City shifts Rescue Mission monitoring after woman raises safety concerns

WENATCHEE — A woman who identified herself as Susie, originally from Texas, told the Wenatchee City Council this month that she no longer feels safe at the Wenatchee Rescue Mission, where she said she is currently staying after being unhoused in this community for four years.

“I’ve been beaten, robbed, and assaulted on multiple occasions,” Susie told the council during public comment at its Jan. 22 meeting. “I’ve reported it to the security officers. I’ve had things stolen from me there repeatedly, and there’s nothing anybody can do.”

She questioned why the city is paying for site management at the shelter while, in her experience, safety and basic conditions remain unresolved.

“What am I to do?” she asked. “What would you do if it was your mother or your father or your son or your daughter?”

Susie said she has worked for 35 years, is now on Social Security disability after battling cancer, and has been unable to secure housing despite repeatedly applying and having no eviction history.

“I’ve never missed rent. I’ve never been evicted. I’ve never broken the law in Wenatchee,” she said.

After her comments, Mayor Mike Poirier invited her to follow up by email so the full council could review her concerns.

Later in the same meeting, councilmembers approved a change in how the city oversees on-site monitoring at the Wenatchee Rescue Mission, shifting responsibility away from a private security contractor and into the shelter’s own operations.

Under the approved contract amendment, the city will end its agreement with Allied Universal, a private security firm that currently provides on-site monitoring, and instead fund site monitoring through the Wenatchee Rescue Mission itself at a cost of about $11,562 per month. The change is expected to save the city roughly $4,000 per month, or about $48,000 per year.

City staff said the shift is intended to better integrate monitoring into the shelter’s daily operations and performance expectations, including more consistent tracking of who is on site each night and closer alignment with the city’s broader homelessness response goals.

The monitoring role would be observational only. Shelter staff would be responsible for watching activity on the property and contacting RiverCom if criminal issues arise, rather than intervening directly.

City officials said the change also creates an opportunity for the Rescue Mission to employ people who are moving through its transitional housing and employment programs, though that is not a requirement of the contract.

The amended agreement runs through the end of 2026 and will be evaluated as the city continues to assess how well the shelter is meeting safety, accountability, and operational goals.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media