Thrive International relocated all the families in their housing program before they move out of their Spokane location

SPOKANE, Wash. — Thrive International’s Spokane location will be closing at the end of this month, after the property owner decided to sell the building. But, before shutting down, staff members accomplished a critical goal: ensuring all 80 families living at the center found new places to stay.

Thursday night, the nonprofit through a goodbye party, marking the end of an era helping serve hundreds of refugee and immigrant families over the past four and a half years.

The celebration brought together families, friends, staff members and donors who wanted to acknowledge the organization’s impact on the Spokane community.

“[It’s] our way of acknowledging that this has been a place of a lot of joy and a lot of hope and a lot of healing for folks,” said Mark Finney, Thrive International’s executive director.

Paula Hodge, a single mother from Guyana who lived at the Thrive center with her daughter for six months, says when she first arrived at Thrive, she felt lost. “I was a little bit broken,” Hodge said.

Working with her case manager at Thrive, Hodge developed a plan that gave her direction and hope. “I had no plan. And when I talked to my case manager here, we made a plan for me. That I was comfortable with…. that fit my budget….and I also got a job,” Hodge said.

Although Hodge didn’t have time to save as much as she would have liked before moving, her case manager helped her secure a studio apartment in North Spokane. Now settled in her new home, Hodge reflected on Thrive’s broader impact: “They did a lot of work and they helped a lot of people. So, if it was time for them to go…. We can’t do anything about it, but just take the experience that we got with us.”

According to Thrive’s executive director, the 80 families who stayed at the center moved into various housing solutions. Some secured new apartments, while others entered housing programs like the one offered by Catholic Charities, located nearby.

Staff will spend the next week fully cleaning out and vacating the building. Thrive plans to relocate it’s women and youth programs to a shared office space at Knox Presbyterian Church.