POULSBO — As Poulsbo City Councilman Ed Stern puts it, “The youth homeless facility is homeless no more.”

The City Council voted Wednesday evening to approve the lease between the city and Christ Ministries to bring a Coffee Oasis youth center to the former Public Works building in Poulsbo.

“It’s a valuable organization in our community. It’s going to help our kids,” Mayor Becky Erickson said.

Erickson said the city is negotiating a new location for employment center SoundWorks to another city location, granting Coffee Oasis the entire space at 780 NE Iverson St.

The three-year lease was approved at $400 a month, escalating to $425 by year three, according to Stern. After three years, the city and Coffee Oasis may renegotiate, but the rent may not exceed $700 per month. The estimated fair-market value is between $1,100-1,500 a month, and the city’s subsidy will come from enterprise funds.

The next step is filing the building permits and beginning the remodel, according to Coffee Oasis Director Dave Frederick. Jim and Justin Ingalls of Kitsap Trident Homes volunteered to work on the design plans for the building, which will provide a safe space for homeless youth and eventually offer a coffee shop business.

“It’s a neat culmination of the last few months of amazing community effort,” Frederick said.

Stern credited the Rotary Club of Poulsbo-North Kitsap for “carrying the torch” to bring this advocacy program to Poulsbo.

“This is the third big project at a facility level with benefit to the broader community that the Rotary Club of Poulsbo-North Kitsap has championed,” he said.

Meredith Green, president-elect of the Rotary Club, is thrilled.

“I’m really proud of our community for stepping forward — citizens and service groups and the City Council,” she said. “With all the nasty stuff that’s going on in our community, I’m just excited we’re doing something to make a difference.”