(The Center Square) – As Spokane pushes to grant a congregate homeless shelter $1.2 million despite the apparent lack of a competitive process, some on the city council are questioning whether that’s legal.
Last month, Mayor Lisa Brown proposed using the money to prevent Hope House, a women’s congregate shelter, from closing. According to a news release, the funding became available through contract renegotiations, resulting in savings and a surplus from the Trent Shelter.
Spokane Communications Director Erin Hut told The Center Square that the $1.2 million originates from pandemic relief funding. However, that funding usually is required to go through a competitive process, such as a Request for Proposals, which the city failed to do this time.
“Just looking for that kind of background information,” Councilmember Michael Cathcart asked, “[around] the lack of an RFP with regards to allocating $1.2 million to [Hope House].”
Council Policy Advisor Chris Wright asked Arielle Anderson, director of the Community, Housing, and Human Services Department, about the procurement process for the funding.
Non-competitive bids are allowed under certain conditions, but Wright said neither he nor the council was sure what provision the city is relying on to meet the funding’s legal requirements.
“My understanding is that these are cost savings from the decommissioning of [the Trent Shelter],” Anderson said, “in the original ARPA RFPs that have gone out, that those monies were allocated towards homeless services.”
Cathcart said the competitive process provides leverage for the city to know it’s getting the best value for the best service, which he can’t verify regarding Hope House due to the lack thereof; though, Volunteers of America, which operates Hope House, actually did apply through an RFP.
Spokane issued an RFP for $3.9 million in June, of which VOA received roughly $1.5 million across two projects. VOA initially requested an additional $1.3 million for Hope House but later withdrew the request, asking that the city direct any available funding toward its other shelters.
A committee agenda from last month indicates that VOA withdrew the request before Aug. 19; three days later, Brown proposed using the $1.2 million to save Hope House.
That $1.2 million for Hope House may still be required to go through a competitive process unless it meets some of the requirements that Wright alluded to in the meetings. The Center Square asked Hut which of those legal requirements the funding met but did not receive an answer.
Still, Hut previously told The Center Square that the $1.2 million comes from the same pool of pandemic relief as the $1.8 million initially intended to relocate the Compassionate Addiction Treatment facility — which Brown ultimately pulled — which also did not go through an RFP.
During the Monday meeting, Wright noted that the council asked the legal team to verify that the $1.2 million meets the appropriate requirements, though he didn’t have an answer yet.
The Center Square attempted to call City Attorney Mike Piccolo several times to verify the legality of the $1.2 million Hope House contract amendment but was unable to reach him.
“$1.2 [million] isn’t nothing; I mean, that’s more than 10% of the current [$10.9 million] deficit that we’re facing,” Councilmember Jonathan Bingle told Anderson. “$1.2 million, while this might be a noble cause, still might not be the best thing for us to do fiscally for the city.”
The city council will vote on whether to amend VOA’s Hope House contract to provide the $1.2 million during its upcoming meeting on Sept. 23.
