SNAP reaches out to residents of East Sprague

For Claudia Holtz, a soup potluck on a chilly night in the East Sprague neighborhood in February was an opportunity be nourished and informed. Along with selections like cheddar broccoli and tomato bisque, the latest installment of the gathering known as “Community Café” on February 1 featured presentations from a trio of representatives from SNAP and the city of Spokane. Holtz said the meal and the overview of resources made it well worth her time. “I learned a lot about SNAP tonight,” Holtz said. “It’s been great to meet people that have come in to speak and for us in this neighborhood to know that we’re not alone, that there is help out there. You can ask your questions and if there is a particular line of interest, you can bring someone in for the next meeting.” Coordinated by Jennifer Hansen, a health program specialist with the Spokane Regional Health District, Community Café is part of the “Neighborhood Matters” program that has been in place for the last five years. “This group meets twice a month to talk about neighborhood issues and find solutions to their problems,” Hansen said. “It’s resident-driven. They say what they want to work on and I help them navigate.”

The East Sprague community is included in the city of Spokane’s Targeted Investment Pilot (TIP) focused on developing and revitalizing key sites. Cameryn Flynn, Business Development Services coordinator with SNAP Financial Stability, spoke to attendees about 0-percent micro-enterprise loans available to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in the TIP area. “I talked to a couple of people afterward who had interest in the program,” Flynn said. “It’s always good to get out into the community and tell people what you’re doing.” Jackie Caro and Alicia Powell with the city of Spokane were also on-hand to address a program known as “Cleaning from the Core(ridor)”  addressing façade improvements for businesses and owner-occupied residences. Holtz said she would be calling SNAP for help to repair damages to her home from the windstorm in November. Others, like Lance Jacobson, said they learned about resources that could help neighbors. “It was good,” he said. “SNAP does a lot more than I thought they did. I was thinking it was just power, housing assistance and that.” Jacobson, who worked for 41 years at the local fire station, said he appreciated learning about SNAP programs like home repair and weatherization that can be initiated by someone who rents a property, not just a homeowner. “I know a family who’s always cold,” he said. “These are people who might not ask their landlord about making improvements because they’re concerned their rent will go up, but they’ll call SNAP.”

SNAP Community Relations and Development Specialist Craig Howard provided attendees with an overview of the agency while Kim Kreber, SNAP’s Conservation Education coordinator, talked about ways to save energy and make home environments more environmentally safe and gave out complimentary “Cyber Power” master surge protectors from the Energy program. Through Neighborhood Matters, Hansen works closely with representatives of several SNAP programs, including Housing Counseling which provides support and assistance for those facing foreclosure. “It’s just about trying to share what resources are available at SNAP to residents,” Hansen said.  “I think something like tonight was incredibly helpful. The more resources these people know about, the better resources they can be for their neighbors and for themselves.”