Spokane City Council rejects the Spokane Resource Center lease without a Plan B.

Less than three years after its inception, the future of a center that aims to connect people with social services like housing and vocational training has been bleak this week.

Amid efficiency and cost concerns, Spokane City Council on Monday rejected a proposed lease extension for the Spokane Resource Center’s space near the corner of Second Avenue and Arthur Streets.

There was no backup plan, so the vote confused the city and county leaders.

“I was a little surprised that four councilors voted against … I’m disappointed, but that was the vote,” said Breean Beggs, President of Spokane City Council.

It also baffled Mayor Nadine Woodward, who said the resource center continues to have positive effects through the pandemic.

“We’re trying to save as much as possible from the deal,” said Woodward.

The Spokane Resource Center opened in 2019 to meet people, e. The concept was to house more than a dozen agencies under a single roof, creating a single space where people could get access to the help they need.

The city council has already promised to finance the operation of the resource center through December, but has not agreed to a long-term lease for the premises. The city shares the cost with Spokane County and the Spokane Workforce Council.

State Housing and Urban Development named the Spokane Resource Center one of its multiple “EnVision” centers across the country when it opened. The HUD did not fund the EnVision centers, but created a template for it.

After a two-year pilot project, the Spokane Resource Center wanted to extend its lease until May 2023.

The monthly payment of $ 21,833 was to be split between Spokane County, the City of Spokane, and the Spokane Workforce Council, the nonprofit that oversees the operations of the Spokane Resource Center.

Spokane County’s commissioners signed the agreement, but Spokane City Council reluctantly.

Spokane councilor Lori Kinnear argued that $ 12 per square foot was not an unreasonable price to pay for the neighborhood, but said much of the space in the resource center facility was essentially unusable.

“I don’t envy their performance, that’s not the problem for me … Is this an inexpensive place for these services, given the real space and the amount of space we pay for and can’t use?” ”Asked Kinnear.

The leaders of the Spokane Resource Center, which was forced to provide social services in the midst of a pandemic that cut personal access last year, presented data on its effectiveness in a presentation to the city council this summer.

Beggs believes in the resource center. The Spokane Workforce Council coordinates the entire center, and the city only has to cover part of the cost. The new lease was intended to be split between the local partners, unlike the original lease, which was borne entirely by the city.

The Spokane Resource Center has served more than 6,000 customers since the pandemic began, according to Dawn Karber, chief operating officer.

But not everyone was wrong.

Kinnear suggested moving back to a more dispersed service model and using places like community centers that are already embedded in neighborhoods instead of a single resource center.

She also asked if there was ever a thorough review of the resource center’s first two years.

Karber referred questions about the effectiveness of the resource center to Spokane County officials.

Councilor Betsy Wilkerson also voted against the lease, citing concerns about the length. She also asked whether physical space is still necessary in the age of COVID-19.

“Lots of other vendors have been in this space offering services, but everyone is making contact with COVID now, so do we still have to be down there to have the same effect?” Asked Wilkerson.