City outlines housing-navigation pilot, new medically supported respite at Westminster opens for referrals

City staff gave the Urban Experience Committee an update on a winter pilot that pairs a 30‑bed housing navigation center with a scattered‑site shelter model and a medically supported respite at Westminster that began admitting patients this month by referral.

Zeke, the presenter, said the pilot was launched with multiple funding streams and that the city has contracted roughly $5.85 million to date. "I think you all recognize there was an initial $3.85 million that was contracted," Zeke said, adding that an amendment added about $1.9 million in ARPA funding and $125,000 from opioid settlement dollars for a mental‑health hot team. He told the committee that about $4.5 million of the $5.85 million had been allocated for services through June 2025, leaving roughly $1.3 million unallocated for additional pilot activities.

The pilot combines 30 beds at the navigation center with 205 beds in the scattered‑site model, two shelter sites in North Spokane operated by Jules Helping Hands, and a 30‑bed medical respite at the Westminster site in Cliff Cannon that the presenter said "will begin seeing people today." Staff said two additional proposed sites — one new adult behavioral‑health shelter of about 20 beds and an expansion to serve 4–5 families (about 15 beds) — were under negotiation and not yet under contract.

Staff described recurring coordination steps intended to improve system capacity and information sharing: convening shelter providers twice monthly to troubleshoot operations, encouraging real‑time use of ShelterMe Spokane (an online bed‑availability tool) and opening conversations with faith‑based leaders through the Spokane Alliance about future hosting roles. Barbara Bowman was introduced as the new Spokane Community Homeless Initiative Director; staff said Bowman will oversee day‑to‑day pilot support and the city’s encampment resolution program with the Department of Commerce.

Committee members asked about utilization and outreach. Council Member Wilkerson asked whether the two current scattered‑site providers had been operating at full capacity; Zeke replied they had "mostly been at full capacity" and that bed availability varied nightly on ShelterMe Spokane. Council Member Cathcart asked about lengths of stay and data tracking; staff said those data could be pulled from the community‑management information system (CMIS) and coordinated with the CHHS dashboard for regular reporting.

Several council members raised concerns about neighborhood outreach and transparency around Westminster. Chair Bridal and other members described outreach to Westminster congregation leaders, downtown business leadership and Spokane Public Schools. Council members said neighborhood notification timing felt late for some residents and that the site borders two council districts and two neighborhood councils; staff replied they had submitted permit applications and had an inspection on Jan. 6 to obtain the conditional use permit and followed the building, code and fire permitting process.

Staff emphasized that Westminster is a referral‑only, hospital‑referred medically supported respite and that some stakeholders had been engaged in advance, while others had not received notice in the window they expected. Council discussion repeatedly urged clearer, earlier notification for future sitings and noted the regional nature of homelessness and the importance of engaging jurisdictions beyond the city.

The committee received the update and scheduled further briefings; staff said they will continue to provide data about occupancy, lengths of stay and program outcomes as the pilot runs through June 2025.