A new Crosswalk Youth Shelter for Volunteers of America Eastern Washington & North Idaho is nearly complete, at 3024 E. Mission, in Spokane's Chief Garry Park neighborhood.

The new facility — a three-story, 45,000-square-foot building — is significantly larger and double the capacity of the 2,500-square-foot Crosswalk Youth Shelter currently operating at 525 W. Second, downtown, and is designed to offer expanded services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, says Wendy Alderson, director of shelter services at VOA.

The building features a 25,000-square-foot main floor with an 18-bed primary shelter space that will also house all of the youth and young adult programs.

VOA programming includes an inreach team that works as a diversion program within systems of care, such as with schools or the juvinile justice system. Additionally, VOA hosts foster serving programs, rapid housing and transitional living house programs, substance use programs, and a street outreach program.

The 18 licensed shelter beds on the main floor will occupy two separate rooms with nine beds each. The building also incorporates a testing center where youth enrolled in GED courses can test on two computers with an onsite educator.

Having a dedicated space for educational purposes will reduce barriers for young people, Alderson says.

"They don't have to go to an extended learning center to test," she explains. "It's an environment where they can feel safe."

The remaining second and third floors have about 11,000 square feet of space each. The second floor of the building, dubbed Cannon Hall, hosts 18 private dormatory-style rooms for youth ages 16 to 20 who are enrolled in education and/or employment programs.

Cannon Hall is a new concept for VOA, which has never offered a program like this before, she says.

"This is something really needed in our community," says Alderson."Those 16- and 17-year-olds don't have any place to go. They can't get an apartment and they just can't get into housing essentially. So this was just a really big need for our kiddos that are needing a little bit more stability."

The dormatory-style units on the facility's second floor will be temporarily occupied by young mothers, ages 16 to 18, and their children, while their maternity group home accommodations at VOA's Alexandria House work through a six-month to year-long renovation project to upgrade the property, at 2236 W. Pacific.

"They're going to use that space so we don't have to relocate all the moms and their babies to a different community," Alderson says.

Construction of the $22 million development was originally expected to begin summer 2024, however pandemic-related construction cost increases required the organization to find more funds to complete the project.

"It pushed us out like a year," Alderson says, adding that construction of the shelter began September 2024.

Volunteers of America is working to secure additional funding for certain spaces in the new facility, such as the second floor dormatories, she says.

About 120 of the organization's 170 employees will relocate to the third floor of the Crosswalk Youth Shelter, where built-in offices, a kitchenette, community gathering and seating areas, and three large conference rooms to meet with community partners occupy the 11,000-square-foot floor.

Outside of the building features open green spaces, basketball hoops, and several hangout and seating areas that were designed based on client feedback.

"It's really intentional to get their voices heard because it's their space ultimately; their space to feel safe and bring in those things that make it a safe environment for them," she says.

Preliminary tours of the new building have generated excitement among community members and clients.

A ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication is scheduled today, Aug. 28, and a move-in date for the youth shelter is set for Sept. 22, she says.

The imminent grand opening of the facility took eight years of planning to accomplish and included a significant amount of youth input, says Alderson.

"The design of the building is modern, but also with a twist with fun furniture and community space," Alderson says. 

As previously reported in the Journal, Architecture All Forms Corp., of Spokane, designed the shelter. Inland Construction & Development Co., also of Spokane, is the contractor.

Spokane-based office furniture store CDA Washington LLC, which does business as Contract Design, is working with VOA on the furniture selection, design, and layout at the facility.

CHAS Health is located directly in front of the new shelter, at 3002 E. Mission, and is a close partner with VOA. CHAS will provide nursing, dental, and medical care, and help administer street medicine services for wound care, designed to be easily accessible to the youth experiencing homelessness.

The current Crosswalk shelter has recently been sold to fund VOA's programming, she says, adding that the organization will continue operating at the downtown property through September.

"I can't wait to see their faces ... when they walk in the building. It's going to be the best day ever," Alderson says.