A new $23 million project, dubbed St. Agnes Family Haven, is under development in west Spokane through a collaborative effort that will blend affordable housing with onsite supportive services.

Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington is partnering with Spokane-based nonprofit health care provider Frontier Behavioral Health for the 48-unit apartment project, which will be located at 2834 W. Sunset Blvd., says Alex Reynolds, vice president of housing outcomes at Catholic Charities.

Adding stable and supportive permanent housing in that area will meet a significant need for more affordable housing in Spokane's West Hills neighborhood, he says.

"We're looking at 24 units of affordable housing for families and then 24 affordable units for clients working with Frontier Behavioral Health," says Reynolds.

Spokane-based Architecture All Forms Corp. is designing the project. Spokane-based Inland Construction & Development Co., which does business as Inland Group, is the general contractor.

Preliminary development plans at the 2.4-acre property, located at the northeast corner of the Sunset Boulevard-Government Way intersection, consist of two three-story multifamily buildings with a combined total of 47,000 square feet and a separate community building, along with general site improvements. 

Residential units will be comprised of a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. Renovations also are planned at an existing onsite community building, located at 607 S. Government Way, which will provide updated office space for the headquarters of Catholic Housing Communities, he says.

The community building also will include residential amenities for residents, the details of which are still being determined, Reynolds notes.

The entire St. Agnes Family Haven project will cost about $23 million to develop.

Construction is expected to begin in August and take about 12 months to complete. The property is already appropriately zoned for the intended multifamily use, making the development process more straightforward, says Reynolds.

Funding for the multifamily development is expected to be secured in May through funds from Frontier Behavioral Health and Apple Health and Homes. Unlike some of Catholic Charities' other properties that are financed by low-income housing tax credits and have associated regulatory requirements, the alternative funding model with Apple Health and Frontier is designed to offer greater flexibility in rent and income limits for future residents, Reynolds explains.

"We want to provide affordable housing that doesn't come with quite the same restrictions as some of our other properties," he says. "We would like to see families with more variety of income levels at this property."