Mayor Lisa Brown appoints Dawn Kinder as new Neighborhood, Housing and Human Services director

Filling out her administrative staff in the first week of her tenure, Mayor Lisa Brown has appointed Lisa Kinder as the new director of Spokane’s Neighborhood, Housing and Human Services division.

Kinder previously oversaw several other city departments in former Mayor David Condon’s administration and most recently was Chief Stabilization Officer for Catholic Charities Eastern Washington.

“Dawn is a proven leader who brings an extensive wealth of knowledge to this role,” Brown said in a statement – specifically pointing to her experience serving homeless families and individuals.

“Her experience in elevating housing standards, enhancing affordability, and improving public safety will be integral as we develop new strategies to tackle the housing and homelessness crisis in our community,” Brown said.

Kinder served as Director of Community, Housing, and Human Services from 2016 to 2018 and as Spokane Neighborhood and Business Services Director from January 2018 until the inauguration of former Mayor Nadine Woodward at the beginning of 2019.

In that latter role, Kinder oversaw eight different departments for the city, including the one she previously ran.

According to a city press release, Kinder focused on serving formerly homeless families and individuals, families involved in child welfare, and long-term hospital patients in her role at Catholic Charities.

The charity organization’s vice president of housing, Jonathan Mallahan, served on Brown’s transition team as she geared up for her first term last month.

He was also a former cabinet member under Condon.

While Brown led Washington’s Commerce Department, the state agency approved $14.8 million for a Spokane-based project of Catholic Charities in Eastern Washington. These funds were used to purchase and renovate a former Quality Inn on West Sunset Boulevard.

The building now houses Catholic Charities’ Catalyst Project, an emergency supportive housing program for those experiencing homelessness. In her role at the nonprofit, Kinder helped oversee the housing program.

The Catalyst Project served as a stopgap for many homeless people after the Camp Hope homeless encampment began to close.