Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Homeless Services Advisory Board (HSAB) is recommending the allocation of more than $51,000 in emergency funds to repair a fire-damaged apartment at Sandy’s Flats in Olympia.
This recommendation for the permanent support housing site will be discussed at the Thurston County Regional Housing Council meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
In July, a resident experiencing a mental health crisis started a fire in their unit, causing significant damage to the building. No one was injured in the incident.
Sandy’s Flats, which is operated by Interfaith Works and supported by the Eviction Resolution Program (ERP), provides housing for some of Olympia’s most vulnerable residents.
The fire, which was quickly contained by staff, left one unit uninhabitable. Interfaith Works requested Homeless Services Emergency Funding to cover the cost of repairs, citing insufficient reserve funds and concerns about rising insurance premiums.
At their July meeting, the HSAB reviewed the initial funding request, which included an estimated repair cost. Interfaith Works explained that, although they have unit reserve funds, the funds are not sufficient to reasonably cover the expenses for repairing the unit.
The organization also noted that insurance premiums for permanent supportive housing have significantly increased across the state in recent years, even for properties with no history of claims.
Interfaith Works expressed concern that filing a claim for the fire damage at Sandy’s Flats could compromise their coverage or further increase premiums.
Before making a recommendation on the emergency funding request, the HSAB asked Interfaith Works to clarify whether they had formally sought a quote from their insurance provider.
The organization submitted an updated proposal to the HSAB, providing additional details about their concerns regarding insurance coverage and rising premiums. The revised proposal reflected a lower funding request, based on a contractor's quotes.
At its Aug. 18 meeting, the HSAB reviewed the updated information and decided to recommend that Interfaith Works receive the full requested amount of $51,562.69 in Homeless Services Emergency Funding to repair the unit at Sandy’s Flats.
If approved by the RHC and the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners, the funds would come from the $200,000 annual set-aside for the Homeless Services Emergency Fund, leaving a balance of just over $148,000 for this year.
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JW
Housing first at its finest! Someone who should clearly be institutionalized is shoved into housing (at taxpayer expense) so that the non-profit of the week (funded at taxpayer expense) can have the administrators (payed at taxpayer expense) come out and claim another victory for housing. Meanwhile we have a fire started in a unit (luckily ONLY contained to that unit) that will now be repaired (at taxpayer expense).
It feels so good to plant your flag on the moral high ground when you're using other people's money. The beauty is that they've got the entire county paying for this through the "Homeless Services Emergency Fund".
These non-profit NGOs are an endless money pit of empty promises and poor performance. When will people wake up and start demanding the money be spent in a way that focuses on root causes, not band-aid solutions?
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 Report this
Tanker1982
I agree with JW. Let them use their taxpayer funded insurance. If they can’t be successful, with insurance, why in the heck are we funding them at all? And, what is the metric for success for the organization? Simply providing them a room? That ain’t a sustainable metric.
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 Report this
gypsydjango
Let me guess, you're Christians??!
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 Report this
johnvaneenwyk
The phrase "Someone who should clearly be institutionalized” says it all. Interfaith Works is costing gthe public far less than “institutionalizing” all who “should be.” The costs of mental hospitals and prisons far exceeds what Interfaith Works is costing. Bear in mind that the United States has an enormous deficit of mental health workers and facilities, so the government is forced to contract these services out to private enterprises. If we think that not-for-profit administrators are expensive, just check what the administrators and ceo’s of those private contractors are making.
Like it or not, Interfaith Works is a bargain compared to private contractors.
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 Report this
JW
It's cheaper to put a band-aid on my gangrenous, infected arm than to go pay at an urgent care to get it looked at.
That's your logic. We should settle for the cheaper option, even thought it's wrong.
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 Report this
JimNichols
The insurance company will likely know about the incident regardless of whether they file a claim as the underwriting analyst will typically research incidents and events as part of the rating and price review for the next term period. I don't think it's advisable to avoid filing a claim, unless the amount is very close to the deductible amount.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Report this
peterpumpkinhead
The fact that people are afraid to use their insurance shows that there is a problem with the system. Maybe if insurance companies were non-profits they could concentrate more on providing assistance to customers and less on making money for their stock holders and CEO's.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Report this
Mugwump
I'm all for free or affordable housing for those that need it but let's be clear, free housing without compulsory treatment for mental illness or addiction disorder, when diagnosed, is a recipe for disaster.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Report this
CobraCommander
It's ok Trumps tarriffs wil make us all rich and we wont have to worry about anything anymore LOL
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Report this
LindaD
I know someone who lived in an adorable little place near Sandy Flats. She left because the Sandy Flats people made life unsafe, insecure, obnoxious and chaotic. Yes, mental health facilities and prisons are more expensive alternatives.
Even so, maybe housing first isn't working out as a concept? The old mental hospitals were awful, which is why we closed them. That, and to save money. Even if they're expensive, maybe it's time to reconsider.
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 Report this