SPOKANE, Wash. – The most vulnerable people facing or at risk of homelessness are expected to wait an unknown amount of time until Spokane Housing Authority (SHA) will begin to accept referrals for the housing choice voucher program.
The Spokane Housing Authority, serving as the intermediary between the 19 partner organizations and federally funded housing vouchers, announced a pause in the referral program.
“One of the reasons for the pause is to ensure that we can continue to pay assistance on the vouchers that are currently being used by nearly 6,000 households around the community,” SHA Director of Housing Assistance Kelly Keenan said. “The bottom line is, you know, we know that that housing costs have been rising very rapidly in the Spokane region and throughout the country.”
As a result, there are fewer vouchers to go around.
Hailey Clawson assists clients with housing at Spokane Regional Health District. The health district is a partner organization sending referrals to SHA. Clawson already has a waitlist of 20 clients waiting for the voucher. These are some of the most vulnerable populations, according to Clawson. Many are experiencing homelessness or near falling out of their housing.
“I’ve had many clients describe this voucher as the golden ticket for them. So it is, kind of, it is a make-or-break thing for a lot of folks,” Clawson said. “I was shocked, scared, and hopeful that we could figure out a solution.”
Keenan echoed the sentiment that the referral program helps people who often need it the most; however, the solution is out of his hands. In fact, it’s out of both of their control.
Congress allocates the funding annually and Keenan expects further delays on potential bill to pass down dollars and remedy the problem due to upcoming elections in November.
SHA is still helping people and providing new vouchers through other programs. Voucher programs specifically for veterans are unaffected by the pause. Project-based vouchers – these are typically tied to a property or housing unit – are also unaffected.
In the interim, Clawson can still help people. But losing that voucher program is major hit to her work.
“We can try to help refer people to other resources that are still going to be doing long term assistance,” Clawson said. “We can work with people on trying to increase their income, and we can work with landlords to try and explain the situation from not the tenant’s perspective, but from a provider’s perspective, and come up with a plan or a deal to make it work in the long run.”
