‘Tiny homes’ project in Spokane Valley stalled as nonprofit reorganizes

The nonprofit that planned to build a village of “tiny homes” in Spokane Valley is reorganizing after a series of disagreements with suppliers and volunteers.

The Inland Northwest Fuller Center for Housing, a faith-based group that works to end homelessness, technically ceased operations last July, about a month after announcing plans to build small, two-story wooden cabins for homeless people on a piece of church property just off Interstate 90.

But members of the nonprofit, including its former president, Ian Robertson, are still working with city officials to build tiny homes on that property.

“We’re still moving forward,” Robertson, who’s battling health issues, said in a brief phone call Monday.

The Fuller Center works internationally and is headquarted in Americus, Georgia. Its Inland Northwest branch is listed as “inactive” with the Washington secretary of state’s office, and its website, infullercenter.org, is defunct.

Nathan Lail is the pastor at Living Hope Community Church, which owns the property in the Valley. He wouldn’t disclose details but said there was “a huge falling-out” among the parties involved in manufacturing the tiny homes.

Spokane County tried to purchase a tiny home or “mobile cabin” for its Liberty Lake campground last year.

“In the course of the manufacture of said Mobile Cabin, certain disputes arose between The Inland Northwest Fuller Center for Housing and its various materialmen, suppliers and volunteers,” county officials wrote in a document this week.

For nearly a year, “repeated attempts” to contact “any representative” of the Fuller Center were unsuccessful, the document states.

Until Monday, the county had planned to rescind its contract with the Fuller Center. The contract now is being transferred to Wayne Frost, a Spokane Valley developer.

“At the end of the day they were able to work it out, which in my mind is the best-case scenario,” said Doug Chase, director of the county’s Parks, Recreation and Golf Department.

The county will rent out the tiny home as it does with other cabins at the Liberty Lake campground, Chase said. It should be finished next month, he said.

Janie Fales of Spokane Valley said she and other organizers are still working with the Fuller Center’s national headquarters. Although the project could take a year or more, she said they still plan to build cottages in the Valley.

They’ll be on skids rather than trailers, she said, to comply with city zoning codes.

“We’re just really excited to get back to the goal of solving homelessness.”