The Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason and Thurston (CAC) announced last week that it will not renew its remaining housing contracts with Thurston County, citing concerns about the county's handling of rental assistance changes over the last four months.
In a statement shared with the press on Thursday, June 30, the CAC said that "misinformation" about their programs has done "irreparable harm to CAC's reputation," alleging that Thurston County officials have been resistant to reasonable negotiations.
"This decision by our board and organization was not made lightly, especially with our desire to carry out our mission in every county where we have a presence," said Kirsten York, CEO of CAC. "However, the actions of Thurston County officials in recent months have demonstrated a misalignment of values."
CAC Board Chair T. Walton also alleged that Thurston County officials have repeatedly changed contracts without negotiations or consultations with the organization.
"Thurston County has made it clear that being collaborative partners with organizations that serve vulnerable clients is not their priority," said Walton.
CAC also claimed that Thurston County's temporary suspension on all Treasury Rent Assistance Program (T-RAP) contracts last February caused delayed payments to their clients.
County says it's 'working on solutions'
In response to the CAC statement, Thurston County issued its own statement, on Friday, July 1. It stated that the county is "working diligently to find solutions for distributing the funding with minimal disruptions."
The news release did not address the issues cited by CAC. However, it reiterated that the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to renew the HEN and Rapid Rehousing contracts with CAC on June 14 at its regular board meeting following CAC's request for renewal of the contracts.
Last February 24, the BOCC temporarily suspended the emergency rent assistance (ERA) contract with CAC, claiming that there was a "suspected fraud in rental assistance payments" managed by the CAC amounting to $86,000.
As a response, CAC clarified that the county approved all their protocol and processes in the ERA program before the actual implementation and execution.
CAC is a nonprofit organization that assists individuals and families with supportive services and funding related to housing, employment and health-related emergencies.
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bobkat
Regardless of whoever, or whatever the group may be, if they are funded by the taxpayer's money, if fraud is suspected, hold their feet to the fire and don't allow yourselves to be bamboozled by rhetoric and obfuscation!
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 Report this
Tikishark
86,000 dollars is no oversight or billing procedure error. Sounds like the CAC got their hands caught in the cookie jar and are choosing to pack up and run versus working it out. That speaks volumes and reaffirms my suspicion of CAC.
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 Report this
Surrender
Sad to see county government employees’ behavior throughout this process. The thought that the county can develop the trusted relationships forged over years of experience to support people in need demonstrates a lack of awareness on the county’s part. This looks like the county is simply adding staff to its payroll rather than working in collaboration with community nonprofit expertise.
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 Report this