Is Proposed Kennewick Sex Offender Home Dead in the Water?

The ongoing battle over a proposed Less Restrictive Alternative or LRA home for sex offenders in Kennewick may have taken a turn toward stopping.

Opposition Group Releases Information Thursday Evening

We have reached out to SOCT Save our Children Tri-Cities, a group with about 3,100 community members, created January 13th, 2026. The page was created to help opponents of a sex offender housing home at 5304 West 8th. Ave. in Kennewick.

We reached out for comment based on information they posted.

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We reported weeks ago as well as other sources, the home had been under contract (purchased) in December of 2025, despite having been planned for nearly a year.

Joe Fields operates a similar sex offender group home in Walla Walla, and has done so for a number of years. He had planned to open one in Kennewick and state law prohibited citizens, local and county government from preventing these kinds of homes from being located in communities.

Community Group and Others Reveal the True Home Owners

SOCT dug in, and reported the home was actually purchased by a pair of Seattle-area investors named Isabel Valle and Lydie Vieira who bought it sight unseen (in person) for use as a sex offender home. According to AppleValleyNews, they own several similar properties in WA. The arrangement with Fields appeared to be one of him operating the facility while they appeared to be "detatched.'

Concerns were raised because the home was only a half mile from an elementary school, and less that 1.1 miles from numerous other schools and parks. SOCT staged numerous peaceful protests and marches at the home site, and even went to the west side and protested outside the home and offices of Valle and Viera.

An overflow community meeting at Highlands Middle School also brought out hundreds of community members who strongly told the City, and Joe Fields, they wanted no part of his project.

Since that meeting, twice, vandals smashed windows at the home, drawing strong comments and opposition from SOTC, who said that kind of violence is not part of their plan. They stress peaceful opposition.

Now, SOTC Claims Victory

Thursday evening, SOTC posted information on their page indicating, according to the group and opposition spokespeople, that the two owners, Valle and Viera, are out, they are planning to put the home back on the market and the group also said Joe Fields notified them he "has left our city."

The statement from SOTC read in part:

"...5304 W 8th Ave - Kennewick is officially under contract and we are taking back our neighborhood!

The owners reached out and said they were ready to sell, and this community made it happen. We also received word from Joe that he has left our city."

Again we have reached out to SOTC and other sources for more confirmation, but if so, it appears, at least for now, the sex offender home in Kennewick is dead.

This will NOT stop someone else from attempting to establish such a home here, considering the state laws. But for now, citizens of Kennewick say they are breathing more easily.

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Source: Is Sex Offender Home Project in Kennewick Dead for Now? Opponents Say Yes