Erin Hut, Communications Director, 509.625.6740
Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 1:06 p.m.
In partnership with the City of Spokane, Providence, Jewels Helping Hands, and Empire Health Foundation, a new medically-supported respite facility is opening next week at Westminster United Church of Christ. The Westminster Respite Facility will offer medically-supported respite and recuperative care to achieve stability for people with chronic and acute ailments. This location will have 30 beds and serve members of the Spokane community experiencing homelessness.
This location is part of the city’s new navigation center and scattered site homeless response model. This approach is focused on creating services and housing options that afford our unhoused community members the opportunity to stabilize and continue their journey to permanent housing.
Service providers and our local hospitals recognize the need to offer recuperative care in a non-hospital setting. This facility will relieve pressure on local hospital services by providing a supportive environment for people who may otherwise visit emergency rooms to receive services. This site will be an additional outreach site for the Providence Community Clinic supported by nurse practitioners, a behavioral health provider team, nurses, and clinical volunteers. Staff from Jewels Helping Hands, the site operator, have received training from Providence Community Health Education to support the care of guests
This site will not be a walk-in shelter and does not have outdoor areas for people to congregate. Additionally, this site will not be used for shelter surge capacity. All people receiving care at this site will be referred through the Providence Community Clinic and be subject to a background check.
“Providence has a mission to care for all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable. Adding medical respite beds ensures that patients experiencing homelessness, some of the most vulnerable patients we treat, have a safe place to heal,” said Providence Chief Executive Susan Stacey. “We are proud of this important work and thankful for the partnerships that have made this possible. We look forward to caring for our community members in the most appropriate settings.”
"This new site is a testament to what can be achieved through strong partnership and a shared commitment to our community,” said Mayor Lisa Brown. “By bringing together partners with a variety of resources and expertise, we will now be able to provide streamlined, tailored medical services to meet the unique needs of the individuals we serve."
“At Westminster, we say we’re a downtown church with a heart for Spokane,” said Kelly Cox, Westminster United Church of Christ Moderator. “Being a part of the solution along with these other partners is a mission critical for our church.”
“Homelessness in Spokane is a complex issue,” said City Council President Betsy Wilkerson. “This complexity includes individuals who require ongoing medical care. By implementing a scattered site program that addresses housing and medical needs, we can begin dismantling the intricate barriers related to homelessness in our community."
“I’m very excited about the opening of this medical respite facility,” said Council Member Lili Navarrete, District 2, Position 2. “This is exactly what the scattered site model intended: specialized facilities to serve various individuals with specific needs. The Westminster Respite site will provide a much-needed service in our city, and I’m proud to host it in District 2.”
“This is a major step forward that will help transform the housing and health care landscape in our city,” said Council Member Paul Dillon, District 2, Position 1. “I am thankful to our local partners for responding to our homelessness crisis with a medical respite facility. This collaborative approach will increase our capacity to provide the resources our residents need to meet their most basic needs as we work towards ending homelessness in Spokane.”
“As we’ve added scattered sites to the shelter system, we’ve recognized the need to provide a space that can support people in need of additional medical support,” said Zeke Smith, President of Empire Health Foundation. “We are grateful for our partners who have come together to serve this population, and we are confident that we can create a safe and supportive environment for our neighbors in need and the surrounding community.”
“Jewels Helping Hands is committed to filling gaps in our community as we begin to move the needle on homelessness through the scattered site model,” said Julie Garcia, Executive Director and Founder of Jewels Helping Hands. “We are looking forward to sharing our vision and the positive impact this will have where healthcare and homelessness intersect.”
On Friday, January 10, the new facility will be open to the public from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at 411 S Washington St. We encourage folks to visit and learn more about the facility and care offered during this time.
