The Vancouver City Council has taken a significant step in addressing homelessness by agreeing to purchase a $1.3 million metal building to serve as a future homeless shelter.
This decision follows the city’s acquisition of 3 acres, which includes the former Naydenov Gymnastics building located at 5313 N.E. 94th Ave.
As the demolition of the old gymnastic facility, which was plagued with mold and costly repairs, begins, the steel supplier BlueScope will begin constructing a metal shell designed to house at least 120 beds for individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness throughout Clark County.
City officials, including Jamie Spinelli, the city’s homeless response manager, stated that renovating the old building would have been more expensive than starting anew.
Initially, city staff entertained the idea of a fabric tension structure, a commonly used option for temporary events, but opted for a metal building that offers enhanced durability, fast construction time, and cost-effectiveness, according to Kevin Kearns, the city’s project manager of the shelter.
City staff emphasized the need for the shelter to convey permanence, as the ongoing homelessness crisis in Clark County shows no signs of resolution.
Kearns remarked, “We are supporting this problem until we’re able to address this in a satisfactory way.
We wanted it to be representative of the importance that the city’s putting on this.”
The shelter is referred to as a ‘bridge shelter’ by city officials, highlighting its purpose of transitioning individuals from homelessness to stable housing.
Expected to be the largest homeless shelter in Clark County, it is a crucial element of the city’s emergency declaration aimed at addressing unsheltered homelessness.
Tragically, last year, at least 53 homeless individuals lost their lives in Clark County, highlighting the critical need for immediate shelter solutions.
Currently, availability of shelter beds remains extremely limited, with Vancouver hosting the majority of Clark County’s homeless population due to the city’s accessible resources.
In a recent development, the Clark County Council, which initially opposed funding for the bridge shelter, has now agreed to contribute $2.1 million from the county’s mental health sales tax funds to the project.
Kearns expressed appreciation for this funding, stating, “I think that we all feel that those supports have been important.
Certainly, we just need the cash, but as important has been the validation and the recognition about the ongoing need.”
The total cost to acquire and construct the homeless shelter is now projected to reach $20 million, approximately $4 million more than the city’s initial estimates, according to Vancouver Budget Manager Shannon Olsen.
To address this financial requirement, the city has approved a 0.1 percent business and occupation tax on retailers.
Spinelli emphasized that the shelter’s service area will include all county residents, not only those within Vancouver’s limits, aided by the county’s funding.
“This is a very good step, because the project itself really allows us to collectively serve a group of people versus … ‘This is mine. This is yours,’ ” she noted.
Ultimately, for those experiencing homelessness, geographical boundaries are irrelevant; their immediate need is shelter.
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