PO, motel to provide 2 rooms for homeless
Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 13, 2023
Another “tool in the toolbox” of short-term housing for Port Orchard’s homeless has been secured by the city in a new partnership with a local motel.
The City Council passed a resolution at its April 11 meeting securing rights to two rooms at the Vista Motel, located off Bethel Avenue. The rooms will be emergency temporary housing exclusive to homeless or vehicle-residing people, couples and/or families of Port Orchard.
The city would issue vouchers to homeless for a maximum three-night stay at the motel at a fixed cost to the city of $100 a night. During the stay, the city and Kitsap County’s Homeless Encampment Action Response and Transitions Program would work to find long-term solutions for the guests.
The agreement clarifies that once checked in the homeless are treated like any other guests and are subject to the same rules and regulations, even ejection from the property. “There are a list of rules related to drug use and visitors and cooking that are absolutes with the motel,” Mayor Rob Putaansuu said.
Councilman Fred Chang questioned whether the agreement specified how many times a voucher could be issued to a certain person or family within the timeline of a year, to which city attorney Charlotte Archer replied there would be no limit.
“Some agencies have those caps, but we do not,” she said. “We look at this as a last resort. The HEART coordinator has been very successful in locating folks when they’re willing to be located.”
Councilman Jay Rosapepe gave his approval but said he would like to keep the option open of expanding the program if deemed a success. “I believe what we’ve said as a council is that we will help people who want help,” he said, “and I know that we’ve run into situations where people have declined help…but I can also see that we may run into a situation at some point in time where we could have more than two people.”
The agreement is set to run through the remainder of 2023, at which point mutual agreement between the parties would be necessary to extend the service.
