HOMELESS CONNECT POSTPONED

The 10th Annual Homeless Connect, originally scheduled for Thursday, January 27th, 2022, has been officially postponed and rescheduled for Tuesday, March 1 due to skyrocketing COVID cases.

“We planned every precaution we could to insure everyone’s safety, from expanding social distancing to mask requirements to limiting the number of people in the building at any one time and more,” said Kari Stevens, Chair of the Connect Organizing Committee, “but these skyrocketing COVID cases, which aren’t expected to peak before the end of the month, are simply something we can’t overcome. It’s just too dangerous for our guests and our service providers.”

“We’ve been working with the Spokane Region Health District all along on our COVID policy and precautions,” Stevens continued, “but at a meeting we requested with SRHD last Thursday, and after extensive discussions, they recommended, and we agreed, that postponing the Spokane Homeless Connect until early March was in everyone’s best interest. We genuinely appreciate the empathy of SRHD toward our homeless community. They didn’t want to postpone any more than we did. But we all realized that there simply wasn’t a better alternative.”

According to Stevens, the Homeless Connect Organizing Committee made the decision with the safety of attendees first and foremost on everyone’s mind. “Everyone needs to know that we didn’t make this decision lightly. We’re VERY aware that the needs among our homeless friends have grown and intensified over the last two years. We want to offer our guests the best Homeless Connect possible to meet their needs, but we simply can’t do that safely at this time. It’s heart-breaking. But we’re moving forward with the Connect rescheduled for the Convention & Expo Center on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. We appreciate the City of Spokane communicating with us they discussed postponing the PIT count and coordinating it with our new date for the Connect. I think everyone understands how

important these events are for our homeless community this year. We’re going to work together to make it happen, just on a different date.”

The Spokane Homeless Connect Organizing Committee wants to thank all of the vendors, sponsors, and volunteers who have supported the event up to now and the Committee looks forward to having everyone on board for the new March 1st event date. “We’re moving forward and communicating all the changes and new information as quickly as it’s available so we can re-confirm everyone’s participation,” said Stevens. “We want to thank the Convention & Expo Center and the amazing staff for their help and flexibility to reschedule for March 1st. Having walked through the space this past week, we know it’s clean and ready to use! We also want to thank our community partners. We’re going to need their help to spread the word to our guests that we’re anxious to see them and we’ll be ready for them and for an amazing day on March 1st.”

Each year’s Connect offers a wide variety of services under one roof for anyone experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. The event brings together volunteers and case workers from a wide variety of local nonprofits and service providers who serve the common goal of ending homelessness.

The Spokane Homeless Connect is a subcommittee of the Spokane Homeless Coalition, a community Coalition of more than 1,400 individuals and 100+ agencies, ministries and churches serving the homeless and marginalized throughout Spokane County.