Pendleton Neighbor 2 Neighbor prepares for year ‘round operations
By Terry Murry on Thursday, September 10th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Pendleton Neighbor 2 Neighbor Board of Directors is gearing up to operate the former warming station as a year ’round homeless shelter on Southeast Court Avenue. While the exact opening date is up in the air, a tentative one has been set.
“At this point, I believe we’re shooting for an opening date of Oct. 12, but that is subject to change,” newly-named Executive Director Kasandra Williams said.
In order to operate as a full-time center, the building has to meet the safety requirements for a residence. To speed up its initial opening, the Pendleton City Council declared an emergency in which it will be allowed to operate for 90 days.
That emergency can be extended, but Neighbor 2 Neighbor board member Dwight Johnson said that’s not their intent.
“The plan that the board of directors has is to, as soon as possible, get that building inspected,” Johnson said. “It can’t be inspected locally. A person has to come out from the state to tell us what needs to be done.”
When the building inspector position went unfilled, Pendleton contracted with the state to perform building inspections.
File photo of an interior shot of the former Pendleton Warming Center
Editor’s note: Williams and Johnson were guests on the September 9 KUMA Coffee Hour. The podcast of that show is available at Coffee Hour Podcast clips – Omny.fm.
