Tumwater to conduct feasibility study for implementation of supportive housing goals 

Tumwater officials are preparing to conduct a feasibility study in support of the city’s emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing goals. 

Tumwater Deputy Community Development Director Sharon Lumbantobing delivered an update on the issue to the Tumwater General Government Committee at a meeting on Feb. 11. 

The city is planning to hire a consultant to develop the study, so city staffers met with the committee to lay out the scope of the study before they send out a request for proposals. 

As part of its goals within the Housing Element of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan, Tumwater has committed to providing 184 emergency housing beds and 723 permanent supportive housing units over the next 20 years.  

Lumbantobing  said the purpose of the study is to help the city translate those goals into implementable actions. 

She said the study would outline different ways the project could be carried out in incremental stages. It would also examine possible funding sources and compare costs, risks and benefits of different implementation scenarios. 

The study would also review the regional housing system and how similarly sized communities have handled related efforts. 

When asked to identify priorities for the study, committee members pointed to funding as the primary concern.

Committee member Joan Cathey expressed concern over grant opportunities, saying such projects are not a current priority for the federal government. 

Committee members also asked staff to focus on how the facilities for such projects would be sited, acquired and maintained. 

Committee member Mark Weedon also expressed a desire to prioritize transitional housing if funding is available. 

Lumbantobing said once a consultant has been hired, city staff expects to conduct the study by spring or summer of this year before reporting the findings and recommendations of the study to the city council by fall.