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Volunteers of America outlines transition as Hope House women’s shelter ends congregate operations
Summary
Volunteers of America told Spokane council staff that Hope House will stop operating as a congregate women’s shelter June 30 and will expand its medical respite program under a Medicaid demonstration waiver to serve up to 44 beds starting July 1; city funding and stakeholder transition planning continue.
Volunteers of America told a Spokane City Council committee that Hope House Women’s Shelter will cease congregate shelter operations June 30 and shift to an expanded medical respite model under a Medicaid demonstration waiver.
Bridget Cannon, senior vice president of program operations for Volunteers of America, said VOA has worked with the city since 2020 to support Hope House and that pandemic-era funding backfilled annual operating costs. Cannon said those COVID funds have ended and the city is moving to a 30‑bed scattered-site shelter model that Hope House cannot scale to cost‑effectively operate.
The VOA board decided to expand the organization’s medical-respite model, Cannon said, increasing respite capacity from 20 to 44 beds and running 24/7 beginning July 1. She said the respite beds will be referral‑based, with hospital and medical providers determining referrals under the Health Care Authority’s rules as the demonstration is implemented.
Cannon told the committee that the city provided $1,200,000 on July 1, 2024, to operate a final year of Hope House while the city transitions away from congregate shelter. VOA described a transition plan that aims to move long‑stay residents (those at Hope House three years or longer) into permanent housing; four long‑stayers had already transitioned at the time of the update. VOA said it expects a phased attrition through May and June and hopes to transition a large share of long‑stayers by February, and most by March, while reducing intake in April–May.
Cannon and committee members discussed how the city’s move to a 30‑bed scattered‑site model affects women who report feeling unsafe in mixed‑gender shelters, including survivors of domestic violence. Cannon and others said respite beds can serve people who otherwise remain in hospitals for lack of a medically appropriate discharge location and that the Health Care Authority has expanded support for medical respite statewide.
VOA said Crosswalk and Yaz sites will remain operating as shelters during the city transition and that the organization will convene community stakeholders for regular planning and weekly case conferencing; the first stakeholder meeting was scheduled for late February with weekly follow‑ups.
The update included a list of stakeholder organizations participating in planning, including Catholic Charities, Frontier Behavioral Health, the Health Care Authority, Jules Helping Hands, Transitions, Revive, Salvation Army, SNAP and Spokane Housing Authority.
The committee did not take a formal vote during the update; staff and VOA described the funding and transition timeline and committed to continued reporting to the council as the Health Care Authority finalizes referral procedures.
Many details remain contingent on the Health Care Authority’s approval of the Medicaid demonstration rules and on housing placement outcomes for long‑stay clients.
