New Salvation Army Tri-Cities facility will help low income, at-risk families thrive

The Salvation Army Tri-Cities expects to start construction on a new Pasco facility, the Salvation Army Tri-Cities Community Center, within the next five years.

It’s been a long time coming. The land was purchased in 2003 with the vision to have programs and services operated out of the two existing buildings combined under one roof.

Staff told the Tri-City Herald that a needs assessment was completed in 2019.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, it put the building project on pause.

The next phase of the project is a feasibility study to explore fundraising and determine how the project will be funded. That process should begin in early 2025.

An estimated cost for the building is not yet available.

The Pasco-based organization serves 550 families each month. The majority of people served are Hispanic and white.

The new building site, located on 4.5 acres at 20th Avenue and Lewis Street in Pasco, will be next to the Bishop Skylstad Commons housing operated by Catholic Charities Eastern Washington .

The Salvation Army plans to collaborate with Catholic Charities. The housing facility currently provides affordable, permanent housing for up to 60 people with on-site support services to address the needs of those experiencing chronic homelessness.

The current Salvation Army facilities were built in the early 1940s and are not ADA compliant. The new facility would replace the Pasco locations at 310 N. Fourth Ave. and 303 W. Clark St., which would later be sold.

“With the age of these buildings and the plans for the new building, the square footage is fairly close to the same,” said retired Major Bill Dickinson. “So operational and maintenance costs will be the same or less when we go into an energy-efficient building.”

The future 20,000-square-foot facility will have some new features, including a hygiene area with showers, laundry services and an expanded choice pantry.

The organization currently has a choice pantry at its Fourth Avenue location. A choice pantry is a food pantry where people can find and choose their own foods, a shift away from food box distribution.

Since late 2023, the choice system has helped mitigate food waste because people can select foods they are more likely to eat based on their cultural preferences.

“The Salvation Army is moving this direction all over the country,” Dickinson said. ”It’s more cost effective for us, better for the client and leads to less waste. The makeup of the community is so diverse and their cultural food needs vary greatly.”

The new facility would also have a commercial kitchen, chapel, classrooms and administrative offices. It will feature at least two outdoor areas, including a play area for children and sports field.

One new addition is contingent on money for the project — an approximately 8,000-square-foot gym that would be open to the public.

“We serve all of Tri-Cities,” said Roberto Guerrero, business administrator for the Salvation Army Tri-Cities. “We see the need here. If people can’t find the resources somewhere else, they come to the Salvation Army.”

“Access to the new location will be right between the two bridges. It can connect all of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco.”