Lacey homeless shelter set to open the week of June 26
The Maple Court enhanced shelter, previously a Days Inn motel, is now slated to open next week, according to an update shared with the Lacey Planning Commission on Tuesday.
The 120-room property on Quinault Drive at Marvin Road was originally supposed to open June 19, but that date was pushed back because of issues with the sprinkler system. The contractor is expected to address the problem this week, Planning Commission Manager Ryan Andrews said.
Grant Beck, the city’s planning and development services manager, added that an inspection will take place on Monday, June 26, and then the first residents are expected to move in Wednesday, June 28, he said. The goal is to relocate 10 people per week into the shelter.
Its residents are expected to come from a homeless encampment that has occupied state Department of Transportation property along Interstate 5 in Olympia near Sleater Kinney Road Southeast and a Hobby Lobby store, Beck said.
The entire shelter project, including the acquisition of the Days Inn and its conversion, is part of a state-funded effort to relocate those living in the state’s rights-of-way — for example, those living near I-5 — and get them into housing.
The Maple Court shelter is being managed by the Low Income Housing Institute, which also manages a similar property in Tacoma on Hosmer Street.
The state will take steps to prevent people from returning to previous encampment sites on its property. Planning Commission Manager Andrews said boulders are already being placed on property between I-5 and the Hobby Lobby store. Boulders, too, were placed at a former camp in Olympia at Lilly Road and I-5.
Planning commissioners asked questions about the Lacey shelter, including about whether drug use will be tolerated.
Andrews said drugs and alcohol are not allowed in the public spaces of the property, but acknowledged there are no rules governing private rooms.
But Beck wanted to make clear that the Low Income Housing Institute has a good set of rules for tenants to follow. It’s called the Code of Conduct and it’s spelled out on the city of Lacey website.
“The Code of Conduct prohibits alcohol and drugs within public spaces, prohibits violent/threatening behaviors and requires safety and cleanliness standards. It requires residents to work with onsite case management and includes a six-month goal to find permanent or long-term housing.”
Beck said a community advisory group has been created and one of its members manages some Starbucks locations in Lacey. That person is also familiar with the Low Income Housing Institute-managed property in Tacoma on Hosmer Street and said that once LIHI took over, criminal activity declined, Beck said.
For more information about the enhanced shelter, go to: cityoflacey.org/enhanced-shelter/.
This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
