Following the Moses Lake City Council’s Feb. 23 approval of the funding plan for HopeSource to acquire, remodel and manage the El Rancho Motel, city officials, HopeSource and current motel management are readying the site to be a shelter. And, it could open in May.

According to the council agenda, the contracted services last from March 1 to Sept. 30, 2022, leaving time for potential extensions for the 1214 S. Pioneer Way location at the city’s discretion.

The motel will be bought with the Emergency Shelter Grant, which is from Grant County and the Department of Commerce, as well as the Emergency Solutions Grant, from Grant County, said Moses Lake Housing & Grants Coordinator Taylor Burton. Those grants from the county to the city total $214,400, which is for acquiring the motel. HopeSource is chipping in with $353,000 for the total cost of $567,400. Another $235,000 from grants will go toward operation.

Since the motel already accepted vouchers for those experiencing homelessness from HopeSource, Grant County Housing Authority and the Salvation Army, HopeSource initially contacted El Rancho management about its potential as a shelter in September 2020, said motel district manager Linda Roscoe.

“If you own something, if it’s a correct price, it’s always for sale,” Roscoe said.

The purchase will be finalized within four weeks, Burton said.

At that time, HopeSource will begin remodeling the space into housing for families with children. Tentatively, this should take four to six weeks, said HopeSource Chief Operations Officer John Raymond. Assuming the entire process is snag-free, that leaves the potential to be running in May.

“It’s been months in the work to get it off the ground,” Burton said. “I’m really excited to have this resource be available to the population that needs it here soon.”

The project experienced some delays in February, as the council initially turned down the funding proposal, citing the need for more information. Through this, the homelessness committee never lost hope, Burton said.

“The opportunity was still there. It’s understandable that the council needed more information about the program and how it would operate and what the effect would be on the community and the surrounding area,” he said. “I think that we got a lot of really good information for the public as well for what this program really looks like and what the services really are going to be offered there.”

HopeSource has been “really proud” of Burton, City Manager Allison WIlliams and the council for identifying the problem and seeking solutions, said HopeSource CEO Susan Grindle.

“When we were in the depths of discussions on this, El Rancho now has unmonitored people living there that you should worry about,” Grindle said. “The city council said ‘let’s manage it’ and put in good management so that there is monitoring, there is guidance, there is improvement.”

HopeSource has established this management with an 83% success rate in Kittitas County and has been working in Grant County for almost eight years, she said. She looks forward to expanding those services.

“Our whole mission is to help people move out of (unshelteredness) into self-sufficiency,” she said.

For El Rancho staff, feelings are mixed, Roscoe said.

“I love that motel. It was my mom and pop motel. I always called it my mom and pop motel,” she said. “I’m sad to see it go, but I’m sure it’s going to a good cause.”

Sam Fletcher can be reached via email at [email protected].