will be held. Don’t want to miss that!
Plan to join us Thursday, December 6, 9:00AM at The Gathering House (Post & Garland) for our December holiday gathering.
November Coalition Meeting (Thursday, November 1, 2018)
The Leadership Team wants to thank everyone for a great November meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition. In honor of Veterans Day (November 11), our presenters brought us all up-to-date on what our community is doing to serve the needs of our Veterans. Cathrene “Cat” Nichols is a U.S. Army Veteran and the Eastern Washington Strategic Operations Manager for Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs specializing in regional strategic and multi-jurisdictional partnerships. She serves as the Director of the Spokane County Regional Veterans Service Center in Spokane, WA, and is a member of the board of directors for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and the Community Veterans Engagement Board. Dean Salvio served for 12 years in Europe with the USAF, Combat Security Forces, and as Fairchild’s first Family Readiness Program Manager from 1995 to 2001. Dean currently serves as the General Manager of Homeless Transition Services for Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, providing community programs including Supportive Services for Veteran Families, Housing and Essential Needs, Re-Entry, and the SOAR Program.
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October Coalition Meeting (Thursday, October 4, 2018)
The October Meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition took place on Thursday, October 4, 9:00AM at The Gathering House (corner of Post & Garland in Spokane). Two major items dominated the meeting Agenda.
Presentations For National Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.
Presentations For National Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.
- Nicole Nimens of the YWCA, gave a first-rate presentation on the basics of domestic violence and how to identify and respond.
- Sergeant Jordan Ferguson, a 19 year veteran with the Spokane Police Department who gave an overview of how his Domestic Violence task force works with the YWCA to address domestic violence. Sgt. Ferguson told the nearly 125 attendees at the meeting that 1) Domestic Violence is the #1 call that SPD officers respond to, and 2) he has reviewed 3,000 domestic violence reports YTD.
- Heather Schleigh, Director of House of Charity, updated us on the scale-back of services at HOC. The good news is that HOC remains open and continues to house 175 homeless residents (125 men & 50 women) every night!
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September Coalition Meeting (Thursday, September 6, 2018)
The September meeting was held on Thursday, September 6th, 2018 at 9 am at the Northeast Community Center (instead of our regular meeting place, The Gathering House). Attendance was excellent, with a larger turnout than usual! We hosted county and state candidates. Coalition Chair Joe Ader acted as our moderator and did a great job of keeping the focus on homelessness and and related issues. Our thanks to all of the Candidates who participated! Come join us for our October meeting on Thursday, October 4, 9:00AM at The Gathering House!
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August Coalition Meeting (Thursday, August 2, 2018)
The August meeting was held on Thursday, August 2nd, 2018 at 9 am at The Gathering House! Presentations for this month's meeting were focused around the topic of Employment. Our speakers for this month were:
Kevin Williams from WorkSource Spokane
- Kevin is the One-Stop Operator at the WorkSource Spokane One Stop Center (American Job Center). He oversees the operations, customer flow, continuous improvement, and professional development training for 8K annual customers and 65 staff in the center. He is a 25 year veteran of the United States Air Force and holds master’s degrees in Organizational Management and Educational Theory.
- WorkSource is a statewide partnership of state, local and nonprofit agencies that provides an array of employment and training services to job seekers and employers in Washington.
Alex Rich from Cascades College & Career Academy
- Alex is a Spokane local and Community Health graduate from Eastern Washington University who is passionate about helping youth and young adults discover their own career passions and potential to achieve their goals. When not recruiting and interviewing students for Job Corps, she can be found at the lake or exploring new cities.
- Job Corps is a free, residential education and career training program that has been helping low-income, homeless, and at-risk youth achieve employment and stability for over 50 years. Cascades College & Career Academy is a new pilot program, under the Job Corps umbrella, that offers all of the traditional Job Corps benefits plus high-demand career pathways in Healthcare and Information Technology with tuition-free college opportunities.
Our September meeting is set for Thursday, September 6th, 2018 @ 9:00 am at the Northeast Community Center, different from our regular location at The Gathering House! Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities (but no coffee this time unfortunately)! We will be hosting candidates running in local and state elections to speak to the Coalition about their views on and surrounding homelessness.
July Coalition Meeting (Thursday, July 5, 2018)
The July meeting was held on Thursday, July 5th, 2018 at 9 am at The Gathering House! Presentations for this month's meeting were focused around the topic of Access. Presenters:
Ryan Tumlinson and Natalya Yunin from the DSHS Statewide Customer Service Contact Center
Ryan Tumlinson and Natalya Yunin from the DSHS Statewide Customer Service Contact Center
- Ryan is a financial lead worker in the contact center. He has worked in both the contact center and the community service office and has been with DSHS for about 5 years.
- Natalya is a trainer in the contact center for the Community Services Division. She has been with the state for about 5 years.
Israel Vidales, Jessie Hassler, and Justin Botejue, from Better Health Together
- Israel is a Lead Navigator with Better Health Together’s Navigator Network program. He received his Master of Health Policy and Administration degree from Washington State University in 2015. Soon after Israel discovered his passion in assisting low income families with their billing and insurance needs through a Federally Qualified Healthcare Clinic in Spokane. He has continued to assist individuals with their insurance needs at Better Health Together over the past 9 months of employment.
- Jessie was born and raised here in Spokane and has worked at Better Health Together since September of 2017. Her role is the Program Manager with the Accountable Community of Health team and has responsibilities including the Community Voices Council, Leadership Council, and outreach to Lincoln and Adams Counties.
- Justin is a graduate of Whitworth University and has worked with Better Health Together for the past two years. His role is the Senior Program Manager with the Accountable Community of Health team and has responsibilities around Care Coordination Development and outreach to the Northeast Tri County area.
Our August meeting is set for Thursday, August 2, 2018 @ 9:00 am at The Gathering House-
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee! Presentations will surround the topic of Employment.
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee! Presentations will surround the topic of Employment.
June Coalition Meeting (Thursday, June 7, 2018)
The June meeting took plane on Thursday, June 7th, 2018 at 9 am at The Gathering House! Presentations for this month's meeting were health-focused.
Dorothy Sawyer from Providence Health Care and Fairfax Behavioral Health
Tamara Sheehan from the RISE Treatment Program
Our July meeting is set for
Thursday, July 5, 2018 @ 9:00 am
at The Gathering House
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee!
Thursday, July 5, 2018 @ 9:00 am
at The Gathering House
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee!
May Coalition Meeting (Thursday, May 3, 2018)
The May meeting agenda included the following presenters in a panel-style discussion surrounding the theme of Youth: Summer Trends and Programs:
- John Robertson, Volunteers of America's Youth Programs
- John is the Assistant Director of Homeless Youth Programs, and oversee the program development and budgets of five programs: Crosswalk, Alexandria’s House, Aston-Bleck Apartments, Youth in Transitional Housing, and YouthREACH. He has been working in homeless youth services at Volunteers of America for a little over 8 years and he is a trainer in Positive Youth Development, Residential Child & Youth Care Professional Development, and Leadership Development.
- John is the Assistant Director of Homeless Youth Programs, and oversee the program development and budgets of five programs: Crosswalk, Alexandria’s House, Aston-Bleck Apartments, Youth in Transitional Housing, and YouthREACH. He has been working in homeless youth services at Volunteers of America for a little over 8 years and he is a trainer in Positive Youth Development, Residential Child & Youth Care Professional Development, and Leadership Development.
- Ryan Oelrich, Spokane Sidewalk Games
- Ryan Oelrich is the Executive Director of Priority Spokane, a collaborative organization which has identified addressing student homelessness as its current priority for Spokane County. Oelrich serves as the President of Our kids: Our business working to prevent child abuse, and is the founder of Spokane Sidewalk Games which employs area youth facing homelessness as it works to create “a community who play together so we stay together!” Oelrich also owns a nonprofit consulting business and works as a trainer providing mental health training for the State of Washington and others for the last ten years.
- Ryan Oelrich is the Executive Director of Priority Spokane, a collaborative organization which has identified addressing student homelessness as its current priority for Spokane County. Oelrich serves as the President of Our kids: Our business working to prevent child abuse, and is the founder of Spokane Sidewalk Games which employs area youth facing homelessness as it works to create “a community who play together so we stay together!” Oelrich also owns a nonprofit consulting business and works as a trainer providing mental health training for the State of Washington and others for the last ten years.
- Mark Terrell, Cup of Cool Water
- Dr. Mark Terrell is the founder and Spiritual Director at Cup of Cool Water. He has an undergraduate degree from Whitworth University in Psychology, a Doctorate of Ministry from Bakke Graduate University, and a Certificate of Training in Spiritual Direction.
- The Spokane County Library and Spokane Public Library will give quick announcements on their available summer programs
Leadership position candidates:
Vice Chair:
-RaMona Pinto
-Natalie Jackson
-Aileen Luppert
Administrator:
-Don Morrison
-Rebekah Tuno
If you have attended a Coalition meeting within the last year you should receive an email with a survey that has the candidates listed- please take a minute to vote! Voting will be open one week from the time you receive the email.
April Coalition Meeting (Thursday, April 5, 2018)
The April meeting agenda included the following presenter:
Pam Tietz, Chair of the Continuum of Care Board (CoC)
- Pam is the Executive Director of the Spokane Housing Authority, and since starting there in 2013 she has made incredible changes to the voucher system, ensuring that more people were served and that the process was streamlined to serve them faster. Collectively, she has 28 years of experience in affordable housing administration, facilities management, and development. Because of her commitment to housing the community, Spokane developers have had greater success in building new housing facilities in order to increase the number of low income housing units available.
What is the Continuum of Care Board?
Those experiencing homelessness are provided services in the City of Spokane that target their barriers and needs to achieving housing stability. The CoC provides an abundance of services for those experiencing homelessness with support from local, state, and federal funding sources.
Broadly, the program is designed to promote community-wide planning and strategic use of resources to:
- Address homelessness;
- Improve coordination and integration with mainstream resources and other programs targeted to people experiencing homelessness;
- Improve data collection and performance measurement; and
- Allow each community to tailor its program to the particular strengths and challenges within that community.
Each year, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards CoC Program funding competitively to nonprofit organizations, states, units of local governments, and/or instrumentalities of state or local government, who can sub-grant with other organizations to carry out the grant's day-to-day program operations. Spokane is fortunate to have a strong group of partners and stakeholders to support this work.
The CoC is governed by a Board made up of local government, service providers, stakeholders, and people who have experienced homelessness. The Board is guided by HUD and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) national goals in ending homelessness. The CoC Board is designed to promote community-wide planning, strategic use of resources for addressing homelessness, and to improve coordination and integration with mainstream resources and other programs targeted to people experiencing homelessness. The Board also provides community leadership to further our goals around improving data collection and performance measurement and, ultimately, tailoring our suite of services to address the challenges the community faces by utilizing our strengths and leveraging partnerships and community support.
Agencies currently represented on the Board:
- Better Health Together
- Spokane Police Department: Downtown Precinct
- Spokane County Veterans Services
- City of Spokane, Community, Housing, & Urban Services Department
- Transitions
- Department of Social and Health Services: Children's Administration
- Greater Spokane Incorporated
- Volunteers of America
- Frontier Behavioral Health
- Spokane Workforce Development Council
- Goodwill
- Spokane Housing Authority
- Spokane County: Housing & Community Development
- Priority Spokane
- United Way
- Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington
- Educational Service District
Due to technical difficulties we were unable to show Pam's presentation during our meeting, so we have attached it here for you to view:
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Our May meeting is set for
Thursday, May 3, 2018 @ 9:00 am
at The Gathering House
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee!
Thursday, May 3, 2018 @ 9:00 am
at The Gathering House
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee!
March Coalition Meeting (Thursday, March 1, 2018)
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The March meeting agenda included the following presenters:
Ryan Oelrich from Priority Spokane
As of right now there are about 3,500 homeless students in Spokane County. Our kids: Our business has finished one year of a three year pilot program in three elementary schools, and after this first year they have engaged 100 kids in grades K-8; After this first year they have housed 74 of those 100 children. Our kids: Our business is committed to community action and to end child abuse through awareness, education ,resources, and collaboration. Their vision is a community where all children are valued, nurtured, and protected. On April 18, 2018 OK:OB will be hosting the following events:
For more information on Priority Spokane, Our kids: Our business, or where to find demographic information please visit:
Angela Slabaugh and Erik Larson from NAOMI
Previously Hearth Homes, NAOMI's mission is to transform the lives of homeless women and their children through Christian love, hope, and faith. They live out this mission by taking an authentic, family-style living community approach rooted in their core values of grace, respect, accountability, and service. NAOMI offers the following programs:
For information please visit:
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Our April meeting is set for
Thursday, April 5, 2018 @ 9:00 am
at The Gathering House
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee!
Thursday, April 5, 2018 @ 9:00 am
at The Gathering House
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee!
February Coalition Meeting (Thursday, February 1, 2018)
The February meeting's agenda included the following presenters:
Mark Finney, Executive Director at World Relief Spokane
Mark is a Pacfic Northwest native, grew up in Coeur d'Alene, ID, and is a graduate of Whitworth University
Owen Esperas, Grocery Rescue & Outreach Director at 2nd Harvest
Owen has worked at 2nd Harvest since 2012 and is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with partner agencies, community service providers, schools and clients to ensure that food reaches some of the most vulnerable children and adults in the region
Owen has worked at 2nd Harvest since 2012 and is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with partner agencies, community service providers, schools and clients to ensure that food reaches some of the most vulnerable children and adults in the region
2nd Harvest Information:
- For volunteer opportunities, recipes, and community cooking classes visit 2-harvest.org
- For interest in sponosoring their Mobile Market distribution please contact Ervin Robison at [email protected] or Christine Tabat at [email protected]
- For any other questions, please contact Owen at [email protected]
- Outlet Referral Guide listing the 21 food pantries that serve Spokane County:
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Our next meeting will be held Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 9 a.m.
Thank you to all of our service providers and to everyone who came to our 7th annual Spokane Homeless Connect! We had a fantastic turn out and were able to provide much needed services to a very vulnerable population. Check out some photos of our event:
January Coalition Meeting (Thursday, January 4, 2018)
The January meeting's agenda included:
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A new year greeting and welcome from Chair President, Joe Ader, followed by some great presentations:
Big Table presenters Jill Lemon and Chris Deitz showed the Coalition a video showcasing the work that the organization is all about: serving from the inside out. The organization exists to help those working in the restaurant and hospitality industry and care for them whether they are in a crisis, transition, or at risk of falling through the cracks. Their PowerPoint presentation is attached below, and more information can be found at: big-table.com
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Representatives David Lewis and Tija Danzig from The City of Spokane spoke about the upcoming Point in Time count which is set to take place on January 25th. This year the city will be using a phone-based app to collect data, increasing the ease and efficiency used to track. This upcoming count will be youth-focused, and they will be holding 5 trainings starting the week of January 8th for anyone interested in volunteering for the event. Contact Tija at [email protected] The Jonah Project Founder and Executive Director Aaron Tillbury spoke about his organization's mission to end human trafficking and sex slavery in our community by creating avenues for help and serving those in need with compassion and friendship; They make this mission happen through providing safe and secure housing, and access to leverage-free resources. The Jonah Model is based on relocation and rescue, secure/safe housing, education and awareness, and advocacy. The Jonah Project is a 501c(3) Christian non-profit that is relational, collaborative, volunteer driven, and all about freedom regardless of religion. Their PowerPoint presentation is attached below, and more information can be found at : www.jonahproject.org
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Our February meeting is set for
Thursday, February 1, 2018 @ 9:00 am
at The Gathering House
Come at 8:30 for networking opportunities and coffee!
December Coalition Meeting (Thursday, December 7)
The December meeting was our 2nd Annual Christmas Celebration. Our very loose agenda included:
1. SHC Year In Review. Ryan Oelrich, our outgoing Coalition Chair, rode in on a snowman and gave us a quick review of our time together as a Coalition for past year.
2. A holiday "Sock Drive." We want to encourage everyone to bring and donate a new pair (or more) of unused socks which will be donated to the Family Promise/Open Doors Family Shelter.
3. Introductions. We officially introduced the newly elected Leadership Team (Joe & Olivia) and Ryan provided them with an assortment of items to help them in their upcoming year.
4. Networking games
5. Popcorn Updates - Twelve agencies gave a 1-minute update about what they were thankful for this holiday season
6. Sing Along- Kay led the coalition in singing some Christmas favorites
Happy Holidays and don't forget to join us next month at our meeting on
January 4th 2018, 9 am at
The Gathering House!
1. SHC Year In Review. Ryan Oelrich, our outgoing Coalition Chair, rode in on a snowman and gave us a quick review of our time together as a Coalition for past year.
2. A holiday "Sock Drive." We want to encourage everyone to bring and donate a new pair (or more) of unused socks which will be donated to the Family Promise/Open Doors Family Shelter.
3. Introductions. We officially introduced the newly elected Leadership Team (Joe & Olivia) and Ryan provided them with an assortment of items to help them in their upcoming year.
4. Networking games
5. Popcorn Updates - Twelve agencies gave a 1-minute update about what they were thankful for this holiday season
6. Sing Along- Kay led the coalition in singing some Christmas favorites
Happy Holidays and don't forget to join us next month at our meeting on
January 4th 2018, 9 am at
The Gathering House!
November Coalition Meeting (Thursday, November 2)
The November meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition was outstanding! “I’ve never taken more notes at a SHC meeting before.” “This was the most useful presentation I’ve heard here this year.” These are just a couple of the responses the Leadership Team received after our Development Panel. From left to right, the panel participants were:
- Ryan Oelrich, Chair of the Spokane Homeless Coalition and panel moderator;
- Dr. Robert Zinke, Professor of Public Administration at Eastern Washington University College of Business and Public Administration.
- Molly Anselmo Sanchez, Director of Grants and Community Engagement at the Inland Northwest Community Foundation.
- Brian Myers, Vice President of Rural Health and Capacity Building at Empire Health Foundation.
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October Coalition Meeting (Thursday, October 5)
Welcome to the October meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition! A large crowd heard from some great presenters! Dave Scott from Spokane Housing Authority and Director of HAP spoke on housing issues and brought us up to date concerning the number of vouchers that have been issued but cannot find a place to rent. Kay Murano from Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium discussed upcoming legislation that could affect homeless services in Spokane. Spokane City Council Member Amber Waldref joined us to discuss the recent City Council Homeless Forum and issues which it highlighted.
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September Coalition Meeting (Thursday, September 7)
The September meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition featured Eddie Rodriguez with DSHS, presenting on the possibility and impact of reduce poverty by 50%; and Spokane Sidewalk Games (founded by Ryan Oelrich), which works to strengthen communities through play across Spokane County while supporting & employing homeless youth. Their presentation included a Youth Homelessness Panel Discussion with Sidewalk Games Youth Staff Arielle, Bale, & Brandon. Our Thanks to everyone for a great meeting!
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August Coalition Meeting (Thursday, August 3)
Welcome to the August meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition. Our August presenters were Crystal Dawn Walker, Site Assistant Manager and Senior Services Empowerment Coordinator of Spokane Housing Ventures, and Steve Allen and Joe Ader filling us in on the great work of the Open Doors 24/7 emergency family shelter at Family Promise of Spokane. A big "Thank You" from your Leadership Team for a great meeting!
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July Coalition Meeting (Thursday, July 6)
The July Meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition took place on Thursday, July 6, 9:00AM at The Gathering House (corner of Garland & Post). Our presenter for the meeting was Blessings Under The Bridge. The Leadership Team wants to thank everyone who attended and participated, including Jonathan Mallahan from the City of Spokane who joined in the Q&A time following the presentation. A lot of great networking took place, too!
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June Coalition Meeting (Thursday, June 1)
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Welcome to the June Meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition! It was another info-packed morning! The video to your left will give you a feel for what took place! Matthew Davis from the City of Spokane, and Sarah Miller from Spokane Public Schools, updated everyone on the status of Spokane's involvement with the 100 Day Challenge To End Youth Homelessness. Also, Terri Anderson from the Tenants Union of Washington State gave a presentation on the status of challenges faced by tenants in today's tight rental market. And Paul Dilllon from Planned Parenthood updated everyone concerning the the services they provide in Spokane and Eastern Washington. The PowerPoint Slides use by each Presenter are linked below.
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May Coalition Meeting (Thursday, May 4)
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Our thanks to the amazing "Crisis Intervention Training” (or CIT) team for a great presentation concerning how Police Departments across the US, including here in Spokane, are working to improve training on mental health related calls. Our thanks to:
Staci Cornwell, Director of Crisis Response Services, Frontier Behavioral Health
Steve Einhaus, Peer Support Specialist, Eastern State Hospital
Lt. Bart Stevens, Spokane Police Department
Sgt. Dan Waters, Spokane Police Department
Leadership Election. The Leadership team would also like to congratulate and welcome the newest additions to your Spokane Homeless Coalition Leadership Team: Angela Slabaugh, Executive Director of Hearth Homes, as our Vice Chair to replace outgoing Francis Adewale and Kay Murano, Executive Director of Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, as our Administrator to replace outgoing Officer Bart Stevens.
Staci Cornwell, Director of Crisis Response Services, Frontier Behavioral Health
Steve Einhaus, Peer Support Specialist, Eastern State Hospital
Lt. Bart Stevens, Spokane Police Department
Sgt. Dan Waters, Spokane Police Department
Leadership Election. The Leadership team would also like to congratulate and welcome the newest additions to your Spokane Homeless Coalition Leadership Team: Angela Slabaugh, Executive Director of Hearth Homes, as our Vice Chair to replace outgoing Francis Adewale and Kay Murano, Executive Director of Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, as our Administrator to replace outgoing Officer Bart Stevens.
April Coalition Meeting (Thursday, April 6)
April's meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition was another outstanding gathering. Our attendance was over 100 (we lost count after 104) with a lot of new faces! Ryan Oelrich, our Coalition Chair (picture left), did his usual great job of facilitating the meeting. Shawn Stevenson, Executive Director of Life Services' iChoice (center), did a great job of presenting on the residential and support services they offer to women who are pregnant and homeless in Spokane. Cary Retlin, Executive Director for the Statewide Reentry Council (picture right), gave us all an education on the status affordable housing in our State. I think we were all taken aback when Cary related that a $100 increase in rental rates in an urban context produces a 6% increase in homelessness! That's why we sponsor these gatherings; because we all learn from each other!
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March Coalition Meeting (Thursday, March 2)
The Leadership Team would like to thank everyone for another outstanding Coalition Meeting! Our March Coalition Meeting took place at at the Union Gospel Mission. And even with the change of venue, our attendance was excellent (between 110 and 120 people). We heard from Phil Altmeyer and all of the UGM program managers, not only concerning recent policy changes, but concerning the many services they offer. Our thanks to UGM for hosting us. Our April Coalition Meeting will be back at The Gathering House on Thursday, April 6.
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February Coalition Meeting (Thursday, February 2)
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The Leadership Team would like to thank everyone for an outstanding Coalition Meeting! Our presenters included Jule Schultz from Spokane River Keepers who updated us concerning Homeless encampments along the Spokane River, and Layne Pavey from Revive Reentry Services who educated all of us on the challenges faced by people recently released from incarceration. We also had a record attendance of 140 people who are passionate about serving those in need throughout our community.
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January (2017!) Coalition Meeting (Thursday, January 5)
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Our January Coalition Meeting was outstanding in both content and attendance. We heard from the SOAR Initiative (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) , a national program designed to increase access to the disability income benefit programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) for eligible adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder. We also received an update from David Lewis, HMIS Director for the City Spokane, concerning the upcoming 1-Day Count.
December Coalition Meeting (Thursday, December 1)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
November Coalition Meeting (Thursday, November 3rd)
The November Meeting of the Spokane Homeless Coalition will be this coming Thursday, November 3rd, 9:00AM at The Gathering House (Post & Garland). We will have two presentations at this meeting:
First, Nicole Nimens and Jennifer Haynes of the YWCA's Alternatives to Domestic Violence Program will present on the topic of domestic violence. Nicole is the Domestic Violence Community Education and Outreach Coordinator for YWCA, and coordinates special events surrounding Domestic Violence in our community. Jennifer Haynes is Associate Director of Housing at YWCA, overseeing the DV safe shelter in the city as well as the city of Spokane Valley. She also oversees YWCA's various programs for transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and mobile advocacy.
Second, Bill Kane and Ed Kennedy from the Spokane Center for Independent Living (SCIL) will present on the topic “Independent Living in Spokane from a disabled person's viewpoint.” SCIL advocates for people with disabilities who need various kinds of assistance, including those who are homeless or facing homelessness because they cannot find affordable, accessible housing.
We will have our regular four (4) standing breakout groups (Veterans, Healthcare/Mental Health, Law & Justice, Housing & Nutrition). In addition, our 5th "Rotating Breakout" will be on the topic of REFUGEES. A team from World Relief, an agency which does extensive work with refugees both locally and nationally, will be present to facilitate this workshop. If you or your agency have questions or concerns involving refugees, this is an opportunity to explore this topic more in-depth with people who are deeply involved.
First, Nicole Nimens and Jennifer Haynes of the YWCA's Alternatives to Domestic Violence Program will present on the topic of domestic violence. Nicole is the Domestic Violence Community Education and Outreach Coordinator for YWCA, and coordinates special events surrounding Domestic Violence in our community. Jennifer Haynes is Associate Director of Housing at YWCA, overseeing the DV safe shelter in the city as well as the city of Spokane Valley. She also oversees YWCA's various programs for transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and mobile advocacy.
Second, Bill Kane and Ed Kennedy from the Spokane Center for Independent Living (SCIL) will present on the topic “Independent Living in Spokane from a disabled person's viewpoint.” SCIL advocates for people with disabilities who need various kinds of assistance, including those who are homeless or facing homelessness because they cannot find affordable, accessible housing.
We will have our regular four (4) standing breakout groups (Veterans, Healthcare/Mental Health, Law & Justice, Housing & Nutrition). In addition, our 5th "Rotating Breakout" will be on the topic of REFUGEES. A team from World Relief, an agency which does extensive work with refugees both locally and nationally, will be present to facilitate this workshop. If you or your agency have questions or concerns involving refugees, this is an opportunity to explore this topic more in-depth with people who are deeply involved.
October Coalition Meeting
Our Presenter for October was Lyndia Wilson, Division Director at Spokane Regional Health District. Lyndia gave us an outstanding presentation entited "Rallying around Data." Lyndia elaborated on the Missing the Foundation report on homelessness. She explained how public health uses better data to create shared movement on a community issue such as homelessness, along with the results from publishing and distributing the homeless report. Lyndia had the unique ability to make "data" both interesting and relevant. Lyndia has graciously provided us with her PowerPoint file (posted below).
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September Coalition Meeting
Our September Coalition Meeting featured our Candidates Forum with Candidates for local and state-wide offices. The Leadership Team would like to express our thanks to all of the Candidates who participated, and to our Coalition Members for submitting a lot of great questions which generated some great discussions! We appreciate everyone's involvement.
August Coalition Meeting
Our presenter at the August 4 Coalition Meeting was Stacey Chay who talked to us about "ACE's" (Adverse Childhood Experiences). Stacey is the Program Director for the Part-time MSW Hybrid program at Eastern Washington University where she received her MSW. Her practice interests include the following: behavioral health and addictions, trauma informed care, suicide assessment, management and treatment, law and ethics and policy. Below you will find the TEDTalk by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris which Stacey shared at the August Coalition Meeting.
July Coalition Meeting
At our July 7 Coalition Meeting we were honored to have Spokane Mayor David Condon as our primary presenter. The Mayor spent nearly 45 minutes offering a wide ranging discussion of the City's efforts and plans to serve the homeless and marginalized throughout our community. We had record attendance of well over 125 people.
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Spokane Mayor David Concon with the Spokane Homeless Coalition Leadership Team. L-R Lieutenant Barton Stevens (SPD, incoming Administrator), Officer Jennifer DeRuwe (SPD, outgoing Administrator), Mayor David Condon, Francis Adewale (Co-Chair), and Maurice Smith (Media Liaison). Not shown, Ryan Oelrich (Chair).
June Coalition Meeting
The presenters for the June Coalition meting were John Robertson, Program Manager of VOA's Crosswalk, and Edie Rice-Sauer, Executive Director of Transitions.
John Robertson is the Program Manager at Volunteers of America’s Crosswalk. Crosswalk is an emergency shelter, a school drop-out prevention program, and a group of lifesaving and life-changing programs dedicated to breaking the cycle of youth homelessness. In an average year, Crosswalk serves more than 850 youth. Emergency shelter is available 365 days a year and all services are free and voluntary. John started working in the shelter in 2009 as an overnight staff and found a passion in working with youth. He became Program Manager in 2014.
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Edie Rice-Sauer is the Executive Director of Transitions. Transitions’ mission is to end poverty and homelessness for women and children in Spokane. Her presentation topic will be Transitions programs, including new affordable cottages.
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May Coalition Meeting Review
On behalf of the Leadership Team, our thanks to everyone for another great Coalition Meeting. Special thanks to Judge Mary Logan and the team from Spokane Municipal Community Court (Adam Papini, Matthew Antush and our own Francis Adewale). We appreciate their willingness to spend the entire morning with us, explaining their excellent work and answering all of our questions! Spokane is very fortunate to have such excellent people doing such good work. We even had a record attendance of 120 people. Thanks to all of our Coalition partners for all you do to serve those in need throughout our community.
Next Meeting: Thursday, June 2nd at The Gathering House!
Next Meeting: Thursday, June 2nd at The Gathering House!
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