Emails show confusion, frustration after displaced camp residents moved to Lacey hotels
After the city of Olympia swept a homeless camp along Deschutes Parkway and sent some of the camp residents to two Lacey hotels in early December, it set off a flurry of emails from parents at a nearby school, council members and police that show confusion and frustration about the situation.
The Olympian requested those emails after hearing from parents at Northwest Christian Schools of Lacey, which is near the two hotels: a La Quinta Inn by Wyndham and a Super 8. The schools and the hotels are in the area of College Street and Martin Way East.
But a city of Olympia official defended the move, saying one of the Lacey hotels was among only a few that could accommodate a large group of people. The Olympia official apologized that the city had little time to notify anyone beyond the city of Lacey.
The emails, too, act as a reminder of just how challenging it is to find solutions to homelessness. It’s not just about funding and finding an appropriate location — an effort to bring an RV camp near Lacey was recently stymied for a second time — it’s also about communication and whether partner communities such as Lacey and Olympia can work together.
Have you heard of this?
The Deschutes Parkway campers were relocated in early December and some Lacey residents learned of the move before Lacey officials did.
“Have you heard of this?” Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder said in an email to City Manager Scott Spence after Ryder was sent a social media image about the move.
Before long, city officials and police were trying to get a handle on the move to communicate what they knew with each other, as well as respond to residents.
Spence followed up with this email.
“The Lacey Police Department has performed a preliminary check on individuals staying at the La Quinta Hotel that were originally from the Deschutes Parkway encampment,” he writes. “At this time, there are no persons confirmed to be on a registered sex offenders list. Please note, however, that the police department will follow up on any outstanding felony warrants involving serious crimes against persons if confirmed as part of any background check.”
As Police Chief Robert Almada learned more, he updated the city.
“The city of Olympia placed 38 people from the Deschutes Parkway encampment at the La Quinta and 8 people at the Super 8 hotels,” he wrote.
He later adds: “The city of Olympia has no idea of the criminal history or release conditions of any of the people placed at the hotels. No records or background checks were conducted.”
And later in the same email, “Eight people have been ejected from the La Quinta for violating the (hotel) rules.”
While the city grappled with what was happening, city of Olympia housing program specialist Christa Lenssen explained the situation to a concerned Lacey parent.
“City (of Olympia) staff contacted area hotels about the availability of a block of 30 to 40 rooms. La Quinta was selected because it was the only one that had that many rooms available,” she writes. “The city is working with the hotel to help ensure the best results. The hotel is a private business that has agreed to accommodate the individuals. It is their right to do so, and they are being compensated for it. City staff are also working with the Lacey Police Department (who have run background checks on individuals) and are coordinating additional case management resources through their Mobile Outreach Team.”
Not only did the city and others hear from parents, an email from Kim DeLeon, head of school at Northwest Christian Schools of Lacey, also was included as part of The Olympian’s records request.
She outlined some security measures the school took, including adding lights to specific areas to improve nighttime camera visibility and limiting time that entrance and exit gates were open.
“As Christians, we are called to show compassion and grace with others, and as a school we are called to provide a safe environment for our school community,” she wrote.
Council members, parents respond
Northwest Christian parent Jeremy Blair emailed the city about the move.
“Children should be protected, and while I understand and commiserate with the need to relocate our homeless population, I do not support doing so directly next door to a facility that cares for students of an age range of 3 to 18. I urge you to consider an alternate solution.”
Lacey council members responded to Blair and other parents — emails that show they were frustrated by what they felt was a lack of communication about the move from the city of Olympia.
“The City of Olympia did this without first discussing it with us,” Councilman Lenny Greenstein wrote. “I first found out about it yesterday and am working with Lacey staff and police to see what we can do. So far, we are in the process of checking these individuals against the sex offender website. I have also requested that we check them for warrants.
“While I agree that this was a bad decision by Olympia, we are now stuck with it and will do everything in our power to make sure we take care of the safety of the public.”
Mayor Ryder also replied to a parent. “It is unfortunate to say the least that Lacey wasn’t a part of the decision-making when it came to this transfer knowing the city of Olympia had to be planning this move for a while,” he wrote.
Councilman Michael Steadman took an even harder stance in one of his emails.
“Because of this and many other past circumstances, I am now firmly against any future partnerships with the City of Olympia and Thurston County,” he wrote. “They continue to make decisions without even the slightest respect for us or our residents.”
The topic of homelessness has strained Lacey’s relationship with Olympia and the county in recent months.
Some Lacey council members were unhappy after a Thurston County Home Fund (which was officially approved by the Board of County Commissioners last week) was advanced by an advisory body called the Regional Housing Council without a wider discussion.
Some also felt caught off guard by the proposal to move RVs from Ensign Road in Olympia to a site at Carpenter Road and Martin Way, which is technically in the county but close to Lacey.
Olympia housing program specialist Lenssen emphasized to a parent that the move to Lacey was only temporary.
“It is a harsh reality that there are not enough shelter beds in our community for individuals who were displaced by the Deschutes closure,” she writes. “The city will continue to work with individuals in hotels and community partners to both identify alternative solutions after individuals exit hotels and longer-term solutions to provide much-needed shelter and affordable housing in our community.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
