Inlander in September. I n some ways, it was surprising that Spokane's homeless shelters weren't hit with COVID-19 outbreaks sooner. "We were expecting that congregate settings and shelters would be one of the first impacted by COVID because of the amount of people in one space not necessarily having their own space to isolate," says Kylie Kingsbury, homeless outreach coordinator for the Spokane Regional Health District. But shelters were largely able to stave off any outbreaks until November and December, when spread of the virus spiked throughout all sectors of the community with Halloween and then later holiday gatherings contributing to the problem.