Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Thurston County Regional Housing Council (RHC) has set funding priorities for 2026, with an emphasis on supporting the lowest-income households and broadening projects outside the City of Olympia.
Thurston County’s Affordable Housing Program Manager Alex Persse discussed the shift in the request for proposals (RFP) approach.
She said the Thurston Affordable Housing Advisory Board (TAHAB) spent the past several months reviewing priorities for both the RFP and the request for information (RFI) processes.
Their recommendation is to prioritize households earning at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and encourage development outside Olympia. The housing council unanimously approved the recommendation on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
According to Olympia’s Affordable Housing Manager Jacinda Steltjes, TAHAB recognized that housing units serving households below 50% AMI represent the highest need.
Additionally, board members emphasized that affordable housing is crucial across the entire region, not just Olympia, but also in Tumwater, Lacey and unincorporated areas.
Steltjes said those considerations directly informed their recommended priorities for the upcoming RFPs.
Persse presented anticipated revenue for next year’s funding cycle. RHC projects initial revenue of $9,176,270 across all sources in 2026. After administrative costs and existing commitments are accounted for, roughly $7 million remains available for awards.
The funding picture shifted with the addition of $2.75 million from the previously awarded “228 Olympia LLC” project that will not move forward. The advisory board redirected about $1 million of that money to the Opportunity Fund and added $1.77 million to pipeline projects.
After accounting for annual set-asides and existing commitments to the four pipeline projects selected in 2024 and expected to come in next year, the county anticipates releasing about $4.9 million through the 2026 RFP.
RHC staff also presented TAHAB’s revised scoring criteria, including rewarding projects that target extremely low-income households and deliver new housing outside Olympia’s city limits. The goal is to distribute affordable housing development evenly across the county.
RHC also approved funding for the 2026 Homeless Response award amounts. Only a few items will go out for RFP because the funding operates on a two-year contract.
The plan is to reissue the $50,000 Lived Experience Housing Steering Committee facilitator role to help stabilize the group.
The council will allocate up to $300,000 for cold and hazardous weather projects, hoping to attract a potential shelter provider for single adults.
An annual $200,000 emergency fund will also be included. The funding cycle will run from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
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BobJacobs
Once again the JOLT uses a jargon term -- "50% AMI" that can be understood only by a few.
Please explain what these terms mean, both in words and in dollars.
And perhaps more importantly, why the use of this metric countywide is inadvisable because in lower-cost areas it tends to be very generous and in higher cost areas tends to be inadequate.
Bob Jacobs
Thursday, December 11, 2025 Report this