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RangeMedia
The Spokesman-Review
Catalyst Project housing opens doors to first Camp Hope residents
Council overrides veto that nixed Trent shelter from city’s wish list
KREM
KXLY
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RangeMedia
Luke Baumgarten
The update follows RANGE’s reporting that revealed the shelter was operating above its permitted occupancy.
A temporary permit of occupancy for the Trent shelter was issued Wednesday that allows the facility a maximum capacity of 375 people. That permit, like the one before it, cites a 2006 city law that allows exemptions to some state building codes for buildings that house “indigent persons,” thereby permitting space not designed for human habitation to serve as a shelter.
The expanded capacity follows a story RANGE broke on Monday revealing that the Trent shelter had been advertising a bed count over the legal limits of its existing occupancy permit. On Monday, Dermott Murphy, the Spokane Building Official who signed the initial Sept. 1 occupancy permit and a second dated Nov. 15, confirmed the Trent shelter occupancy was capped at 250 people total, including staff. The shelter has been advertising 275 available beds and has regularly met and sometimes exceeded that capacity, especially as temperatures turned cold and snowy in recent weeks.
Murphy’s statement contradicted weeks of assertions from administration officials and shelter operators that the Trent shelter was allowed to operate above the 250 occupancy limit to meet various demands on the system. This additional flex capacity was the city’s primary response to a 2021 law that requires the city to open additional warming shelter space when temperatures drop below freezing and shelter space in the system is over 90% full.
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City director of communications Brian Coddington told us “new layout documents were submitted to reflect an updated design following the change in operator,” but did not specify what date those documents were submitted. The Salvation Army replaced the Guardians Foundation as the shelter operator on October 27, and the Temporary Occupancy Permit dated November 15 shows a maximum capacity of 250.
Last Friday, Fire Marshal Lance Dahl, the top building safety official at Spokane Fire Department, said he had not seen an application for the expanded capacity. On Monday, Murphy, who serves in a similar role to Dahl within Spokane’s building department, told us he had not seen any application either.
Two days after our report came out, a new occupancy of 375 — enough for the planned flex maximum of 350 guests and up to 25 staff — was approved.
Trent Shelter Temporary Occ... by RANGE
The new occupancy permit sets out plans to reconfigure the space and stipulates increased restrooms, showers and laundry facilities to accommodate extra guests. Currently, there are no washers or dryers on-site.
The new occupancy permit sets out plans to reconfigure the space and stipulates increased restrooms, showers and laundry facilities to accommodate extra guests. Currently, there are no washers or dryers on-site.
Building codes cover interior and exterior space to ensure that, in the case of an emergency, people can not only get safely out of the building, but can also navigate easily once outside to prevent bottlenecks in the evacuation. For spaces with smaller capacities, a single exit is often allowable. In order to reach the sort of capacity the city has been asking for at Trent, the International Building Code — which Spokane uses as its standard — requires enough exits to ensure that, regardless of where someone is in the space, the maximum distance any person would have to travel to reach an exit is no greater than 75 feet. In order to be considered a legal egress, the exits have to meet specific code requirements as well.
To achieve that 75-foot egress maximum at Trent, the plans attached to the new occupancy permit require upgrading one of the exits at the southern end of the building to meet code by adding a compacted gravel surface outside and additional lighting all along the southern exterior of the building as well. Without that south exit, a person in the southwest corner of the building would need to travel 232 feet to reach the nearest legal exit in case of an emergency. We asked director of communications Brian Coddington if the changes stipulated in the occupancy document are complete, or in progress, and we will update this story once he responds.
The plans document needed improvements to the south end of the building to safely allow a capacity of 375
Separately, RANGE has learned that the facility’s handwashing stations have been moved indoors. Last Thursday, we reported that during an outbreak of various communicable diseases, the handwashing stations had frozen in the cold or otherwise broken, making hygiene more difficult at a time when public health staff recommended additional precautions and shelter staff worked to contain the spread of illness.
While handwashing is vital, the stations are now separated from the portable toilets in the shelter parking lots. That means residents have to walk back inside — touching doorknobs along the way — before washing their hands after using the bathroom.
The final thing to note is that this is still a temporary certificate of occupancy, which will expire next May. It is unlikely that a permanent certificate of occupancy would be granted to a building with temporary restroom and shower facilities.
We have asked officials what plans, if any, they have for creating permanent facilities to accommodate these large numbers of people in the space, but nothing clear has emerged. Last week, in our civics newsletter, we noted that City Council had put a $4 million line item into its capital improvement plan to buy the building and install permanent restrooms, but the mayor vetoed that plan. Council may have the votes to override the veto.
In a subsequent conversation with Council President Beggs, he clarified that the budget item isn’t a guarantee the city will buy the building, but it gives them options. “We reserved an option to purchase [the building] that expires in January,” he wrote. “We are currently negotiating but [it’s] unclear what will happen.”
Judging by the plans attached to the occupancy permit, it’s unclear where permanent facilities might fit in the current footprint of the building, if they would potentially require expansion of the structure, and how additional facilities like indoor restrooms would impact the shelter’s occupancy.
As we learn more, we’ll follow up.
Additional reporting by Carl Segerstrom
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The Spokesman-Review
Catalyst Project housing opens doors to first Camp Hope residents
By Emry Dinman
The Catalyst Project, a former Quality Inn converted into supportive housing in the West Hills Neighborhood, began accepting its first residents Thursday.
Four people who had been living in Camp Hope arrived to their new temporary homes, followed by another four Friday, said Dawn Kinder, chief stabilization officer for Catholic Charities Eastern Washington.
Twenty to 25 people are expected to arrive each week going forward until the building is full, all of them referred by peer navigators at Camp Hope. Up to 120 people could fit in the building’s 84 rooms, depending on how many couples are referred to the program, Kinder said.
It’s a major step toward a new transition between homeless shelters and permanent housing, Kinder added.
“We don’t have anything like this in the community right now,” she said. “We’ve got shelters, and we’ve got housing, and we don’t really have anything in between those two options.”
The facility will not only provide temporary housing with private bedrooms and bathrooms, but laundry rooms and three meals a day.
Every floor of the building has office spaces for mental and behavioral health specialists, case workers and other staff, meant to provide service to prepare residents for life after Catalyst.
Though there is no time limit for residents, the hope is to efficiently provide them with the resources needed to help them get on their feet, become employed and into permanent housing.
As rooms become available, residents from Camp Hope will be admitted by referral until that encampment is emptied. The camp that sprung from a protest of the city of Spokane’s homelessness response is on state land along Interstate 90 in the East Central Neighborhood.
“Once that camp is cleared, we’ll be able to shift and figure out where we can best serve the system at that point,” Kinder said. Emry Dinman can be reached at (509) 459-5472 or by email at emryd@spokesman.com.
Council overrides veto that nixed Trent shelter from city’s wish list
By Emry Dinman
The Spokane City Council overrode a second mayoral veto Monday, this time objecting to Mayor Nadine Woodward’s removal of two items from the city’s six-year Capital Improvement Program.
Like many cities, Spokane maintains a Capital Improvement Program, a sort of wish list for buildings and other infrastructure that the city may want to pay for in the next six years. Unlike the annual budget, the six-year programs are not commitments but help city officials plan and seek grants for listed projects.
On Nov. 28, Woodward vetoed two items the City Council had prioritized in the six-year plan: purchasing the Trent shelter and a campus for a new Municipal Justice Center.
“The City is not in a position to spend tens of millions of dollars on capital purchases that are unfunded and lack sufficient review,” Woodward wrote in a letter to City Council.
Council President Breean Beggs disputed that, saying in an interview that possible funding sources had been identified for both projects.
He added it was likely the Municipal Justice Center campus would be purchased next year through a Special Budget Ordinance.
However, while he said a majority of the council agreed with purchasing the shelter, he believed it was unlikely to happen. The city’s lease agreement with the property’s owner includes a purchase option that will expire in mid-January.
Trent shelter
The mayor’s office and City Council have long disagreed about whether to purchase the Trent Resource and Assistance Center, the cornerstone of the city’s efforts to relocate those living at the Camp Hope homeless encampment.
In June, the City Council approved a $1.6 million, five-year lease agreement for the shelter, which is owned by developer Larry Stone through an LLC. The lease included an option to purchase the property within six months, expiring in January.
Some council members have pushed to exercise that option, particularly with investments to make the property usable as a shelter to temporarily house hundreds of people.
“We’re looking at $1 million of improvements to the building, and a private citizen should not be benefiting from taxpayer improvements of a building,” said Councilman Zack Zappone.
In an email, city spokesman Brian Coddington wrote improvements to the building had been made by the property owner at their own expense, per the terms of the lease. However, those were minor improvements compared to the investments needed for bathrooms, showers and modular living spaces, which will be paid for by taxpayers, Beggs said.
Zappone said there are concerns over Stone supporting Woodward’s mayoral campaign. Stone contributed $1,000 to Woodward’s campaign in 2019 and has donated another $970 to her 2023 re-election campaign, according to filings with the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Municipal Justice Center
The City Council has had its eyes on a 252,000-square-foot campus on East Sprague Avenue, owned by Premera Blue Cross, as the new home for the city’s Municipal Court.
The current Municipal Court is too small, said Councilwoman Lori Kinnear.
“It’s physically unsafe when victims and perpetrators are in contact with each other in a small space, and with judges, and when restrooms are not secure – all these things are dangerous for your employees,” Kinnear said.
“When the U.S. Marshal visited, he said it was one of the most unsafe (courthouses) he had seen,” she added.
There is $5 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds set aside for the purchase of a new justice center, Beggs said. The remaining funds could be acquired through the sale of city property, including the Gardner Building, a portion of the city’s Criminal Justice Assistance funds and a loan from the city’s own investment accounts, Beggs added.
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KREM
SPOKANE, Wash. — People living at the I-90 homeless camp known as "Camp Hope" were put on notice this week when authorities made an unannounced visit, handing out flyers.
Some view it as dress rehearsal fro clearing out people and tents altogether.
"You are all real leaders," "You have the power. Not the mayor, not the police chief, not Ozzie Knezovich."
On Thursday, Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs called for an executive, closed-door session with the city's legal team.
"I really want to protect our officers," Beggs said.
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich says the camp will be cleared out this month. Last month, he said he doesn't need a judge's permission to do it.
"We are working to resolve this by any means other than sending law enforcement," Knezovich said. "But, that is an active protest and sooner or later it becomes an unlawful assembly."
Beggs believes removing people without the state's permission could result in lawsuits against the county, city and even individual officers.
"When they know ahead of time that something would be illegal, violating the 4th Amendment or some other law and then they do it. Even if they do it under orders, they're in real legal jeopardy," Beggs said.
Beggs and several other council members want Spokane police officers to distance themselves from the sheriff's plan.
"Not to get caught up in someone else's political theater where they would get sued," Beggs said.
"I don't believe they mayor or her staff would send officers in if our city legal was advising them not to," Council member Jonathan Bingle said.
Another argument is that despite the Catalyst building opening this week and additional capacity being added to the Trent shelter, there still won't be enough shelter space for everyone at the camp.
"Is it better to be in a warm, heated environment where you're not going to lose any appendages?" Bingle said. "You might not have a bed, you might have a mat, or is it better to stay outside? I think I know what the answer to that is and I think I know what the communities answer to that would be."
On Wednesday, Jewels Helping Hands and residents of the camp filed for an emergency temporary restraining order in federal court in an attempt to stop authorities from clearing up the camp. That decision will be up to a federal judge.
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KXLY
December 8, 2022 6:27 PM
SPOKANE, Wash. — Thursday was a big day for Catholic Charities’ Catalyst Housing Project in the West Hills neighborhood. The first set of people from Camp Hope moved into the former hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
As of Wednesday, the Empire Health Foundation reported 416 people are living at Camp Hope. Four people moved out of the encampment near I-90 and more are expected to move in Friday and next week.
“We’re super excited. It’s been a long time coming to not only be able to bring folks in but to also see this building kind of come to life, and so the team is excited we’re here and we’ll be moving folks in until we’re full,” Catholic Charities Eastern Washington chief stabilization officer Dawn Kinder said.
Kinder says they’re almost fully booked next week to fill the fourth and fifth floors. As soon as people are settled in, staff are there to help people get back on their feet.
Care coordinators and peer support engage in a personal service plan, which includes needs, goals and other aspects people wish to work on, along with long-term goals as well.
“Those short term goals are really about getting people stabilized get some of their healthcare needs, their personal goals set, and then really working with them on stability so we can help them get into permanent housing at other locations throughout the community,” Kinder said.
Behavioral health specialists will do one-on-one mental health and substance use disorder workshops. Kinder says Catholic Charities is in the process of adding a gym where people can work out or meditate.
The Catalyst Housing Project drew backlash from some West Hills neighbors. But Kinder believes with time they’ll change the minds of those who still have concerns.
“I think as folks learn about how service and rich the environment is, how seriously we take safety at all of our properties not just here. Those fears will calm down,” Kinder said.
Only people living at the facility will be allowed in. The former hotel has 100 beds available and does accept couples and adult families.
A safety team of nine people are on site 24/7. Catholic Charities installed a butterfly system that people have to go through before entering the building. The system recognizes faces and people who live there will be buzzed in.