Spokane opens scattered-site shelter beds and navigation center; leaders warn funding uncertain

Mayor Lisa Brown announced the opening of additional scattered-site shelter locations and a housing navigation center in Spokane on a morning press event at Family Promise, saying the new sites add about 155 beds and that the city’s inclement-weather system now includes more than 100 beds.

"Today is a good day as we open additional locations, in our new navigation center, small scale scattered site shelter model in the city," Mayor Lisa Brown said, noting the city still relies on an underlying system of nonprofit shelters and about 950 emergency shelter beds already in the county.

The announcement described a shift from large congregate shelters toward scattered-site models aimed at specific populations, including people in recovery and families with infants. "Our goal is to provide a scatter site shelter space that helps people empowers the people that we serve ... to focus on their long term goals," said Hallie Birchenille, a representative of Compassionate Addiction Treatment, which will operate a recovery-focused scattered site at 960 East Third Avenue.

Joe Ader, a Family Promise representative, said his organization has run scattered-site programs for five years and cited rehousing results: "Last year, Family Promise rehoused 805 people, 449 children, out of these programs primarily through the scattered site model. That's over 95% success rate on rehousing out of these smaller sites." Family Promise said it will restore 15 beds across three scattered sites it operates; the group declined to publish exact addresses for some family sites citing safety and domestic-violence concerns.

Officials said the Housing Navigation Center is operated by Revive Counseling LLC in the city-owned Cannon facility in the Browns Addition neighborhood and functions as a "hub-and-spoke" referral point connecting people to scattered-site shelters and other services. A city official described the referral process as central to the model’s success and said many scattered sites are referral-only based on populations served and services offered.

On the downtown footprint, Compassionate Addiction Treatment confirmed it has closed a downtown site on Second and Division; the new East Third Avenue location is intended to replace the closed location. "That center has closed and there is not an intention to continue services at that site, on Division," a Compassionate Addiction Treatment representative said.

Speakers also warned the expansion depends on continuing outside funding. Brown said city and nonprofit partners received state funding after advocacy in Olympia but cautioned that state and federal support is not guaranteed. "We are looking at grants that may be paused or eliminated. We are looking at service providers ... losing their funding," Brown said, referring to possible changes in federal policy that could affect homelessness programs and refugee services. She and other speakers urged more partners — faith communities, nonprofits, other local governments and volunteers — to join the effort.

Reporters asked about locations and neighborhood impacts; city officials said many sites are already in place and that scattered-site models reduce concentrated neighborhood impacts compared with large shelters. The mayor also noted a downtown pilot outreach program, led by the police chief, will continue and that the city's approach includes prevention, renter assistance and efforts to increase affordable housing supply.

The announcement emphasized measurement and peer navigation as parts of the model. "One of the key parts of success is measuring what we do and whether or not it works and then adjusting and changing course to put more resources where we have greater success," Brown said. Speakers highlighted peer navigators — people with lived experience who support residents through recovery and rehousing — as a central component of services.

No formal votes or ordinance actions were recorded at the event. Officials described funding channels that include state allocations coordinated through Empire Health Foundation and leveraged by volunteers; they said continued work depends on sustained state and federal funding and additional community partnerships.