Spokane County funds program aimed at helping homeless people leave Spokane
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The Spokesman-Review
Spokane County funds program aimed at helping homeless people leave Spokane
Money will help with relocation for those lacking support networks in the region
Spokane County commissioners will fund at least another year of a program aimed at helping homeless people start a new chapter in another area.
Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington and North Idaho, a nonprofit that operates homeless shelters and resource services in the Inland Northwest, will use the funding to help relocate people who lack support networks in the region.
The voluntary Homeward Bound program covers travel costs for individuals who want to leave Spokane to be closer to family or friends in another area.
The commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an allocation of $30,000 to the organization for the program’s third round of funding.
The county had previously allocated $20,000 in 2022 and 2023.
“The goal is to move unhoused individuals in Spokane County outside of the county where they have a support system,” said Henry Walker, who oversees the program for Volunteers of America.
Commissioner Josh Kerns, who helped jumpstart the program, said he brought the idea to the county after seeing how successful similar assistance was in the Seattle area. He said it’s a cost-effective way to help those in the homeless community who may have more stable living opportunities elsewhere.
The relocation expense for an individual averages around $300 for the 104 people the program has assisted so far. Walker said the program has been more successful in assisting individuals from marginalized communities than other programs.
More than half of recipients identified as Black, Indigenous or a person of color.
“There’s not much worse than what’s separating you from a roof over your head is ($300 to $400),” Kerns said.
Costs per person are often much lower, Walker said, when recounting how he purchased a $25 bus ticket for someone looking to get back to their family in Pasco.