Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Tumwater City Council authorized the renewal of a grant agreement to continue funding a referral program that connects individuals to support services.
The CARES program, which stands for Community Assistance Referral and Education Services, is aimed at 911 callers whose reasons for calling cannot be directly addressed by first responders. Through a dedicated staffer, people are linked to services that address social well-being, physical health and chronic illness.
The city council voted to renew the agreement at a meeting on Sept. 15.
In 2024, the Tumwater Fire Department partnered with the Olympia Fire Department in 2024 to staff a person for the program. Through a grant from the Association of Washington Cities, the position became full time in 2025.
The renewed agreement provides the city with $80,000 to help pay its share of the costs for the CARES staffer’s salary and benefits. The city contributes a total of $122,500 yearly as part of its partnership with Olympia.
In a Public Health and Safety Committee meeting earlier this month, Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Crimmins noted it is the second year the city has benefited from the grant.
He said the city remains eligible for one more year of funding and aims to reapply if funding becomes available.
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BillSpencer
Make this permanent.
There really isn't that much support for unwell and unhoused people in our society. After all in America, healthcare is put behind a paywall and housing is exorbitantly expensive. Even if the outreach staff only successfully refer like 10% of contacts to services, that's still a big improvement over police and jail, over and over again.
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