(The Center Square) – The Spokane City Council awarded Jewels Helping Hands a $1.7 million contract on Monday to operate Mayor Lisa Brown’s scattered-site homeless shelter model through March 2027. JHH will replace the Waters Meet Foundation, formerly known as Empire Health Foundation, in October as the new operator of the city’s Housing Navigation Center. Unlike WMF, JHH will not have the authority to contract with providers to open shelters using city funds. The navigation center essentially refers individuals to other emergency shelters and services after they complete the intake process. Cathcart said that Houston was constantly referring people to providers without clogging up the navigation center and reaffirmed his ongoing concerns in Spokane.