SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane announced the Cannon Street Shelter will be a new homeless navigation center as part of a new strategic move to a new shelter model.
According to a release by the City of Spokane, the Spokane government partnered with the Empire Health Foundation (EHF) and Revive Counseling Spokane to have a specialized facility providing temporary housing and comprehensive support services for homeless people at the Cannon Street Shelter.
EHF and Revive have operated as pilot navigation centers at the Cannon Shelter since July 2024 through the Department of Commerce and the Department of Transportation’s Right-of-Way Encampment Resolution Program.
“The successful pilot navigation center has shown the power of providing stable support and resources to those in need. Now, as we move towards making it more permanent, we are not just investing in a program, but in the promise of dignity and stability for our community’s most vulnerable,” Mayor Lisa Brown said.
According to the release, the program reaches people living in the 2nd and Division Corridor to services they need, including housing and treatment. The program has served 39 people. 12 of the 39 people were exited to Catalyst, 11 moved on to Revive Transitional Housing, seven individuals underwent sobering services, two excited to emergency shelter and three completed coordinated entry assessments and are awaiting permanent placement.
According to the release, the navigation center will continue to navigate individuals toward treatment and housing, including new scattered site shelters.
According to the release, EHF was selected as the navigation center shelter operator, and Revive Counseling is now a subcontractor that provides services to those who use the facility.
“We are grateful for the hard work of Revive and service providers across the community who show up every day to serve the most vulnerable people in our community,” said Zeke Smith, President of Empire Health Foundation. “We appreciate the support and resources that the Commerce Department and City of Spokane are dedicating to address the housing and opioid crisis. While we continue to provide administrative support for these programs, we call on the community as a whole to find ways to come together and contribute to solutions that move people into housing and recovery.”
