Deadline on flyers posted at the Jungle encampment raises concerns. What to know

The city of Olympia gave residents of the last remaining homeless encampment, known as the Jungle, less than two weeks to add their names to a list aimed at moving them into housing. Service providers and advocates say setting a cutoff date risks displacing residents.

FULL STORY: Olympia gives Jungle residents 10 days to add their names to list for housing

Here are the key takeaways:

• The deadline: Flyers dated May 18 told Jungle residents they have until 3 p.m. Thursday, May 28, to add their names to a list for future housing offers.
• Concerns about the pace: “Implementing a cut-off date while you continue to displace your neighbors is cruel and a demonstration of your values and how little you actually respect your constituents in the Jungle,” resident David Webb told the City Council. The flyer was posted only in English, even though many residents don’t speak or read English, he said. The list launched May 12, Stacey Ray, assistant city manager, told The Olympian.
• Service providers also worry: Tye Gundel of Olympia Mutual Aid Partners said the group has more than 100 Jungle residents in case management, and more than 200 have accessed shelter-in-place services since November. OlyMAP learned of the deadline only when staff saw the notices during a weekly cleanup, Gundel said.
• A complex problem: Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan described the situation as “very complex.” Mayor Dontae Payne pointed out that the city is responding to a crisis that “goes way beyond the borders” of Olympia and Washington state, with a small budget available to address it.
• Limited housing available: The city says 20 or more units at Quince Street Village and Franz Anderson will open in June through a state Department of Commerce program. After that, monthly availability is “severely limited.” Closing the Jungle camp will take years and happen in phases, according to the city.
• Balancing competing concerns: “For those community members who are concerned about the treatment of the people who live there, we hear your concerns,” Payne said. “For those of you who also have concerns about the types of activity that has happened on that property, we hear those concerns as well, and we are doing our very best to balance all of these things while we transition the people that live there, and I have all the confidence in our city organization that we will meet this challenge.”

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.