Spokane Valley officials present 2025 Point‑in‑Time count: 1,806 people identified regionwide; local outreach numbers provided

City of Spokane and regional homelessness partners presented the 2025 Point‑in‑Time (PIT) count to the Spokane Valley City Council on July 29, reporting 1,806 people experiencing homelessness in the region on the single night of Jan. 22, 2025.

Amanda Martinez, lead information systems analyst for the city of Spokane (serving as the continuum's collaborative applicant), explained the PIT methodology required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). "The Point in Time Count looks at the individuals that are experiencing homelessness on a single night in January," Martinez said. The PIT enumerates people who are sheltered (emergency shelters, transitional housing) and unsheltered (places not meant for human habitation). HUD requires the count be conducted in the last 10 days of January; Spokane’s count occurred on Jan. 22, 2025.

Presenter slides and staff comments broke the 1,806 total into subcategories reported during the presentation: about 617 persons were unsheltered and about 886 were in emergency shelters on the single night. The PIT was paired with the Housing Inventory Count (HIC), which tallies emergency, transitional, rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing beds; the region reported roughly 4,800 beds with overall utilization near 81 percent.

Eric Robison, the city’s housing and homeless coordinator, described Spokane Valley’s local participation: volunteers and outreach officers supported count surveys in Valley neighborhoods, and the council’s materials showed Spokane Valley counts of 80 in 2023 and 67 in 2024; staff noted the 2024 Valley figure was unusually low in the data and may be a data‑collection anomaly.

Staff told council about system changes since the Jan. count: a scattered‑site shelter model has added about 65 beds, and state encampment response funds (Encampment Resolution Program/Right‑of‑Way Program) have generated additional referrals and placements. Presenters also said the region had seen a substantial increase in permanent supportive housing inventory linked to a partnership with the Spokane Housing Authority and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VASH vouchers), although utilization of some voucher allocations remained low and is under review.

Council members asked how PIT numbers compare with other measures such as school McKinney‑Vento counts and broader state “snapshot” estimates; presenters said the PIT is a HUD‑defined snapshot and does not capture all people who experience homelessness or instability over time. Staff emphasized other data sources (school counts, HMIS service entries, Department of Commerce snapshots) are needed to understand the full scope of housing instability.

Council thanked staff and partner agencies for the presentation and asked staff to continue making PIT and HIC data available on city and Continuum of Care websites.