American Indian Community Center makes plans for forever home

The American Indian Community Center is working to establish a 25,000-square-foot cultural and community center to provide comprehensive support and meet community wants.

The center was founded in 1967 by a group of Indigenous people who were sent to the Spokane area after the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, said Linda Lauch, Spokane Tribe descendant and the center’s executive director.

The law sought to dissolve tribal sovereignty and encourage Native people to leave the reservations and assimilate into mainstream society. Tribal citizens, Lauch said, were sent to metropolitan areas to find jobs and go to school. However, there was no support available when they arrived, leading to the birth of Indian centers across the U.S.

Since its opening, the AICC has moved 11 times. Lauch has worked at the center for 40 years and has been involved with nine of those moves, with the last being in 2020.

Securing land

In 2023, the center utilized a Gathering of Native Americans, a culturally based planning process, to answer two questions: “What is great about the American Indian Community Center?” And, “Where can we improve?” There were two GONAs, one for the community, another for center staff and board members.

“One of the things that people talked about was that several years ago, like 25 years ago, we were in a building that had a big space that people could use for funerals, dinners and big meetings,” she said. “And we didn’t have that since probably 2001.”

Lauch said the GONAs showed that the AICC wanted a space of their own and the community wanted a space where they could hold ceremonies and be part of a community center rather than a service organization.

Karen Stratton, Spokane Tribe descendant, capital campaign manager for the project, said Spokane City Parks & Recreation set up different locations for them to look at for a place for their permanent home. A spot near the confluence of the Latah Creek and Spokane River was the last one they looked at. They signed a 50-year renewable lease with the parks department.

Services for urban Natives

The AICC serves families and individuals experiencing homelessness, parents navigating through poverty and people rebuilding their lives after experiencing crises. Their services include workforce employment and training, crisis intervention and case management for elders and families, a food bank, Indian Child Welfare programs and behavioral health, among others.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, urban Natives (who make up more than 70% of all Indigenous people) are 1.7 times more likely to be unemployed than non-Natives with a 20.3% poverty rate.

The center, which serves more than 10,000 Indigenous citizens in Spokane, also provides spaces where Native families can gather, honor tradition and come together for powwows, funerals, ceremonies and community events.

Phase 1

The first phase of the project will construct an expanded food bank, which will add more infrastructure and storage, along with a space for family and children’s services.

Stratton described how on days when new food was brought in for the food bank, there would be a line of people waiting to get food. On days when they ran out, she said there would still be half a line left.

Lauch said the food bank needs the most space right now with a walk-in cooler and freezer, loading dock, shelves and other things to meet community needs.

The improvements seek to expand access to food programs, crisis intervention and case management for elders and families.

Phase 1 will also include space for offices, which Lauch said the AICC would move into and close their current location once the phase was completed.

“Although not perfect, it will be big enough for us to conduct business there,” Lauch said.

On March 20, Lauch announced the center secured $2 million in state funding for the project.

“As we move into spring, a season of renewal and possibility, may we carry forward the spirit of service, dignity, and compassion that guides our work,” Lauch said in a Facebook post. “Together, we will continue building a stronger future for all of our community.”

Their goal is to raise $16.5 million for the project. Lauch said they are working to raise money through reaching out to the tribes, writing grants, new market tax credits and donations.

Stratton hopes that the project will build community, adding they have worked with the Salish School of Spokane and Spokane Public Schools regarding the kind of programs they can share. These include outdoor environmental programs and salmon releases.

“I hope people will see the new Indian center as their Indian center,” Lauch said. “I would hope people come and not just come for services but come for classes, events, and use the Indian center for their family needs, funerals, weddings, dinners, giveaways, things like that.”

She added they hope to be a good neighbor in the community and provide services to the people who are camping out there, including possibly helping them find housing.