Housing council to weigh recommendation for administering eviction prevention funds

The Thurston Regional Housing Council is set to review a recommendation to contract with Catholic Community Services (CCS) to administer eviction prevention funds.  

The Homeless Services Advisory Board (HSAB) will present a new recommendation to the housing council at its meeting on Wednesday, May 28. CCS would replace the Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason, & Thurston Counties (CACLMT).

The alternative funding proposal for the Eviction Prevention Rent Assistance (EPRA) program was prompted by uncertainty over whether the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners would approve a contract with CACLMT. The county is in the process of recovering funds from past grant allocations.  

On April 9, the HSAB Chair Candice Garmin presented the board's recommendation for Consolidated Homeless Grant funding awards.  

Among those recommendations was an award to CACLMT to provide EPRA services to the single adult population. The recommendations included $72,000 to support individuals facing housing instability, $328,000 for the EPRA targeting single adults, seniors and veterans, and $5,000 for diversity, equity and inclusion training.  

The RHC approved the recommendations and forwarded them to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for consideration.  

During a BOCC check-in session on April 23, Commissioner Carolina Mejia expressed concerns about CACLMT's inclusion in the roster of funding recipients, citing its designation as a "high-risk" organization.  

County Manager Leonard Hernandes said the county is still working with CACLMT to recover county funds. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has demanded that Thurston County return $667,990 in federal rent-assistance funds lost to fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department ordered the county to repay the amount.  

Following the discussion, the BOCC directed staff to return the three CACLMT-related recommendations to the RHC for reconsideration.  

In response, HSAB held an emergency meeting on May 9 to identify an alternative funding award strategy in case the BoCC decides not to move forward with a contract with CACLMT.  

"HSAB members were asked to determine whether they felt it best to approach a single provider with the opportunity to propose a scope of work via sole sourcing, or if they felt there was a large enough pool of eligible applicants to release a formal RFP to solicit multiple proposals," an RHC staff report states.  

HSAB, on May 19, voted to recommend CCS as an alternate EPRA provider for single adults in the event a contract is not executed with CACLMT.  

In reaching that decision, the HSAB recognized a limited pool of local organizations with the capacity and expertise to serve the single adult population. The advisory board also cited a priority in securing a contract with an eligible provider to prevent any delay or disruption in services.