Spokane City Council to receive updated briefing on homeless shelter lease

Credit: Spokane City Council

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane City Council will hear an updated presentation from the City Administration regarding the lease agreement for a proposed homeless shelter in East Spokane.

The briefing is about the property at 4320 E. Trent Avenue, and will occur during the 3:30 p.m. Council Briefing Session on June 27. Until now, a lease had not been finalized by the Administration.

During the Public Safety & Community Health Committee meeting on June 6, the City Council was presented with draft lease terms. Three major changes have been made to the document since that meeting:

1. Section 3.03 – Monthly Management Fee reduced to 2.5%
2. Section 14.05 – Penalty for opting out of the lease early reduced to 8 months’ rent
3. Exhibit G – Added option for City to purchase building

Under this agreement, the total monthly rental cost would be $26,752.50. This includes a base rent of $26,100.00 plus a 2.5% management fee.

Next steps for the shelter include finalizing service provider agreements, both for daily shelter operations and on-site wrap-around services, and constructing necessary tenant improvements to the site.

“The E. Trent facility will have a capacity of 150-250 people depending on how many staff the selected providers have trained and ready to go,” said Council Member Lori Kinnear. “This facility will not be large enough to meet the needs of the nearly 450 people at Camp Hope. While this is one viable solution, the City and our partners will need to identify other locations for alternative homeless solutions.”

“There continue to be many moving parts to providing a safe space to our homeless population,” said Councilmember Betsy Wilkerson. “When we invest in people, it’s not a one-and-done and certainly not inexpensive. We have seen that the homeless population has created a community, and our challenge will be to create more opportunities for community within this population.”

The E. Trent facility is owned by Lawrence B. Stone Properties #4320, LLC and is expected to be ready for occupancy around the beginning of August 2022. The public is encouraged to attend the Briefing Session on June 27 in-person at the City Council Chambers. The meeting can also be viewed online here.

READ: Committee recommends the Guardians Foundation operates new E. Trent shelter

READ: City to make decision on East Spokane shelter lease, provider on Monday