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Spokane Regional Continuum of Care seeks to align 5‑year homelessness plan with HUD and county priorities
Summary
The Continuum of Care board presented a HUD‑driven five‑year plan that emphasizes coordinated entry, dynamic prioritization, prevention and workforce support; commissioners were briefed that the plan will be finalized by the CoC board in March and an interlocal agreement among Spokane County, the City of Spokane and Spokane Valley will follow.
Representatives of the Spokane Regional Continuum of Care (CoC) presented the CoC’s near‑final five‑year plan to reduce and end homelessness at the county strategic planning meeting on March 10. The plan—guided by HUD objectives—frames county and municipal coordination, funding priorities and performance measures for the next five years.
Shannon Bonavis, vice‑chair of the CoC board, and Matt Anderson, co‑chair, summarized five objectives the plan emphasizes: equity and accountability in the crisis‑response system; prioritizing households with the greatest barriers; preventing episodes of homelessness where possible; housing people in stable, appropriate settings; and strengthening the homeless‑service workforce.
Key programmatic points included expanding and formalizing a “by‑name” list tied to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for case conferencing, continued use of a local assessment tool to prioritize referrals (the CoC replaced SPDAT with a locally developed assessment), quarterly system performance reporting tied to funding decisions, and “dynamic prioritization” that shifts emphasis among prevention, rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing depending on who is presenting and what inventory is available.
The CoC representatives said HUD requires prioritizing the most vulnerable. Commissioners asked whether that HUD requirement could slow reductions in overall homelessness by focusing funds on higher‑barrier cases rather than on “easy wins.” CoC staff responded that the community can pair HUD‑restricted programs with other local funds (for example, county or state grants) to make eviction‑prevention and rapid‑rehousing choices that operate outside HUD prioritization rules.
Bonavis and Anderson said the CoC will assign system performance measures to funded programs and report quarterly; the CoC has a new reallocation policy to remove or support underperforming providers. The board was told by CoC staff the plan was out for public comment for at least 30 days and that the CoC board will vote to finalize at its March meeting.
Commissioners were notified that staff expect to present a draft interlocal agreement among Spokane County, the City of Spokane and the City of Spokane Valley in the coming weeks; the interlocal would align the jurisdictions to carry out the five‑year plan and clarify funding and responsibilities. Commissioners asked for more data on program outcomes and comparative models; CoC staff cited recent longitudinal system analyses showing stronger exits to permanent housing in rapid rehousing and transitional housing compared with emergency shelter and said the by‑name list and quarterly reporting will help target investments.
The CoC presentation did not request immediate county funding; commissioners were briefed and invited to review the draft plan and the upcoming interlocal agreement. No formal county action or vote was recorded on March 10.
