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Pastor asks Moses Lake for partnership on ‘rapid outreach’ program to help unhoused residents
Summary
Pastor Aaron Noble described a three‑part outreach program — rapid detox, rapid transport home and rapid ride to rehab — and asked the council to consider partnering and using city recording fees for transportation; councilors sought documentation and nonprofit status verification.
Pastor Aaron Noble, administrator of Covenant Christian School and pastor of Patriot Church, asked the Moses Lake City Council on Tuesday to partner with a church‑run rapid‑outreach ministry that transports unhoused residents to detox and to family supports elsewhere.
Noble described a three‑part approach: immediate transport to detox centers, arranging travel to a person’s home or family for stability, and providing transport from detox into longer‑term rehabilitation and transitional housing. He said volunteers from Patriot Church have helped people get to detox and rehab and that the church tracks and surveys the unhoused population to better tailor services.
Council member Diana asked whether the group has legal nonprofit status and whether it could accept government funds. Noble said Patriot Church’s outreach arm is a recognized nonprofit with the IRS and that it would provide accounting and reporting if the city provided funds. Diana noted that city recording fees can be used for transportation costs and asked city staff to confirm eligibility.
Council members asked practical questions about whether outreach trips included arranging services at destinations, and Noble said volunteers work with partner programs and families to connect clients after travel. The council did not take immediate action; staff and council asked Noble to provide documentation of nonprofit status, reporting procedures and proposed funding uses before any consideration of city funding.
Noble repeatedly framed the work as relationship‑based outreach rather than programmatic shelter; he requested coordination after the city’s planned sleep‑center closure.
