County staff to review lease as Janus House outlines youth day-stop services

Savannah Clement, Public Services, told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners that county staff toured two county-owned houses used by Janus House and recommended updating the existing lease.

The houses, at 124 and 202 Washington Street, are county property that Janus House has rehabilitated and used to provide daytime services for homeless youth. Savannah Clement said the drywall and networking work for the county annex are complete and then turned to the Janus House update: "We were able to do a tour yesterday," she said, and asked staff member Sean to explain the lease status.

Sean said the county acquired the two houses some years ago and described the group's interest in a new lease term, possibly five years. He said Janus House had not paid rent historically but had put a deposit of about $1,000 and had performed maintenance and improvements on the properties instead of paying rent.

The board and staff discussed liability and the need to review the expired short-term lease. Commissioner Dahl asked whether the county had any ongoing liability; Sean said Janus House carries insurance. Commissioner Nadal and others asked staff to have legal and risk officers review the current status and to confirm market-value considerations if the county continues a lease-in-exchange-for-maintenance arrangement.

Savannah Clement summarized how Janus House operates: one of the houses is a day-stop location where youth can shower, obtain clothing and hygiene items, do laundry and meet with case managers; the other functions as administrative space. The person staff met with identified herself as the director, Tina. Clement said Janus House is not an overnight shelter and that many young people served "don't go home at night" and may sleep in vehicles.

Staff reported program details the board requested: the houses are small (about 1,300 square feet each, two bedrooms and one bath), Janus House has four staff (a director, an office support person and two outreach coordinators), and the group uses two outreach vehicles. Funding is primarily grant-based, Clement said, with staffing costs supplemented by St. John's or PeaceHealth. The organization did not give a firm count of clients served, saying usage is "hit and miss" and varies by season; staff characterized typical use as "maybe a handful a day" and higher demand on holidays.

The board instructed staff to invite Janus House to a future meeting to present its program and answer questions about service scope, funding and client counts, and directed legal staff to review and, if appropriate, update the lease and insurance terms so the county's liability and market-value concerns are documented.

Commissioners emphasized the need for a clear written agreement identifying what the county expects in return for leased space and what liabilities the county retains. Savannah Clement said she would provide the board the previous lease and bring Janus House back to speak with the commissioners.

Why this matters: the houses are county assets being used to deliver services to vulnerable youth; the board must balance community benefit with fiscal and liability protections.

The board did not take a formal vote but asked staff to pursue legal review and to schedule Janus House for a future presentation.