Lighthouse Sues Wenatchee Over Revoked Soup Kitchen Permit

After losing its permit to operate its downtown soup kitchen in May, Lighthouse Christian Ministries is suing the City of Wenatchee in federal court, alleging the city unconstitutionally revoked its conditional-use permit.

READ MORE: Wenatchee Revokes Lighthouse Christian Ministries Permit

Lighthouse Claims Permit Was Revoked Unconstitutionally

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday morning in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Washington. It claims the city relied on misrepresented public safety data, cited easily correctable issues, and improperly blamed Lighthouse for incidents it could not legally or practically control.

"We served between 75 and 100 individuals a day," said Lighthouse Director Kolin Oliveira. “We’re just asking to serve our community without being punished for helping people who have nowhere else to go.”

Lighthouse is represented by the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm that has successfully litigated cases nationwide, including before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Attorney Christie Hebert said the lawsuit seeks a court order allowing the soup kitchen to reopen, as well as financial compensation. She also said Institute for Justice fought a similar case in Kalispell, Montana last year.

"Now, that homeless shelter is open," said Attorney Christie Hebert. "Lighthouse is seeking to do the same thing here."

Disputed Public Safety Data and Police Call Counts

According to the lawsuit, Lighthouse had an agreement with the city requiring staff to call 911 for any disturbances on the property and trespass offenders.

Litigation Fellow Riley Grace Borden said that the requirement inflated police phone call numbers later used by the city as justification for revoking the permit.

She also alleged the city divided downtown crime into "quadrants" and attributed all police calls within Lighthouse's quadrant to Lighthouse - regardless of whether the organization was involved.

"So if I get in a car accident around here, and I call the police, that would be attributed to Lighthouse," Borden said. "It looks like a huge amount of calls."

The city cited those figures when it revoked Lighthouse's permit in May, according to the lawsuit.

Lighthouse Christian Ministries served hot meals and provided a supervised space for Wenatchee's low-income and unhoused residents. In 2019, Lighthouse opened after spending $1.6 million to transform a warehouse on Columbia Street into a soup kitchen.

City Violations Cited in Permit Revocation

The City of Wenatchee said it revoked the permit due to multiple violations, including failure to implement a site management plan, operating outside permitted boundaries, blocked exits, and restricted parking access.

Borden disputed several of those claims, citing a security gate Lighthouse locked after safety concerns, which the city said needed to remain unlocked. She said Lighthouse unlocked the gate after the city raised the issue, calling it an example of the organization’s willingness to comply.

She also said Lighthouse leased a nearby parking lot without telling the city to prevent vehicles from blocking access to the building, but was later told it could not do so, despite the permit not explicitly prohibiting the lease.

"I think if they had told the City, it would not have made a difference," Borden said. "We're here because people in this city do not want the homeless to be able to go to the soup kitchen, and they were looking for any excuse to make that happen, and the City found its excuse."

The Institute for Justice claims several complaints came from politically connected downtown business owners.

Federal Lawsuit Seeks Reopening and Financial Compensation

The lawsuit seeks financial compensation for the $1.6 million renovation, ongoing property maintenance costs, and losses tied to food contracts Lighthouse may not be able to recover. Borden said cases like this typically take at least a year to resolve and could be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, with the possibility of reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.

Case Could Take Years and Reach Higher Courts

The suit argues the city violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process and equal protection clauses by treating Lighthouse differently than other conditional-use permit holders. It also raises a Fifth Amendment claim, asserting the permit revocation unlawfully destroyed Lighthouse’s property right.

NewsRadio 560 KPQ reached out to the City of Wenatchee, which declined to comment on pending litigation.