SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane City Council is working to end its contract with the Guardians Foundation, the non-profit that operates the homeless shelter on Trent Avenue.
City Council President Breann Beggs told KREM 2 that the Mayor's office is going to ask the council to approve a replacement contract with the Salvation Army. The request will be made during a special session meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Beggs said he believes the Mayor's office is going to terminate the professional relationship with the Guardians Foundation, but the exact reasoning behind the decision is not known at this time.
The termination comes approximately three weeks after Spokane City Council members said they learned a former Guardians Foundation employee was allegedly mishandling money. The claims prompted two council members to call for a criminal investigation into the suspected fraud.
The following day, the Spokane Police Department (SPD) confirmed the open investigation into the foundation, assigning a detective to look into the council members' allegations of embezzlement and fraud.
Guardians CEO Mike Shaw told KREM 2 he received a four-page written confession from the suspected employee on Aug. 11, the same month the city council approved a $6.5 million dollar contract with the Guardians Foundation to open the Trent shelter. The shelter began operating Sept. 6.
Shaw also said the suspected employee's final day was Sept. 23, more than a month after they wrote out their confession to the alleged crimes.
The city council will hold a special meeting at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday to consider terminating the contract. They will also consider the mayor's declaration of civil emergency relating to the homeless encampment on I-90.
The City of Spokane says that the Salvation Army has agreed to be the new operator of both the Trent and Cannon Street Shelters on Nov. 1.
The city issued the following statement on the transition:
“Our top priority is to make a smooth transition so that those using the Trent Resource and Assistance Center and Cannon Street locations can continue sleeping indoors with access to meals and services uninterrupted. Expanding our partnership with The Salvation Army will create an even closer connectivity to the other services and transitional housing resources they operate. The Salvation Army shows great care in the work they do with those who find themselves in need of services and have great relationships with neighborhoods around our community.
The decision to make a change was difficult, but it was done in the best interest of everyone concerned. Review activities already underway remain open and are separate from this decision. We will have updates when there is more information to provide.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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