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Local outreach group reports transports, pitches recovery-focused tiny-home village
Summary
Columbia Basin Resource Center told the council it completed roughly 20 transports in the reported quarter, has transported 31 people to date, and is exploring a recoveryfocused tiny-home village funded by grants and private partners to support people exiting homelessness.
Columbia Basin Resource Center (CBRC) presented a quarterly update to the Moses Lake City Council on mobile outreach and transportation services for people experiencing homelessness and substance-use disorder.
Dan Delano, representing CBRC, emphasized that transportation to treatment and direct connections to services remain core program activities. He said CBRC documented nearly 2,900 outreach miles and "20-ish" transports in the three-month reporting period the organization submitted to the city; staff later confirmed the CBRC invoicing shows 31 total transports through May. Delano said many transports took people to detox, inpatient rehab, counseling, court obligations and sober living programs.
Delano also described an idea under active pursuit by CBRC: a recovery-focused tiny-home village that would not be a low-barrier emergency shelter but a medium-barrier, accountability-based model for people who are clean and sober and ready for structured transitional housing. He said CBRC is not asking the city to fund or operate the village, but is pursuing grants and outside funding and has contractors and community partners interested in construction and supportive services.
Council members asked for more precise reporting. Council Member Scog and others requested quarterly comparisons and demographic breakdowns of people served; Delano said invoicing provides dates, mileage and light demographics and that staff would provide a fuller quarterly summary to the council. Council Member Lombardi asked Delano to provide the first- and second-quarter numbers and demographic summaries; staff agreed to request those reports from CBRC.
Delano described program outcomes as a work in progress: he said 15 people remain engaged with CBRC services even if some relapse and return to treatment, and he argued early intervention reduces long-term public costs. He said CBRC tracks transports, local-service connections, Narcan distribution, hygiene kits and other hands-on supports.
Council members expressed interest in learning more before taking action: they asked for written quarterspecific outcome metrics, clarity on funding and infrastructure needs for the proposed tiny-home project, and any public-safety or neighborhood impacts anticipated by proponents. Staff committed to providing the requested invoicing summaries and a written report for the council's next meeting.
The presentation concluded with staff offering to deliver a full report of demographics and transports and council encouraging continued coordination among outreach providers, law enforcement and grant partners.
