Thursday, October 1, 2026
Housing and homelessness remain top priorities for residents, even as Olympia's latest community survey shows a growing number of people believe the city is headed in the right direction, feel safe and are satisfied with their quality of life.
Olympia conducted its 2026 Community Engagement & Public Opinion Survey from April 17-28 through Embold Research. A total of 391 adults participated.
For the third consecutive survey, residents ranked homelessness services as their highest priorities, followed by housing, downtown cleanliness and beautification, and street repair and maintenance.
“Those priorities are not new to us, and neither is the work to address them,” wrote Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne in a blog post discussing the survey.
Over the past several years, the city has closed 14 encampments through outreach, housing navigation and partnerships with service providers. "The Jungle" is now the last remaining large encampment the city is working to address.
Payne said the effort involves close coordination with Thurston County, City of Lacey, Washington State Department of Commerce, nonprofit service providers, law enforcement agencies and outreach partners.
The approach focuses on connecting people living in The Jungle with shelter, housing, behavioral health services and other resources before any transition takes place.
He said the partners recently completed a survey of people living at the encampment to better understand their individual circumstances and identify potential housing and service options. The information is expected to help shape a phased approach to the issue.
Residents ranked downtown cleanliness and beautification among their top priorities, while downtown safety perceptions improved.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they feel safe in Olympia overall. Residents also reported feeling safer downtown both during the day and after dark.
However, safety after dark remains an area where residents expressed concern.
Payne said the city is continuing public safety and crisis response efforts, while working with businesses, service providers and community partners on downtown activation and outreach, including housing navigation for people experiencing homelessness.
The survey found a notable shift in how residents view Olympia, with 55 percent saying the city is headed in the right direction. That number increased from a 2023 survey.
Satisfaction also increased across nearly every quality-of-life measure included in the survey.
Residents continue to rate parks, recreation, arts and culture, and the natural environment among strengths.
Fire response, parks, arts and drinking water were among the services that received the strongest ratings.
The survey also found significant differences in how residents experience the city.
Renters and lower-income households were more likely to report financial hardship during the past year. Longtime residents were more skeptical of the city’s direction than newer residents.
The survey also raised questions about how well residents understand what the city is doing.
Residents gave mixed ratings to city communication and transparency, with many choosing neutral responses when asked whether financial information is easy to find or whether they feel informed about city decisions.
Social media was the most common source residents identified for getting information about city government, followed by local news websites and the city’s website.
City officials say the findings will help shape a new communications strategy focused on making information easier to find and explaining city decisions in plain language.
Payne said the survey will also help guide the city’s work on housing, homelessness, downtown improvements, infrastructure, parks and recreation, and other community priorities.
To view the survey, click here.
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Patriot
The city is basing their priorities on 391 people. Who were these folks? That's not a survey, that's a joke. Start calling the so-called homeless what it really is and you might start to be able to fix the problem. They are bums just like they were 50 years ago. They are not homeless. They choose the lifestyle and the rest of us taxpayers pick up the tab for the pollution, crime, and filth it brings to our city. I
Wednesday, August 12 Report this
CobraCommander
Patriot here demonstrating their lack of knowledge on statistical data gathering
Wednesday, August 12 Report this
Boatyarddog
Patriot. YOU are seriously misinformed, don't like the results.... don't whine, get more pollers.
Wednesday, August 12 Report this
KellyOReilly
Had I been informed of this survey, I would have participated; however, I NEVER use social media and I Never answer my phone to unknown callers due to the high rate of scammers out there. Thus, their survey methods would never reach me. I think there could have been a better way for the city to reach out to residents than social media. I can't help but wonder how useful such a limited survey is.
Wednesday, August 12 Report this
Southsoundguy
The problem is vagrancy and a municipal machine set up to enable while grifting off of it.
Thursday, August 13 Report this
CobraCommander
Southsoundguy - if you're mad about grifting, you'll love seeing how much money trump made off of the presidency:
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5928500-trump-corruption-unparalleled-us-history/
https://www.americanprogress.org/feature/trumps-take/
Thursday, August 13 Report this
JW
Got it, continue prioritizing the criminals and offenders that enable rampant drug use, trafficking in minors, and brutal assaults and homicides. Hold the non-criminal citizens hostage by the actions and behaviors of the degenerates.
Thursday, August 13 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Cobra - You have a serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Your posts consistently take a connecting flight from the topic of the article to Trump. How about sticking to the topic. No one cares about your opinion on unrelated topics.
Monday, August 17 Report this