Thursday, October 1, 2026
A key housing performance report from Thurston County is on its way to the federal government for further review.
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners unanimously agreed to release the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report at a meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The housing performance report now heads to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The report acts as a comprehensive record for all Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program activities and budget spending.
Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department Director Jennifer Freiheit said the program year ran from Sept. 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025. HUD requires the county to submit its final report within 90 days of the close of that period.
She added the public comment window for the report opened on Oct. 28, and the county did not receive written comments before the public hearing.
According to the county, CDBG funding rotates between two service areas. One covers Yelm, Rainier, Tenino, Bucoda and all unincorporated areas of the county, while the other covers Tumwater.
All CDBG activities must meet HUD low- and moderate-income benefit criteria and undergo annual federal monitoring reviews that test eligibility, documentation and performance compliance.
Affordable Housing Program Manager Alex Persse said CDBG activity supported 5,932 households and individuals through its housing and public infrastructure projects.
Figures for each program appear as follows:
On public service components, the county aided 793 individuals:
For HOME funding, the county administered the budget through the regional HOME Consortium and distributed the resources countywide to target various ongoing housing gaps.
The county said its 2024 HOME award, which had been originally planned for the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI) for their Maple Court Shelter conversion to Permanent Support Housing, did not move forward.
A substantial amendment redirected the funding to LIHI’s Franz Anderson Permanent Supportive Housing project, which is expected to deliver 71 units for multi-family permanent housing.
HOME spending for the year also went to its Cleveland Avenue and Prism Street acquisitions and partial draws for Habitat for Humanity’s Tâlícn Townhomes.
Persse also talked about the year’s finished projects. She said LIHI completed the Martin Way Phase II project into service as Lotus Court. It added 64 units of affordable homes for low-income seniors; six of those units utilized HOME assistance.
She also said Homes First increased rental options for low-income households by acquiring a single-family home on Prism Street in Lacey and building two accessory dwelling units.
Several HOME-funded projects are still under construction and will roll into future CAPER reports when their federal paperwork is complete. Those projects include Tâlícn Townhomes, the Yelm Longmire Mill Crossing project and Franz Anderson housing development.
During the in-session public hearing, two speakers addressed the county’s housing climate.
Terry Ballard, a 35-year veteran, challenged the county’s approach to people experiencing homelessness and said too many individuals are falling deeper into crisis without a path out.
“The homeless aren’t provided the means to get off public assistance,” he said.
People living outside, he claimed, increased from 800 in 2023 to more than 1,000, with 87% struggling with drug addiction and 4% living with mental illness.
Ballard argued that too many people cycle through homelessness without a way out and said budget reductions in social services weaken the county’s system. He pointed to his own case, stating an unhoused person moved into one of his remodels and left him with costs he never recovered.
He also criticized how the Veterans Assistance Program manages emergency funds and said too much money ends up in administrative spending instead of immediate veteran support.
“That’s not what the fund is designed for,” said Ballard, adding veterans face barriers the county should confront more directly.
A contrasting tone came from Olympia resident Gordon White, who joined the hearing online. He said injuries from earlier years left him one setback away from homelessness. It then gave him a new perspective on people who face the same risks.
“There, but for the grace of God, go I,” he said. “I had health insurance; I had family to take care of me. My injuries were such that if I didn’t have that, I would have been homeless.”
He said he hired people experiencing homelessness for farm work and saw barriers rooted in health, income and family problems.
White then commended Thurston County and its partnering cities for their ongoing efforts, and shared that he attended the City of Olympia’s latest CAPER review as part of the joint involvement.
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