The Spokane City Council has allocated $266,129 to open and operate a new warming center and pay expenses for an existing center.
The new center will serve young adults at the Westminster United Church of Christ.
The money will also pay some of the expenses for the Salem Lutheran Church facility.
Homeless advocates such as Alfredo Llamedo praised the council for putting more money toward shelters. But he also pushed for two more things. He asked for better transportation options to move people between shelters, especially disabled persons. And he asked for a facility where people could store their belongings in secure containers.
“I would urge that a separate facility, not one of the existing warming centers, be used for storage. Centralized location where these bins could be placed and have certain windows of time that people can access. You don’t have to open all the time. You could be open an hour in the morning, an hour at mid-day, an hour in the afternoon,” Llamedo said.
Kelly Keenan from the city Department of Housing and Human Services says the new Westminster warming center will open in about a week and serve about 25 people.
