Resident urges action as council approves Rescue Mission site-monitoring amendment

Linda Susan “Susie” Seward, who identified herself as homeless and staying at the Wenatchee Rescue Mission, told the council she has lived on Wenatchee Avenue for four years, endured assaults and theft, and has had difficulty accessing donated clothing and services. She asked the council to explain why a site manager is being paid what she described as about $11,000 per month and said she is now suicidal and seeking counseling.

Later in the meeting, staff asked the council to authorize a grant contract amendment with the Wenatchee Rescue Mission to move onsite monitoring in-house rather than using Allied Universal. Staff said the change would allow closer night-by-night tracking of who is on site, reduce off-site impacts, and tie monitoring to program performance measures and transitional-work opportunities for shelter residents. Staff estimated roughly $4,000 per month in savings relative to the previous security arrangement and framed the amendment as a one-year pilot through Dec. 31, 2026.

Councilmember Harold moved to authorize the amendment. The motion as read aloud in the transcript included a monthly cost figure of $11,562.98 commencing Feb. 23, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2026; the mayor’s readback in the minutes transcript contains a different numeric reading ($1,562.88 per month). The motion carried on a voice vote. The transcript does not show a roll-call vote or reconcile the numeric discrepancy.

The meeting record does not show immediate additional staff detail about how the in-house monitoring contract would address the safety and theft concerns Seward raised, nor does it record a response from Wenatchee Rescue Mission leadership at the meeting. The council and staff said they would monitor implementation and make course corrections during the contract year.

Next steps: the contract amendment is authorized to begin in late February 2026 under the stated one-year term; staff said they will be actively monitoring the pilot and may revisit terms based on outcomes.