Frequently Asked Questions

Updated Q & A found here

Questions from LC Valley Residents

When the sleep center is operational, will there be a separate building right away that has bathrooms, showers, and washer and dryers? If not, what will be provided for those services?

Bathrooms would be in place from the beginning, either a portable or fixed. Showers, in the future depend on location.

What is going to be used for a heat source in each hut? Who will pay for electricity use, water, sewer, and garbage services. Janitorial service?

There is no heat source or electricity in a Conestoga hut.

What plots of land are you looking at for possibilities right now?

We are interested in parcels of about 1.1 to 1.2 acres. No parcel has definitely been identified.

Have you considered purchasing the old motel in Clarkston instead of pods? What would be the disadvantages of purchasing an existing building vs a plot of land for sleep pods.

We are looking at vacant land as a place to locate a Sleep Center.

Did you get estimates for fixing up the current jail for homeless use?

No. We are looking at vacant land.

In the initial start-up of this, how long can each occupant stay in a hut without improving their situation? (Schooling, counseling, IDs, employment, volunteering, etc.)

An occupant can stay in the hut as long as needed. How long that is depends on each individual situation.

Will there be health and safety inspections of the huts? How often?

Yes. Routinely by staff/trained volunteers. As designated and required by ACHD.

Will there be any type of separation between the huts women are in vs the ones men will be in? Will you require background checks?

Huts would house 1 person or a couple, each individually lock. No background checks required to stay.

How will you ‘control’ the amount of personal items each person can have? Unlimited? Basic needs only?

Rules of staying on site dictate the amount of personal belongings. People would be able to keep what
would fit in each huts attached storage space & one tote, nothing more.

What will be the initial operating hours? Where will they go during closed hours? Where will their personal items be stored or will those items need to go with each person?

We initially plan for an overnight Sleep center, open in the evening and closing in the morning.

Are the sleep huts going to be on a first-come, first-served basis nightly? What will you tell the ones waiting that will not have a hut for the night? Will you be using a waiting list style of admission? Will the hut be saved for the person that had it the night before?

The same individual can stay in the same hut. Conestoga huts are assigned as they become available.

We understand the homeless can come in drunk and high with no questions asked to sleep, as long as they don’t have drugs or alcohol on them. How will you ensure no drugs or alcohol will be brought in? Searches? Good faith?

The Sleep Center will be low barrier. Although the Sleep Center prohibits alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drugs on site, we do not test for use off site. Admission is behavior based. If you are peaceful and obey the rules, you are admitted. If you violate rules, you can be excluded.

How will you ensure the health safety of all? Blood tests for communicable diseases? Vaccination requirements? Initial health examination?

Individual huts as opposed to congregate living dramatically improves health and safety for residents. Mobile health units, such as Chas and the health department can provide certain vaccines for those interested and outreach providers can assist individuals in connecting with primary care, as they currently do.

Do you have janitorial services set up? Regular cleaning and sanitizing of the bedding and huts?

No site has yet been located.

Will you have a system of keeping track of who is in each hut every night? Check in and check out system?

Yes.

For repeat offenders of the rules, when do they get excluded from the sleeping huts and for how long? Do you have any backup places for the troublemakers to go?

If people do not follow site rules, there will be consequences up to and including criminal charges if
warranted. Not following rules can result in being trespassed from the site for a set amount of time.

Will loitering be allowed on the outskirts of the facility?

We cannot control adjacent property.

Will the facility be secured during the night? What time will it lock and unlock, if so?

Yes. People would be able to leave, but not return if they did after certain hours.

A concern is that a woman could be assaulted by a man in the sleep center. How can you assure us this wouldn’t happen? Especially if someone is drunk or high and being allowed in for the night? A case like this could leave you open for a lawsuit.

We will provide locked huts for sleeping, providing more security than ordinary tents. There will be on-site security.

Will you monitor who goes into who’s hut? Will this be allowed?

Residents may not visit each other’s huts between the hours of the overnight schedule. Men are not allowed inside the Women’s Overflow room and women are not allowed inside the Men’s overflow room.

Many have dogs. Will they be allowed to have their dog(s) with them? How many dogs will be allowed in each hut?

One dog per person. Site will have rules associated with companion animals.

Is this sleep center sue-proof? What could happen to cause another lawsuit? (You don’t need to answer this one. Just food for thought. Cover all your bases.)

Nothing is “sue-proof”. The ACAU is not being sued, the City of Clarkston is being sued.

Other FAQs

What is a sleep center?

Based on examples from Walla Walla and Moses Lake, ACAU is considering establishing an overnight “sleep center” to provide shelter space. Typically, these sleep centers are located on vacant lots with units, such as small sheds or Conestoga-style huts, which can house one to two persons depending on the situation. The site will include mobile administration and shared restroom/shower facilities as well.

In addition to providing a safe sleeping space protected from the elements, the goal of these facilities is to provide information and connections for “wrap around” services for guests to address their employment, behavioral health, and substance abuse issues. ACAU and its partners hope to utilize the sleep center to help transition folks experiencing homelessness to more permanent housing solutions.

The individual units provide privacy, safety and dignity and have less risk of spreading communicable diseases (like COVID) compared to a congregate (large room) shelter design.

Why is a sleep center needed in Asotin County?

Levels of unsheltered persons nationwide and our community have risen steadily over the past years and decades. Neither the City nor County have historically provided emergency shelter space for unsheltered persons. Providing suitable emergency shelter can help people experiencing homelessness access with transitional housing and other services. Health outcomes are better for people with stable housing and a low-barrier shelter is often a first step.

Average cost with a sleep center v.s. without a sleep center?

The average cost of one night in jail if someone is arrested for trespassing is $72. That $72 does not include the cost of resources used such as law enforcement response, court, etc. Once the new jail is built, that number will increase to around $120. Based on the Walla Walla sleep center model, the average of a sleep center is $11.60 per person per night.

Where would the money come from to run a sleep center?

ACAU is working to fund a sleep center through local document recording fees from the County that are designated to address homelessness. In addition, ACAU will undertake fundraising efforts and seek donors, and apply for grant funding.

What would you get from a sleep center in Asotin County?

A sleep center would be a managed site with security for the unhoused to be during operating hours. The site would have rules to follow and provide a place for individuals to be while they transition into stable housing. With a sleep center, public camping ordinances can be enforced.

Would there be staff and security?

A combination of operations and/or security personnel would be onsite during operating hours. In addition, the ACAU aspires to eventually co-locate additional service opportunities for guests by hosting providers from other community services organizations on-site during designated hours each week. The site would be fenced and only accessible to guests who check in to stay overnight.

What is homelessness?

According to the Kittitas County Public Health Department, homelessness is defined as “a person that has no permanent home”. This description can include people without a place to reside, people in persistent poverty, forced to move constantly, and who are homeless for even brief periods of time and people who have lost their housing due to personal, social, or environmental circumstances.

There are generally three categories of homelessness:

Chronic homelessness describes when people are homeless greater than a year, or experience four episodes in the previous two years of individual with a disabling condition
Intermittent homelessness describes when people are cycling in and out of homelessness or experiencing episodes of homelessness alternating with housing and institutional care (jails, hospitals, treatment programs).
Crisis homelessness describes when people are homeless once or twice (less than a year) due to an unexpected crisis such as job loss, divorce, or eviction.

Would the sleep center house families?

The sleep center is intended for adults only. Any youth under the age of 18 would be referred to the LC Valley Youth Resource Center or other appropriate locations.

Why do people become homeless?

A 2017 report by the Washington State Department of Commerce shows that increasing rents is the largest driver of homelessness. Washington State-based researchers have found that rental housing prices more closely correlate with homelessness rates than other variables such as poverty rates or drug use. Rents and rates of homelessness have been increasing in recent years across much of Washington State. Examples of events that can lead people to become homeless include:

Chronically Homeless

Mental health problems
Substance use disorders
Physical health problems
History of criminal justice system
Older age (44 years and older)

Crisis Homelessness

Loss of a loved one
Divorce
Eviction
Loss of employment
Domestic Violence

Source: Kittitas County Public Health Department

Why are so many people experiencing homelessness?

HopeSource, a nonprofit providing a range of human services in Kittitas County, provided several factors that may be correlated with the increase in people experiencing Homelessness over the past few years:

COVID Related Economic insecurity: The eviction moratorium, coupled with rent assistance through emergency rental assistance programs (ERAP), allowed many households to maintain housing due to financial instability. The end ERAP has left many individuals and families vulnerable to eviction. We are working to identify what number of the individuals identified as homeless were former ERAP clients.
Inflation and Cost of Living: Escalating inflation rates and the soaring cost of living have created additional strain on households already grappling with financial insecurity. The rising cost of housing, coupled with stagnant wages, has made it increasingly difficult for people to afford stable housing.
Job Insecurity and Wages: In our community, there is a lack of thriving wage employment, this paired with the increasing housing and living costs, have made it nearly impossible for minimum wage workers to maintain housing without support.
Affordable Housing Shortage: The scarcity of affordable housing options remains a continual challenge in our community. Affordable housing developers and funding sources are unable to keep pace with the growing demand, leaving many individuals and families without viable housing solutions.

What housing issues contribute to homelessness in Asotin County?

The primary cause of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. Simply stated, wages have not kept up with rising housing costs for the last several decades. Similarly, funding for those with mental illness or a physical disability lags behind increases in housing costs.
70%-75% of houses in the LC Valley are owned by individuals aged 55+ causing a limited number of houses available to others.

How big is the homeless population in Asotin County?

The Point-In-Time count is taken each year on a single day in late January. For Asotin County, the 2024 count was 125 unsheltered homeless individuals. This is 45 more unsheltered homeless individuals than in 2023, which had 80 unsheltered homeless individuals.
There are on average 13 chronically homeless individuals staying at Foster Park nightly.

What are Asotin County housing needs?

In 2021, the Washington State Legislature changed the way communities are required to plan for housing. The Washington State
Department of Commerce projected future housing needs by county. According to the Department of Commerce, Washington State will need 1.1 million new homes in the next 20 years. The Washington State Department of Commerce projects, according to the Housing All Planning Tool, that Asotin County will need 1,360 new housing units by 2044. It is also projected that Asotin County will need an additional 35 Emergency Housing/Shelter Beds by 2044.

How does poverty relate to homelessness?

A person working full-time in Washington State at the minimum wage of $16.28 per hour can afford $846 a month for housing. The median rent in Asotin County is $941. Asotin County Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a 1-bedroom is $860 and for a 2-bedroom FMR is $1,109. Individuals on disability receive $197 to about $1358 per month income.

What are the income limits in Asotin County?

Low Income (80%): Single Person $47,250, 2-Person Family $54,000, 4-Person Family $67,450

Very Low Income (50%): Single Person $29,550, 2-Person Family $33,750, 4-Person Family $42,150

Extremely Low Income: Single Person $17,750, 2-Person Family $20,440, 4-Person Family $31,200

Why focus on housing?

When you are homeless the hardest thing to find, and the most important, is a safe place to sleep. Without a good night’s sleep, it is almost impossible to solve any of your other problems. A Sleep Center goes a long way to relieving this barrier. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, basic needs (the first two tiers) must be met before an individual can achieve their full potential