• City of Vancouver is operating as a Contractor for Clark County District Court as the administrative and fiscal agency for the Community Court program in addition to providing prosecutorial services for City cases referred to Community Court.
• The proposed space use agreement provides District Court a location in which to operate the Community Court program now that the previously donated Recovery Café location is no longer available.
• The location is within the City’s Zhen Building, which is owned 60% by the City Water Fund and 40% by the City General Fund.
• The suite being rented has been vacant for 7.5 months with a market rent rate of $10 per square foot. The City and District Court will share the cost of the space with the County paying $6/per square foot, all of which will be allocated to the Water Fund, and the City contributing the balance.
• The City and District Court will cooperatively furnish the space with existing surplus property inventory. The City will make minor space and electrical modifications and necessary repairs before the Community Court sessions begin in the new space.
• The term of the space use agreement aligns with the Community Court Professional Services Agreement, through the end of 2024, with the option to renew or extend upon mutual agreement of the parties.
• Staff is requesting to amend the existing Professional Services Agreement with Clark County District Court for Community Court to add the proposed space use agreement for the location of Community Court services.

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In November 2023, Council ratified the City Manager’s Declaration of Emergency related to homelessness. One of the recommended strategies for addressing the emergency was to increase Community Court capacity. Recovery Café has been donating the use of their space for Community Court, as well as lunch for the participants each week, since the program launched in April 2023. However, Recovery Café is unable to accommodate the change in capacity and schedule, and their space is no longer available to Community Court as of July 1, 2024.

The space needs required by the Community Court program are unique. City Staff have identified the following criteria that would be needed for an ideal location:

 (A) Low barriers to participants: accessibility for people with varied physical abilities and mobility needs, as well as avoiding buildings that carry historic institutional trauma;

(B) Functionality and flexibility: adequate space for multiple service providers while offering a semi-private location for court hearings;

(C) Affordable cost and public control: providing reasonable assurance of availability for program participants and service providers into the foreseeable future; and

(D) Compatibility with neighboring properties.

The City has a space available in the City-owned “Zhen Building” at 5107 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. that meets the unique needs of the Community Court program and also keeps the program in the same general area where it has been operating since opening, ensuring a smoother transition for participants. Market rent rate of the suite available for this use is $10 per square foot and has been vacant since November 2023. This City facility is owned 60% by the City Water Fund and 40% by City General Fund. This agreement proposes the sharing of the cost of the space between the City and District Court with the County paying $6 per square foot, all of which will be allocated to the Water Fund, and the City contributing the value of $4 per square foot from the General Fund. City Staff is recommending the approval of this amendment to the existing Professional Services Agreement, to ensure continuation of the Community Court program, as well as ensure the program can increase its capacity as recommended to address the homelessness emergency.

1. Ensures continuity of Community Court service provision.
2. Enables program to increase capacity to assist with addressing the declared homelessness emergency.
3. Continuation of a successful partnership between the City of Vancouver, Clark County, District Court, and numerous local service providers.
4. Meets the unique needs posed by the Community Court program.