Kent Council to consider increasing Shepherd’s House warming center support

Kent City Council is poised to increase its contribution to Shepherd’s House by $4,000, bringing the city’s yearly contribution to $12,000.

The warming center at Shepherd’s House receives guests when the mercury drops below 20 degrees. According to an agreement crafted last year between Kent and Shepherd’s House Executive Director Anne Marie Noble, the city would pay $50 for each person brought from Kent for night-only stays and $250 for people who remained there during the day.

Kent is the only community that reimburses Shepherd’s House for warming center guests: council last year agreed to set aside $8,000 for that purpose. The 2024-25 winter being especially harsh, the actual cost was $17,650.

From late December 2024 through February 2025, the warming center served 18 people from the city of Kent. Some stayed only for the night; others remained through the day. The center forwarded its $17,650 bill to Community Development Director Bridget Susel, who divided that figure by the actual number of below-20-degree days (37). Her answer: Kent should prepare itself to pay $477 a day.

Then, she averaged the number of below-20-degree days since the 2022-23 season at 24: $477 x 24 = $11,449.

Susel noted that the city provides grants to numerous nonprofit agencies. The goal, she said, was to offset “some of the costs” the agencies were already providing, not to wholly fund them. Shepherd’s House provides warming center services regardless of the number of days assistance is offered or if Kent is providing grant assistance, she said.

Council will consider approving the additional $4,000 when it meets May 21. Should it decide to do so, $12,000 will go forward as an annual appropriation in Kent’s future budget proposals.