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King Center gets a reprieve

By John Larson

Tacoma Weekly
jlarson@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: July 03, 2008

The King Center will remain open through the end of the year and city officials hope to have a long-term plan for the future of the homeless shelter on Tacoma Avenue by this fall. Tacoma City Council passed a resolution July 1 authorizing city funding through the end of 2008.

John Briehl, director of the city’s Human Rights and Human Services Department, discussed the matter during the June 26 meeting of Tacoma City Council’s Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee.

He proposed providing $53,487 to Martin Luther King Housing Development Association (MLKHDA) to allow it to continue operating the shelter to the end of 2008. The money would come from his department’s budget.

MLKHDA announced in May that it wanted to get out of operating the shelter on Tacoma Avenue.

Briehl said conversations continue with Catholic Community Services to take over operation of the shelter. He said he wanted to find an agency to take over “as soon as possible.”

He said Catholic Community Services is assessing what it would cost them to operate the facility. That agency is interested in offering case management to clients and increasing security if it takes over the shelter.

“We can’t push it faster than it will go,” Briehl remarked.

Briehl said his staff will closely monitor what MLKHDA spends in the final months it will operate the shelter. He assured council members that the agency would not be permitted “to front end and spend and leave the program in a lurch.”

MLKHDA has provided him with detailed financial records of the shelter operation.

Some of the money from Briehl’s department, around $12,000, will go toward needed repairs to showers at the shelter. He told council members that everything MLKHDA has requested money for is a legitimate expense.

The agreement can be ended with 30 days notice. The money will be distributed in six payments.

The news was met with relief by council members, who have been concerned the shelter was going to simply cease operations at the end of June.

“John, I want to thank you so much for finding a solution,” said Councilmember Marilyn Strickland.

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