SNAP marks 60th year of serving

 

Known for enabling people to weatherize their homes, access energy assistance, start businesses and prevent homelessness, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (SNAP) has helped people, businesses and nonprofits weather many storms since it was founded as one of the Community Action Agencies started during the War on Poverty in 1966.

Today it is one of 1,000 Community Action Agencies in the U.S. and 30 in the state.

"We serve 39,000 people each year, making life better for roughly 10 percent of the community in small and big ways," said Julie Honenkamp, who is SNAP's third CEO, following Tom Pleas, who served from 1985 to 1992, and Larry Stuckart, who worked with SNAP from 1973 to 2013 and was director from 1992 to 2011.

Over its 60 years, SNAP has built a resilient infrastructure that is critical to its ability to survive.

"In the uncertainties of the past 15 years—the 2008 to 2009 recession, the COVID pandemic and current crisis—SNAP has built a solid infrastructure. As a result, the county turned to SNAP during the pandemic to help distribute more than $40 million in COVID rental assistance funds to keep people in their homes," she said.

"In today's federal uncertainty, we are resilient and work to weather shutdowns as a stable partner for our fellow nonprofits," she explained. "So, we have helped support Manzanita House, champion Spectrum and Latinos en Spokane to do their services."

Over its 60 years, SNAP programs have helped many county residents build stability, expand opportunity and strengthen neighborhoods, said Julie.

SNAP began as a Community Action Council that formed three neighborhood centers in Hillyard, East Central and West Central Spokane and then added a fourth in Elk.

Initially, Fr. Frank Bach, who was the director of Catholic Charities, invited St. Vincent de Paul Society to help him establish the community centers to help low-income people with emergency needs and other services.

The programs were so successful that when federal funds for the Spokane Community Action Council ended in 1973, local leaders secured funds and Catholic Charities resumed management.

In the late 1970s energy crisis, it launched energy assistance and weatherization programs.

In 1985, it incorporated as a nonprofit, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners, with a more than $4 million budget to collaborate in the county to address neighborhood needs.

In 1991, it was renamed Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) and, in 2008, returned to Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners.

In the late 1990s, SNAP expanded to do long-term financial empowerment through SNAP Financial Access (SFA), a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides loans and coaching to those excluded from bank loans.

Julie, who grew up in Chicago and moved with her family in the 1980s to the Tri-Cities, earned a bachelor's degree in public administration in 1984 at Washington State University. She moved to Spokane in 1987 and began working with Youth Health Connections as an office manager and grant writer to build a youth center.

Wanting to help people transform their lives, she completed a master's degree in organizational leadership in 1993 at Gonzaga. Then she worked with Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium from 1994 to 1996, when she first worked at SNAP to help build affordable housing.

From 2004 to 2007, she was executive director at Transitions.

Julie returned to SNAP from 2007 to 2011 as deputy director, because Larry was looking to retire as director. He transitioned to run the energy program until 2013. Julie became CEO in 2011.

Julie added that 2026 is her last year as CEO. In the summer, the board will hire a new leader, SNAP's fourth, who will overlap with Julie until she retires at the end of the year.

"SNAP's values of community, respect, justice and equity hold me," she said. "I have learned over the years that funding comes and goes with the pandemic, the economy and presidents, but those values anchor our board and staff to do the work we do. Many staff have been here 30 to 40 years."

SNAP was founded to respond to community needs, so it does community needs assessments every three years by interviewing clients and partners.

The 2025 to 2027 assessment found the needs to be affordable housing, food insecurity, financial stability, transportation access and mental health services.

"If other partners are doing a good job, SNAP supports them instead of duplicating efforts," Julie said. "For example, food insecurity is the top need. We align with partners such as Second Harvest to meet that need.

"We partner with CHAS and others to support people living with chronic illness," she said. "Our role is to recruit volunteers to transport people to medical appointments or pick up food boxes."

Affordable housing is a priority for SNAP clients, so SNAP helps people build their credit scores and increase their savings.

"Unique to us is energy assistance, home repairs, weatherization and small business lending," Julie said. "Under home repairs, we build wheelchair ramps."

SNAP's homeless work focuses primarily on single people. Catholic Charities serves families. Volunteers of America assists young people, she said.

SNAP Financial Access handles small business microloans targeting people who try to get a loan but need more technical assistance. They have ideas but lack a business plan or collateral.

SNAP's 140 employees include three staff in small business lending, 3.5 in housing consulting to prevent foreclosures and educate home buyers, 35 in energy and water bill assistance, 15 in homeless services and transportation, 40 in housing services, weatherizing and repairs, 10 in property management and the rest in accounting human resources, communication, technology and administration.

Julie added that every employee has a Fig Tree Resource Directory as the handbook to help people find resources.

"I work in the office, so I hear what clients are saying and know the challenges staff face," said Julie.

"With age comes battle scars, so we share our experience with others to help them weather tough times," she said.

Historically, half of SNAP's funding is from public funds—federal, state, city and county—which ebbs and flows.

"Along with a financial reserve, we have diverse funding to weather storms. Donors who sell assets provide funds we set aside to help build a reserve," she said. "We build resiliency to walk through uncertainty. We know what fund sources are strong, what are likely to continue and what funds may be shut down.

"In 2024, COVID rental assistance ended and we reduced our staff by 30 we hired during the pandemic," she explained.

Julie also attributes SNAP's resilience to its 15-member, volunteer board that represents the private sector, government officials and low-income people.

Along with staff, volunteers make programs possible. For example, staff and volunteers provided 8,294 hours of transportation in 2025.

Volunteer coordinator Addy Dodd is working with higher education and reaching out to faith communities to recruit volunteers.

In 2010, SNAP moved its administrative offices to the former Dominican Convent at 3102 W. Whistalks Way and bought it in 2011. Along with administration, that office provides foreclosure prevention, housing counseling, energy assistance, business development, financial education, business lending and a long-term care ombudsman.

The office at the SNAP Armory, 212 W. 2nd, does weatherization, housing improvements, minor home repairs and energy conservation.

SNAP Northeast in the Northeast Community Center at 4001 N. Cook offers energy assistance.

SNAP Pacific at 124 E. Pacific provides resource rides, homeless services and energy assistance.

SNAP Valley at 10814 E. Broadway offers energy assistance seasonally.

For information, call 456-SNAP or visit snapwa.org