Former Thurston County rent assistance provider agrees to transfer client data
Thurston County’s former rent assistance provider will turn over client files to the county after previously refusing to do so.
Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties announced it reached an agreement with Thurston County on Monday, according to a statement on their website.
The move comes a week after the county contracted with a new provider, after previously suspending its contracts with CAC, citing suspected fraud.
With this agreement, the county says clients will have a smoother transition to the new provider, LiveStories. However, not all disagreements have been resolved.
“CACLMT looks forward to an amicable resolution that benefits all parties, but most importantly the clients who deserve nothing less than our full support and assistance,” the statement says.
CAC was the regional non-profit that dispersed rental and utility assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The county had been passing federal and state funds to CAC to support these services.
When Thurston County secured a new provider, CAC leadership claimed the county slandered the organization and refused to turn over client data due to confidentiality concerns. Specifically, CAC alleged the county intended to send client information to law enforcement.
The county notified law enforcement of the suspicious applications it found during monitoring in December, county Auditor Mary Hall previously told The Olympian, and they are required to do so by law.
CAC Executive Officer Kirsten York changed her stance after consulting with the Department of Commerce, according to the Monday statement. County senior program manager Tom Webster informed the county board of the development during a Tuesday meeting.
Webster said CAC has already started transferring some information and the county expected more information later in the week.
“I appreciate the response from Kirsten, and they have indicated that they’re intending to comply with our request for information,” Webster said.
Despite the renewed cooperation, CAC’s statement says it still has concerns about client confidentiality. It also claims no fraud was found during the monitoring period, contrary to the county’s suspicions.
In a statement to The Olympian, York said CAC is still working through a grievance process set in their contract to resolve disagreements about the suspension.
The Board of County Commissioners held an executive session on Thursday to discuss the matter further with legal counsel. After the closed-door meeting, the board unanimously directed staff not to execute a new contract with CAC.
The board also unanimously approved a set of five $25,000 contracts between Thurston County and non-profit organizations.
The contracts will support rent and utility assistance “program implementation,” meaning they will fund efforts to help people apply for assistance through LiveStories.
County Manager Ramiro Chavez indicated some of these organizations previously worked directly with CAC to help people apply through them.
The organizations include CIELO, Innovations Human Trafficking Collaboration, Family Support Center of South Sound, SafePlace and Senior Services for South Sound.
On Tuesday, Thurston County posted an information sheet indicating renters could start engaging with LiveStories for assistance by March 30.
The county still has active contracts with CAC for other services including rapid rehousing and Housing and Essential Needs clients. Those programs have been unaffected by the recent suspensions.
