(The Center Square) – Spokane launched a new homelessness dashboard on Thursday, providing more insight into the number of individuals accepting services and other regional trends.
The city of Spokane, Spokane Valley and Spokane County issued a news release Wednesday announcing the dashboard with the Spokane Regional Health District. The database reflects a push toward transparency amid a pool of complex data.
According to the release, Spokane used its Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS, to compile data from providers and organizations across the county. However, the dashboard only highlights sheltered homelessness, failing to paint a complete picture.
“This dashboard represents a significant step forward in transparency and accountability,” Mayor Lisa Brown wrote in the release. “This will help people across our region better understand the challenges many in our community face and the work being done to create solutions.”
The partners intend to use the dashboard as a tool for lawmakers, advocates and providers to identify system efficiencies while reflecting on the past to inform future decisions. It currently shows the number of people sheltered, how many exited programs, how many stayed, etc.
The data is broken up by fiscal quarter for the most part, with the most recent being Q3, July through September, since Q4 is still wrapping up, October through December. According to the dashboard, there were at least 823 sheltered individuals in Q3, 39 less than in Q2.
Approximately 55% of those 823 people enrolled before Q3, with the remaining having enrolled and received services throughout those three months. Most sought shelter by providers such as The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and Volunteers of America.
Of the 823, roughly 56%, or 461 individuals, were housed at an emergency shelter, with about 55.7% exiting the service at some point during Q3. The other 362 homeless, or 44% of the 823, were in transitional housing, with 92, or 25.7%, exiting the service.
“Working together is essential to address homelessness in our community,” Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley wrote in the release. “We are optimistic that the information gained from this data will inform effective solutions throughout the region.”
According to the data, 4,008 “clients” were enrolled across 13 different programs during Q3, though it’s unclear if any are duplicates where someone sought multiple services that quarter. The average length of stay for those who enrolled during Q3 was roughly 40 days.
In comparison, 3,414 people exited programs in Q3, with the average length of stay being roughly 166 days; however, at least one person in “Housing w/Services (w/o disability)” stayed 2,039 days, with another in “Permanent Supportive Housing (w/disability)” staying 2,958 days, over eight years.
In another part of the dashboard that showed 927 people leaving the system, only about 33% exited to permanent housing. Most of those who didn’t reach permanent housing reported living somewhere “not meant for habitation,” like public transit, abandoned buildings, etc.
According to Spokane’s 2024 Point-in-Time Count, volunteers recorded just over 2,000 homeless individuals last January, a 15% decrease compared to 2023. Still, the count showed 1,578 people sheltered at the time, with 443 unsheltered; the new dashboard paints a much different picture, though Q3 is much warmer than Q1 when the count occurred.
“Allowing taxpayers and the greater community to see how their hard-earned dollars are being spent as a regional response to homelessness, not only provides better funding transparency, but also ensures collecting the necessary data to better inform homeless response efforts,” Spokane County Commissioner Mary Kuney wrote in the release. “I am optimistic that in making this data available and accessible to the public and regional leaders, it will help build trust and understanding, as we continue to jointly collaborate in addressing this challenging and complex issue.”
