04-2025 HHTF Packet
10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206
Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov
SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE
MEETINGAGENDA
Thursday, April 24,2025| 2:00p.m.
Spokane Valley City Hall, 10210 E Sprague Ave, Room N212Second Floor Conference Roomand virtuallyon Zoom:
Click here to: Join the meeting online
Meeting ID:891 9621 4035| Passcode:199918
1. Call to Order
2. Attendance
3.General Public Comment Opportunity This is an opportunity for the public to speak on any
subject except agenda action items, as public comments will be taken on those items where
indicated.
ACTION ITEMS
4.Approval of February 2025Meeting Minutes
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS
5.Homeless Housing Task Force and Program Overview
6.Outreach Team Quarterly Update
7.Shelter Bed Contracts
8.Affordable Housing RFP Update
9.Adjournment
SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE
RegularMeeting Minutes| February 27, 2025| 2:00 pm
at Spokane Valley City Hall, 10210 E Sprague Ave, Room N212 and on Zoom
1 CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair,MayorPam Haley,called the meeting to order at 3:02 pm.
2 ATTENDANCE: In attendance were:
Task Force MembersGuests (in-person)
Mayor Pam Haley, Spokane Valley (Chair)Amanda Lashley
John Parker, Central Valley School Dist.Lisa Miller
George Dahl, Spokane CountyKarl Kistler
Lance Beck, Greater Spokane Valley ChamberKarin Morris
Arielle Anderson, City of Spokane
StaffGuests (online)
Gloria Mantz, City Services AdministratorNone
Eric Robison, Housing & Homeless Coordinator
Sarah Farr, Accounting & Finance Program Manager
3GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY-
Chair Haley called for public comments. There were none.
ACTION ITEMS
4Approval of December 2024 Meeting Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes passed unanimously.
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS
5Permanent Homeless Housing Task Force Vacancies
Eric recapped therecent decision by the Council to expand the Task Force to nine members. The Interim Task
Force expires on March 31, 2025 and a Permanent Task Force will take its place. The city is still actively looking
to fill several positions; two applications have been received so far. The group discussed other individualsand
representatives of focus areaswho might be interested in applying for membership.
6City Property Request for Proposals (RFP)Update
In 2024, the city purchased 1.35 acres of land at 3rd Ave & Carnahan Rd using funds earmarked for affordable
st
housing. The city already ownsa nearby .15 acre parcel located at 4908 E 1Ave. As directed by the Council, the
city issued an RFP for mixed-incomehousing development projects for seniorcitizens, missing middle and/or to
provide homeownership opportunities. Three development proposalswere received; all include a mix of
Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 02.27.2025 Meeting MinutesPage 1 of 2
ownership and rental units. Eric shared details on the revised timeline for the process going forward. The next
step is a presentation to the City Council on March 11, 2025 and the Council will be asked to take action in April.
Staff shared information about the proposals.
7Outreach Program Funding from Spokane County
Ericprovided a background on the city’s outreach programand stated that the team consists of a Spokane Valley
Police Department Outreach Deputy and a social worker from Frontier Behavioral Health staff.
In late 2024, the city received $227,486 of unused funding from Spokane County which was used for the current
outreach program and to add an additional .5 FTE case manager position. This funding can also be used to cover
part of the homeless outreach officer’s salaries and other allowable costs incurred from Jan. 1, 2025 to June 30,
2025.
The city submit an application to Spokane County Housing Community Development (HCD) in January 2025 to
partially fund the outreach program from July 2025 to June 2027. The HCD Committee will make a
recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners in March.
Members discussed possible challenges to funding from federal and state sources in the future.
8Partner Updates
The County and City of Spokane representatives shared updates about current projects and programs from their
agency and the ongoing work to update the regional 5-year plan.
9ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:45 pm.
Julie Meyers-Lehman, Executive Assistant
Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force 02.27.2025 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 2
AGENDA ITEM 5
10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206
Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov
SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE
Meeting Date:April24, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Homeless Housing Task Forceand Program Overview
BACKGROUND:In 2021, the Citybegan its Housing andHomeless program and createdthe Housing andHomeless
Coordinator position. In the first year of the program the City developed policies and local codes related to housing and
homelessnessand also began contracting for bed space at low-barrier shelters for men and women,respectively (Truth
Ministries for menand Hope House for women).
In 2022,the Cityand Spokane Valley Police Department collaborated to createthe first Homeless Outreach Officer
position,and the Citybegan contracting with a service provider to offerhomeless outreach services. These positions
work together in the field to contact and coordinate services for clientsand enforce applicable regulations as needed.
Starting in2022, the City also developed and began using mapping tools to better document and understand the scope
of the issues faced in the community, and to better direct follow-up services to address issues.
In 2023,the City Council adoptedthe Homeless Action Plan, which providesstrategies and interventions for addressing
homelessness in Spokane Valley. Over the course of 2023,the City awarded ARPA funds primarilyto programs focused
on assisting households experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Programs that received funding included a
youth shelter, transitional sober housing for men, eviction prevention and re-housing assistance for households with
minors, and affordable home ownership.
In August of 2023,the City took over themanagement of the local recording fee dollars that are earmarked for housing
and homeless services. To comply with state law for management of these dollars, the City Council approved a resolution
in September 2023 to create an interim Homeless Housing Task Force. The interim Task Forcerecommendedextending
the interim Task Force through March 31, 2025, as well as a recommendation to increase the number of seats on the
future permanent Task Force, and recommendations for specific sectors to include on the permanent Task Force.Council
adopted several resolutions codifying these recommendations.
In late 2024 the Spokane Valley Police Department added a second Homeless Outreach Officer to the Outreach team,
which allows for 7 day/week coverage, and increased ability to help addresscommunity needs and priorities.
The task force has nine voting and two ex-officio positions. All of the positions have been filled:
Position 1 -City of Spokane Valley councilmember –Mayor Pam Haley (Rod Higgins alternate)
Position 2 -Spokane County representative –George Dahl (Chris Mckinneyalternate)
Position 3 -Business sector representative –Lance Beck
Position 4 -School sector representative –Dr. John Parker
Position 5 -Housing Authority representative –Kelly Keenen
Position 6 –Law & Justice –Lisa Miller
Position 7 –Behavioral health/Spokane Regional Health –Audrey Grimm
Position 8 –Lived experience –Allisha Corley
Position 9 –Lived experienceJoshep Ghodsee
Non –voting positions
City of Spokane – Arielle Andersen
Spokane Valley Staff – Gloria Mantz
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Information and Discussion
STAFF CONTACT: Eric Robison, Homeless & Housing Coordinator
ATTACHMENTS: None
AGENDA ITEM 6
10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206
Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov
SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE
Meeting Date:April24, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Outreach ProgramQuarterly Update
BACKGROUND:The City contracts with Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH) to provide outreach services inside the City of
Spokane Valley, and in some areas adjacent to the City’s boundaries. FBH provides regular updates on program outcomes,
notabletrends, challenges, and opportunities related to the work of serving those experiencing homelessness.
Because FBH works directly with the Homeless Outreach Officers in the field, some data,suchasthe total number of
unduplicated contacts,represents a combination of FBH and Outreach Officer data. But other data, like housing outcomes
forFBH or arrest data for the Homeless Outreach Officers, arecollected separately.
The Homeless Outreach Team (FBH and Homeless Outreach Officers)will provide an update to the Task Forceand answer
any questions about their outreach work.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:Information and Discussion
STAFF CONTACT: Eric Robison, Homeless & Housing Coordinator
ATTACHMENTS:None
AGENDA ITEM 7
10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206
Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov
SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE
Meeting Date:April24, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Shelter Bed Contracts
BACKGROUND:The City contracts with Truth Ministries to provide two low-barrier shelter beds for Spokane Valley
referrals. The cost for two beds is$20 per night total. The City contracts with Volunteers of America (VOA) to provide
“respite” beds for Spokane Valley referrals. Respite beds offer significantly more services, including case management,
to the guestsusingthese beds. One respite bed costs $136 per night or about $49,000 per year, whether it is occupied
or not. A second ‘per diem’ bed is available at $150 per night on an as-needed basis only. The current price for a respite
bed represents an approximately 25% increase from two years ago,when the cost was $108 per night.
Hope House is currently undergoing a significant change in how it operates. The low-barrier shelter,servesabout 100
women each night,is scheduled to shut down by June 30 of this year. Respite beds at thatlocation remain and likely
increase in numbertogenerate the income needed to keep the facility open. This may include changing the model to
include respite beds for men at the facility as well. VOA staff has already been reduced to reduce the operating budget.
The only other low-barrier shelter for women operating in Spokane County currentlyis the Women’s Overnight Program,
one of the scatter-site shelters in the City of Spokane’s shelter system. This overnight-only shelter recently opened and
has a maximum capacity for 30 individuals. The shelter is managed by Jewels Helping Hands and is only accessible through
areferral.
Staff will present historical usage data and discuss the potential to renew the shelter bed contracts. The current contracts
for shelter beds expireJune 30, 2025.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:Information and Discussion
STAFF CONTACT: Eric Robison, Homeless & Housing Coordinator
ATTACHMENTS:None
AGENDA ITEM 8
10210 E Sprague Avenue |Spokane Valley WA 99206
Phone: (509) 720-5000 |Fax: (509) 720-5075 |www.spokanevalleywa.gov
SPOKANE VALLEY HOMELESS HOUSING TASK FORCE
Meeting Date:April24, 2025
AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Affordable Housing RFP update
BACKGROUND:In 2021, the City received approximately $16 million from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery
Fund (“CLFR”) under the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”). Since 2021, the City Council has heldmultiplediscussions
about the use of CLFR funds and has allocated these funds to variouspurposes. One of the identified uses was to replace
revenue lost as a result of the pandemic. The City Council decided to use the corresponding amount of general fund
revenue towards other projects or community needs. On May 31, 2022, Council recognized thesignificant need for land
for affordable housing/homeless purposes and provided direction to allocate $6 million toward land acquisition, of which
$4 million was further designated to fund the Affordable Housing and Homelessness RFP projects awarded in May of
2023. The remaining $2 million was available for property acquisition for affordable housing/homeless purposes as
directed by Council. On February 27, 2024, Council reached consensus to acquire two parcels located at 228 S Carnahan
that encompass 1.35 acres. The property acquisition was finalized in late March 2024.
On July 23, 2024, Council provided input and reached consensus onthe preferred types of proposals and demographics
to be incorporated into a request for proposal (RFP) for affordable housing development on the available city-owned
property on Carnahan. The City also owns a 0.15-acre vacant parcel located at 4908 E 1st Avenue, which is very near the
Carnahan parcels, and is also zoned CMU. This lot was to be included in the RFP as an additional or optional parcel for
development.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
On October 29, 2024, the City released an RFP entitled Affordable & Market Rate Housing on City Owned Property to seek
proposals for the development of one or both parcels at the Carnahan area property locations. The RFP intended to
address the City’s commitment to providing affordable housing and homeownership opportunities. The written proposals
were due on January 17, 2025. The City’s RFP indicated that the Spokane Valley City Council desires to prioritize projects
targeting workforce housing, senior housing, and mixed income development, with an emphasis on creating
homeownership opportunities. A minimum number of units was not specified; however the development was to fall
under the category of either Permanently Affordable Homeownership or Affordable Rental Housing.
Respondents
The City received proposals from three respondents: 4420 N Best LLC, Habitat for Humanity-Spokane, and Millennium
nd
Ave property; Habitat for Humanity wasthe only
Northwest. All three proposed developments for the Carnahan and 2
st
respondent thatsubmitted a proposal thatincluded plans for the parcel on 1Avenue.
On March 24, 2025, 4420 N Best LLC requested to withdraw their proposal because they are unable to meet the
requirement to place low-income buyers into the proposed housing, nor the ability for buyers to resell the property due
to the same requirement.
Theapplicants presented their proposal to theCouncilat their April 1, 2025 meeting. The proposals for Habitat for
Humanity were ranked as the top proponent for both properties. On April 22, Council will discuss the selection of the top
ranked proposal for each property.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:Information and Discussion
STAFF CONTACT: Eric Robison, Homeless & Housing Coordinator
ATTACHMENTS: None