SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane city leaders are looking for potential warming shelter locations for this winter.
Last winter, the city of Spokane made lease agreements with four warming centers. The centers provided a total of about 200 beds.
But right now, City Council President Ben Stuckart said three of those four centers will not be available this year.
"One, there’s currently ongoing discussions, but there’s not enough staff and support in order to get that done right now,” Stuckart said.
It is still possible the Cannon center will open this winter. But that leaves the Ermina Center, Salem Lutheran church and Westminster United church unavailable to serve as a warming center this year. At least for now.
Some believe there might be plans for a shelter in the Hillyard area. One "Nextdoor" app user said it could be at the Old Masonic temple on Market Street.
City spokesperson Marlene Feist said the city does not have that information right now, but soon.
Following the city council and Mayor's press conferences this morning, the city released a proposed plan for homelessness. It includes a series of steps.
It first wants the council to agree to contract with the Salvation Army to operate a new shelter and complete negotiations.
The city said this would allow the Salvation Army to participate in the selection of a location for a continuous stay shelter.
The next step would be to finalize a shelter location for this fall and beyond.
According to the release, the goal is for a shelter to accommodate 60 people this fall. Staff expect to present the location as early as next week.
Then, the city anticipates opening two warming center locations to accommodate 150 people.
The final step to the city's plan is to continue collaborating with other service providers.
This means city staff could present council a request for funding to close gaps in service hours for Women's Hearth and Hope House to continue offering extended service hours.