Spokane pastor on brink of homelessness 3 months after trying to start a homeless shelter

October 11, 2022 7:07 PM

Posted: October 11, 2022 7:07 PM

SPOKANE, Wash. — A pastor who sought to begin a homeless shelter near downtown is now facing the possibility of becoming homeless himself.

Ronald Nelson, the lead pastor of God’s Love International, sold his home in Deer Park over the summer. He used the money earned from his house to help pay for six months worth of rent, and a hefty security deposit on a building on 2nd Ave and Monroe.

“$103,000 for the up-front rent of the property, with a $40,000 security deposit that’s basically non-refundable,” Nelson said.

He spent the rest of the money on food, cooking supplies, beds, and a security system to manage crime frequency. That’s before rent.

“Rent alone is $8,900 per month.”

When it’s all added up, it’s roughly $15,000 per month to operate this structure for Nelson’s intended purposes.

Feeling confident that they were ready, Nelson opened the doors to the public in August; at one point feeding and housing more than 75 homeless people.

But then, a problem arose.

The use permit for Nelson’s building is for an office space, not a homeless shelter. This distinction put Nelson in violation of several city codes, including multiple fire and health codes.

“We knew there were people in there,” said Kirsten Davis, Communications Manager with the City of Spokane. “So we did an on-site visit to see what was happening. And it was obvious that there were life safety issues we needed to take action.”

The City promptly vacated the premises. Fire suppression and smoke alarm systems were among the several requirements Nelson was asked to acquire before being able to open his doors.

But Nelson is arguing that he’s operating this building as a shelter and that it’s protected by RCW’s.

An RCW in this instance allows for emergency exemptions when it comes to housing the indigent; it allows businesses more flexibility to navigate around city codes.

Should an RCW apply in this case, it would allow Nelson a five year window to install a fire sprinkler system, which would spare Nelson the enormous expense of immediately installing one.

The city however, doesn’t see it that way.

“He’s asked to use [the building] as a church, which is an A-3 and that is not exempt under the RCW,” said Lance Dahl, the City’s Fire Marshall. “And he’s asked to use it as a parsonage, which is a residential usage, which is not apart of this RCW.”

They say the RCW status doesn’t apply because Nelson was utilizing his building with mixed use; meaning the building wasn’t strictly being utilized to as a shelter, as it was also acting as Nelson’s residence.

The City says Nelson can apply for a different use permit that would allow him to operate this building as a shelter. But he would have to come into compliance with the codes he’s currently in violation of, and the building must remain empty.

Not only that, but because he’s not technically recognized as a shelter by the City, he’s unable to qualify for grants. And he’s quickly running low on money.

“At the end of the month, if things don’t miraculously change, if I don’t get funding miraculously somehow, I will be forced to vacate the premises,” said Nelson. “Give everything away, including my animals because I’m not going to take them into the back of my truck.”

He paid rent for the next six months, but he still needs to pay power, sewage, and other miscellaneous costs that help keep this building afloat.

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