See inside 1st of a kind Tri-Cities homeless housing delivering a ‘whole different life’

The first year Bishop Skylstad Commons was open in Pasco, residents grew a variety of food in the garden. This year, they planted flowers.

As they became more comfortable in their new home, they began to take ownership. They decided to do something nice for themselves and each other.

It’s just one way that these formerly homeless residents are building a sense of community after the Catholic Charities supportive housing initiative helped them find a sense of security and stability.

Dominic Vizcarra said he first grew some carrots in the community garden, then as he settled in, he planted some pumpkins to share with his new community for Halloween.

This year he wasn’t quick enough and all of the planters were filled with peppers, tomatoes, corn and flowers before he could decide what he wanted to grow.

There’s even what appears to be a future Christmas tree growing in one of the planters. He’s still helping tend the crops though.

Vizcarra told the Tri-City Herald that this year the residents weren’t so worried about using the garden solely as a resource to ensure they had enough to eat. They wanted to also add some color to their new home.

That might seem like a small thing, but when these residents moved in a little over a year ago, some were so unused to feeling safe that they were pitching tents in the living rooms of their new apartments.

A place to call home

The $16 million Catholic Charities endeavor is named for retired Spokane Diocese Bishop William Skylstad.

The new 60-unit housing complex is aimed at providing opportunities for chronically homeless people. It has 27 studio apartments and 33 one-bedroom units. They’ve been open for about a year and a half.

The apartments are completely income based, and tenants can live there as long as they need to.

Catholic Charities has more than two dozen other facilities with about 2,600 units in the region. But the Pasco facility is the first of its kind in the Tri-Cities.

Bishop Skylstad Commons is the 14th Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington permanent housing tax credit project they’ve launched in the past 11 years.

While Catholic Charities works with the diocese, they are not actually part of it. They are an independent nonprofit serving all of Eastern Washington.

The Tri-Cities facility offers a variety of services for residents including case management, mental health and substance abuse treatment, access to primary care, education and employment readiness, food preparation and nutrition classes and support groups.

This type of community, called supportive housing for the wraparound services they offer, is one of the most cost effective ways of lifting people out of homelessness and keeping them from falling back into it, according to data from the Washington Department of the Commerce.

But one of the most important things it’s offered residents is a chance to build community.

Overcoming obstacles

Catholic Charities Program Coordinator Jamie Christensen said it can take 6 to 12 months for residents to transition and begin to feel truly comfortable.

Christensen said it can be hard for someone who has been on the streets for years to adjust. She recalls one client only being able to feel safe by using a tent in their unit at first.

“They had been on the streets for probably 15 years and had never in their whole adult life had the possibility of closing a door behind them,” she said. “So even though they’re offered a bed and a dresser and all that stuff, we have people that come in and pitch a tent in their living room because that’s what safety means to them.”

“Being able to lay down at night on a hard floor because a mattress is uncomfortable, because that’s not what their body is used to, and being able to zip that (tent) door is where they find their safety,” she continued. “So it’s definitely emotionally hard. It’s a huge adjustment for people, it’s a whole different life.”

Once they begin to make that adjustment though, the organization has almost everything they can need to rebuild their lives on hand, or will help connect residents with a service if they don’t have it in-house.

They’re at a 92 percent participation rate, she said. That means nearly every resident is engaging in some way, whether that means integrating with the community, participating in group and community events, working with their case worker or looking for a job.

Those services aren’t just for the residents. Supportive Housing Coordinator Allicia Chalmers said that they’re working hard to get the word out that they’re here for anyone who needs help.

Chalmers said they recently had a pregnant woman come in looking for help and were able to get her set up with emergency housing, set up for services and medical care so that she had stability by the time her baby came.

“We’re trying to expand our outreach efforts and get our name out in the community,” Chalmers said. “We want people who are in need in the community to know they can come here.”

In addition to calling or coming by on weekdays, staff also sets up at the Pasco library on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Growing a community

Since the facility opened in March 2023, they’ve also kept nearly all of the 60 units full. Once residents have been there for a year they can choose to move out and take their housing vouchers to a new apartment.

On a Monday afternoon earlier this month, residents came and went, chatting with staff about services or hanging out talking and listening to music together on the computers in the community space downstairs.

Ricardo Garza said he waited six months for construction to be completed just to move in, and he’s glad he did.

“This is a good place to live, it’s peaceful and you get help in any way you need,” he said. “I would be still hunting for a place (if he didn’t get into Skylstad). Thank God I got this new place. It’s even better because it’s brand new. I’m the first person who’s ever lived here. I’m a neat freak, I’ve got to have everything clean and in its place.”

Vizcarra said having easy access to services and staff that will advocate for them makes everything so much easier.

“It helps a great deal, they’re wonderful. They’re here for a reason, that reason is helping us,” he said. “They care about each and every person that lives here.”

Chalmers said one of the things they’re most proud of is the way the residents have formed their own community and look out for each other.

“It’s a surprise because it’s not just us doing those things,” she said.

Vizcarra points to the garden as an encapsulation of the community they’re building together.

“Everyone here, they come together and help each other,” he said. “The plants out there. Everyone who lives here picks a spot and grows them something and every year I look forward to seeing them. We share them, any one of us can go out there and pick it.”

He also enjoys using the garden as a way to do something nice for his neighbors.

“The people here, we’re pretty close,” Vizcarra said. “Everyone here, they come together and help each other.”

Chalmers said the residents with cars also make sure those who don’t have a vehicle get a ride when they’re headed to a food bank or other service. One of her favorite things is the way the residents have started celebrating each other’s birthdays in the common space.

She said that sense of community isn’t a guarantee for residents, considering all they’ve gone through.

They hope that the success Catholic Charities is seeing in Pasco will lead to other similar projects in the Tri-Cities.

They have a similar facility aimed at families in Spokane, called Gonzaga Haven . It’s a partnership with Gonzaga Preparatory School and offers services for both parents and children. They’ve also got their own playground and splashpad.

“We hope so,” Christensen said. “The need’s there, let’s build.”