County extends hotel stays for those displaced by Deschutes Parkway homeless camp sweep
With a Jan. 18 deadline looming for former residents of the Deschutes Parkway homeless encampment now lodged in hotels, Thurston County stepped in on Tuesday to extend their hotel stays for an additional two months.
As many as 80 people were displaced in December when the city of Olympia swept the sprawling camp across from Capitol Lake following a series of violent incidents and mounting pressure from landowners and nearby homeowners.
The city initially put up about 50 people in multiple hotels for three weeks, then extended those stays until Jan. 18 amid snow and below-freezing temperatures. A community effort funded 16 rooms at the Olympia Inn, but ran out of money and was absorbed by the county.
Given the county’s chronic shortage of shelter space, the lack of an exit strategy created a deadline with those in temporary hotel stays facing a return to unsheltered homelessness.
County staff say there is a unique opportunity to find transitional housing over the next few months, with about 45 new shelter spaces and tiny homes opening up for the first time in years. That’s because Interfaith Works last month opened Unity Commons, a permanent supportive housing facility and shelter that is expected to free up space as people move from tiny homes and shelters into apartments.
“That is the biggest one-time opportunity that we will probably not ever be able to duplicate again,” said Keylee Marineau, who coordinates homeless services for the county.
Beginning with 55 hotel rooms, the county’s plan involves reducing the number of rooms every two weeks, with the expectation that outreach workers will find shelter placements for the majority by March 14. Some people may be able to stay longer, as a separate contract approved by the county on Tuesday allocates additional funds to Olympia Mutual Aid Partners (OlyMAP) to lease 20 hotel rooms for 2-3 weeks to house those impacted by camp sweeps.
According to county documents, those staying at the Olympia Inn will move to the Super 8 hotel in Lacey next week, so that outreach and other wraparound services can be consolidated in one place. Assistant City Manager Keith Stahley described the efforts as “essentially managing a 46-person shelter.”
“I think we need to be honest that it’s possible we will not be able to provide permanent solutions for everyone, but we think we can identify sustainable solutions for a substantial number of the current residents that are there,” said Tom Webster, Housing Program Specialist for the county.
The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the plan on Tuesday. The bulk of the funding comes from a $285,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce earmarked to help address the fallout of the Deschutes Parkway sweep.
Commissioner Gary Edwards, who often opposes spending on services for the homeless, supported the plan but expressed familiar concerns about people from other counties benefiting and asked a staff person if he could haul away junk from an encampment near Highway 101.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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