Wenatchee To Provide Upgrades At Site Of Homeless Pallet Shelters

The city of Wenatchee is spending almost $160,000 to make repairs and upgrades to infrastructure at the Wenatchee Rescue Mission.

The grounds of the Rescue Mission are being used for 43 small Pallet Shelters that'll provide low barrier housing for homeless people.

Community Development Director Glen DeVries says the site development for the shelter is mostly complete, but there have been some snags. "That work is almost complete," said DeVries. "It looks great. But there have been surprises along the way, unfortunately."

The city council has approved nearly $83,000 to provide power to the shower/restroom trailer at the shelter and install an ADA Ramp system to four ADA compliant Pallet Shelter units.

More than half, about $42,000 will go for trenching and electrical service to the shower/restroom trailer. An additional $23,000 will be used for the ADA ramp system. Also, there'll be close to $3,000 in other costs and $15,000 is being provided in contingency funds.

Separately, the city council approved $74,000 to help rebuild and upgrade the sewer system at the Rescue Mission, which will support the Safe Park 1 for homeless RVs and the Pallet Shelters.​

All the upgrades and improvements are being paid for by Capital funds within fund 117 of the city's Homeless Program. According the city staff, there will be no financial impact to city general funds or reserves.

DeVries says the city is heavily involved in homeless services being provided by the Rescue Mission. "About 87 percent of the Rescue Mission capacity is being used by city programs, or will be," DeVries said. "So, it's really important for the success of our program to get the system functional."

The 43 individual low barrier shelter units with 65 beds are manufactured by the Pallet Shelter Company of Everett. The Wenatchee City Council authorized the mayor to enter into a contract with Pipkin Construction for the site pre-preparation, utility-and infrastructure work at 1450 S. Wenatchee Ave. A contract for almost $744,000 was signed in September 2023.