SPOKANE, Wash. – With the Trent Shelter closing at the end of the month, the number of residents is now down to 65. As Halloween looms, efforts are intensifying to ensure these individuals have new places to go.
As recently as a month ago, the warehouse served as a temporary home for up to 250 people. Now, with most beds removed and many residents having moved on, the shelter prepares for its final days.
Captain David Cain with the Salvation Army described the situation at the Trent Shelter as bittersweet, yet he understood the transition. “There are seasons to things like this,” he said, acknowledging the challenging decisions made by the city as they move from a large shelter model to a more scattered site approach.
At its peak, the Trent Resource and Assistance Center (TRAC) was contracted to host up to 350 people. Cain emphasized the complexity of reducing this number to 65, saying it has been challenging. “The process of eliminating beds and moving folks to new solutions for their life has been a very intimate and personal process.”
Cain voiced concerns about the remaining 65 individuals, particularly those facing serious health or mobility challenges, as their futures are yet to be secured. “Our goal is to see no one on the streets who are staying with us here at the TRAC shelter. We believe it’s our responsibility to take care of every person,” he said.
With Spokane’s contract with the Salvation Army ending on November 1, the city has yet to finalize plans for the soon-to-be-vacant warehouse on Trent. The city began piloting its scattered site model in January during a cold weather emergency, intending to expand this approach.
As they move towards shutting down the shelter, Cain believes the relationships formed between his staff and the people there will assist in securing stable places for the remaining residents. “We’ve gone name-by-name, one individual by one individual, got different providers into the shelter, we’ve taken folks to appointments, it has been a very intimate process,” he added.
