The bitter cold snap biting Kootenai County became a little easier for the local homeless population to bear on Friday after Panhandle Health District’s Region 1 Behavioral Health Board presented a $5,000 grant to St. Vincent de Paul.

“We’re providing funds for the St. Vincent de Paul warming center so we can help those that are experiencing homelessness have a warm place to go, especially right now, when we’re experiencing these extremely cold temperatures,” said Katherine Hoyer of Panhandle Health. “It’s very timely right now, as it turns out, but we’re glad we can help.”

Claudia Miewald, chair of the Behavioral Health Board, said the need for helping the homeless has never been greater. She noted that roughly 30 percent of the homeless population struggles with mental health issues, and that over half suffer from co-occurring issues — mental health and substance use issues — both of which are exacerbated in the time of COVID-19.

“We are absolutely concerned with the rise in substance use disorders related to COVID,” Miewald said. “We have seen referrals for treatment go up 100 percent (since the beginning of the pandemic).”

Larry Riley, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul, said the government protocols in the wake of the coronavirus have hit the homeless population particularly hard.

“The homeless population here, they were already struggling,” Riley said. “This just compounds it. It’s easy when the governor makes a stay-at-home order, tells us to shelter in place, close non-essential businesses. But this community of homeless, they rely on those organizations to stay open, whether it’s the library or certain restaurants, so it just adds to the stress of that population.”

Riley thanked the Behavioral Health Board, saying that the grant is the latest in a community effort to help those in need.

“We’ve seen amazing contributions flow locally and from the federal level into the nonprofits to help,” he said. “You hate for a crisis to bring us to this point, but I think it needs to be a reminder there are people among us that do need help.”

Miewald said the warming center fills a vital need, and that funding the project remains a critical priority in the community.

“We’re very excited to be able to help in some small way,” she said. “We know the need is great, but if this can help in some small way, we’re very thrilled as a board.”