Business group says downtown Olympia is over capacity for homeless services

A group representing Olympia's downtown businesses is rallying its members to keep new facilities for homeless people from opening in downtown.

The City Council last month committed to opening a day center and city-sanctioned camping in response to the city’s growing homeless population. But where those facilities will go has not been decided.

The Olympia Downtown Alliance is encouraging its 200 members to tell council members and other city officials to look outside of downtown.

“The downtown neighborhood has limited capacity to absorb these impacts (from homelessness) before the health of downtown, including the business community, is compromised. That capacity has now been exceeded,” according to talking points distributed by ODA.

The group is encouraging business owners to share stories from their employees and customers and include sales data. It also is organizing meetings with council members and telling its members to speak at council meetings.

“That’s probably a bit premature given the city has not identified a piece of property at this time,” said Keith Stahley, who leads the city’s Community Planning and Development Department.

Any location would have to be accessible — ideally on a major bus line — and have a “limited impact on surrounding properties,” he said.

The city plans to contract with a service provider or providers to operate the facilities. Those contractors have not been selected.

The City Council has asked the city manager to provide an update on the legal camping by June 15 and on the day center by July 17.

Tom Anderson is among those who want to see the new facilities opened outside of downtown. He owns a commercial building on Washington Street that is a block from the Providence Community Care Center and three blocks from the Thurston County Food Bank and Union Gospel Mission, which offers a day center, hygiene services and hot meals.

Anderson said he has had problems with garbage and campfires near his building; since the Community Care Center opened last year, people have started camping in a nearby parking lot.

He didn’t know that facility was going to open so close to his building until it was finalized. Now, he is planning to email council members with his concerns.

“It’s hard to reverse perceptions once they get going,” he said. “If we don’t take a stand now and get the people who are making the decisions to listen, then we’re going to lose.”

This story was originally published June 1, 2018 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Business group says downtown Olympia is over capacity for homeless services."