On Tuesday, the Olympia City Council approved two resolutions regarding the establishment, operation, management, and maintenance of a tiny home village project on Franz Anderson Road.
Housing Homeless Response Director Darian Lightfoot said Olympia and Thurston County purchased the property in 2022 at 528 Franz Anderson Road to build permanent supportive housing and temporary-use housing on the site.
The city entered into an agreement with Olympia Mutual Aid Partners (OlyMAP) to lease the property to establish tiny houses as temporary shelters and housing for 50 homeless persons.
OlyMAP is currently contracted to provide outreach support through the state right-of-way program.
The city would also provide funding to OlyMAP to operate, manage, and maintain the tiny house/shelter facility.
Tye Gundel, executive director for Olympia Mutual Aid Partner (OlyMAP), was at the city council meeting and discussed the project's operations plan, which will provide shelter for single adults and couple adults without children.
The project aims to create, improve, and uplift safety, community and connection within the tiny home village. Gundel said these goals are focused on the village's residents and benefit the community.
Gundel emphasized that homelessness impacts every person in the community, and providing alternatives to sleep outdoors is crucial.
To achieve these goals, Gundel said they would prioritize safety, equity, and comprehensive services while meeting the needs of the residents who have faced significant barriers in accessing housing and services in the past.
The project would provide basic facilities like showers, laundry, restrooms, shared kitchens, and community spaces that will be accessible to residents at all times.
All residents will have access to case management services to be provided by caseworkers, who will connect folks to various services, such as mental health, substance-use services, getting an ID, and others to improve shelter and housing options.
OlyMAP would work with other partner organizations to facilitate skills and building activities, such as budgeting and self-advocacy workshops.
To ensure safety at the site, OlyMAP's specific measures include 24/7 monitoring of entrances and exits, visitor restrictions, continuous lighting, security cameras, and a plan to address neighborhood concerns.
In addition, Gundel said they would provide safety whistles to residents who may need to call for help.
All residents must complete an "intake" before moving into their tiny homes. Intakes include reviewing and signing community agreements, completing Basic Resident Paperwork, and providing an overview of the program, site, services, and other welcome activities.
"Basic community agreements will include taking responsibility for yourself and your belongings, keeping your space tidy. Any illicit substance is prohibited on site. Folks will act safely and are not using violence, and also that all residents respect and protect the space of each other and the surrounding community," Gundel explained.
OlyMAP would provide 24/7 staffing, with a minimum of two staff. They would have four to six staff available during daytime operating hours – a combination of management staff, case managers/care navigators, site support workers, and site support assistants.
Gundel told the councilmembers that the site plans to start accepting residents in August. They plan to move about ten people weekly once the project is open.
OlyMAP, Gundel said, intends to have open communication and community engagement in the tiny home village project.
She added that they would have regular community meetings for the first three months after the site opens to update neighbors and businesses and address emerging concerns.
Gundel mentioned forming a neighborhood advisory council of residential and business community representatives. "Their responsibility will be to support and work with us to address concerns and help build relationships between the neighborhood and the residents."
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bonaro
The County is exists by authorization of the State to provide administrative services. Specifically, maintaining records, providing courts and law enforcement, building roads, assessing property and collecting taxes, and conducting elections.
There is also supportive positions to accomplish these goals such as Information technology, Facilities and Project management in Central Services and then parks maintenance
Everything else (including tiny homes and hotels for the homeless) are social programs and the pursuit of pet projects. Which is not in the Counties charter and paid 100% by your ridiculously high property tax dollars.
They will do what you let them do...Vote!
Friday, July 14, 2023 Report this
WA_Mojo
If you want to know what Tye is really like search youtube for “just housing olympia final morning”
Friday, July 14, 2023 Report this
OlympiaUsedToBeANicePlaceToLive
Tye Gunderson and OlyMAP - working hard to destroy livability for responsible citizens in Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey since 2016.
Is it despicable that Olympia Council continues to fund these parasitical homeless outreach organizations. The organization have a severe conflict of interest - if they actually improve things they'll put themselves out of work. So it any surprise they are fully ineffective?
Look around - the more funding, the worse the problem keeps getting. What a surprise, give the irresponsible free stuff and more and more show up.
Let's stop enabling these folks and let them find some other hapless place to plague.
Friday, July 14, 2023 Report this
metalFish
Wouldn't we all be more wise to appreciate when our needs are met AND that everyone is entitled to their ESSENTIAL NEEDS being met. Those of us that have our needs met are closer to being houseless than becoming a billionaire. It's not a noble goal to be a redundant voice about the individual's case as the cause for someone's demise into houselessness.
As well, misspelling someone's name when it appears in the article you are referencing is Lazy and Disrespectful @OlympiaUsedToBeANicePlaceToLive.
Friday, July 14, 2023 Report this
OlympiaUsedToBeANicePlaceToLive
Mia culpa on the name, and so I will apologize there.
However, I stand by my assessment of organizations like OlyMAP and LIHI being nothing more than a way for their employees to intercept funds.
Friday, July 14, 2023 Report this
MikePelly
This is encouraging news for our residents facing bone crushing poverty and homelessness. For those self rightness ones oblivious of what being homeless is like and how easy one can slip from comfortable middle class one year to being broke and living under a bridge the next, well I hope you or your loved ones will never know first hand but will someday understand and have empathy for those who are. The one question I have is, Where can volunteers can go to help build these needed structures?
Friday, July 14, 2023 Report this
OlympiaUsedToBeANicePlaceToLive
If you truly believe that providing food and shelter and a private space for peopple to sit around and do drugs all day solves anything, is compassionate, or showing empathy, you're beyond rational discussion. You're just enabling folks to further destroy themselves and the community.
Saturday, July 15, 2023 Report this
JW
It blows my mind how people think most of the "homeless" just lost their job and middle class lifestyle. Give me a break. These are drug abusing, trespassing, criminal thieves that need to be incarcerated in forced rehab. Endless no strings attached handouts are really solving the problem. What has that gotten us in the last ten years? Nothing but a perpetuation of the problem.
Saturday, July 15, 2023 Report this