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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Sale of former Holy Names convent to Catholic Charities finalized

The mostly-forested south bank of the Spokane River, east of the T. J. Meenach bridge in west Spokane is surrounded with signs to keep trespassers off the mostly natural area owned by the Sisters of the Holy Names Convent. Half the land, including the shoreline could be preserved with conservation futures funding while the rest of the land owned by the Sisters of the Holy Names is being sold to Catholic Charities, who will use it for housing. Photographed Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. JESSE TINSLEY jesset@spokesman.com (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
By Nina Culver nculver47@gmail.com

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary have finalized the sale of their former convent and some of their land on Fort George Wright Drive to Catholic Charities after first releasing details about the deal in January.

Catholic Charities intends to use the former convent for a new social services program called “Rising Strong” that aims to reduce the number of children removed from their homes by Child Protective Services, according to a news release from the sisters. The new program will be in partnership with the Empire Health Foundation, which provided $1.6 million to help purchase the facility. The overall purchase price has not been disclosed.

Affordable housing apartments are also planned for the site, which has long been zoned for high density housing. The purchase by Catholic Charities includes 34 acres of land and the Sisters of the Holy Names will be allowed to use office space and an on-site art studio rent-free.

The remaining 31 acres of property, including all the Spokane River frontage, will be sold to the Spokane County Conservation Futures program and protected from future development, the news release said.