Thurston County has stepped up to homeless challenge

The Olympian Editorial Board is missing something when it says that Thurston County “must step up to the homeless challenge.” The fact is, the county already does.

Thurston County already has services that meet the needs of the homeless population, which are already funded from our tax dollars. The Veteran’s Assistance Fund is there for any vet with a DD214 – I have sent a few guys there myself. The Thurston-Mason Behavioral Health Organization is there providing regional solutions for our mentally ill population. Thurston County Housing and Homelessness Services provides housing assistance both to homeless populations and working families.

The notion that we should create another taxing district just because the state says we can may serve the bureaucrats who will see money flow into their budgets, but it doesn’t do a thing to help the working families who have been paying for the grant-money gravy train pursued by Commissioners Romero, Valenzuela, and Wolfe.

I applaud Commissioners Edwards and Hutchings, as well as the Lacey City Council, for putting a pause on the homelessness grant scam. And I would urge Commissioner Blake to find his heart for the working people he wants to pay for this, especially since he already obtained a grant for Thurston-Mason County mental health services last year. And because they are paying for homelessness and mental health services already.

This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 6:45 PM with the headline "Thurston County has stepped up to homeless challenge."