As Olympia struggles to address homelessness, city council members highlighted the challenges of balancing compassion and limited resources in the face of an influx from nearby communities.
The Olympia City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 10, voted to extend the city's declaration of a public health emergency related to homelessness, a move aimed at obligating funds for emergency expenditures and providing emergency shelter or lawful camping sites for individuals experiencing homelessness.
The city council held a public hearing on the same issue, but no community members participated.
The council initially declared a public health emergency in 2018. But the number of individuals experiencing homelessness and encampments continues to increase, causing serious and detrimental conditions relating to human health, sanitation and welfare.
According to Kim Kondrat, a homeless coordinator for Olympia, the city has noticed an influx of people experiencing homelessness coming to Olympia from other jurisdictions, like Aberdeen and Tacoma, as those cities are enforcing homelessness and pushing people out.
Kondrat was referring to the Supreme Court reversing the Martin vs. Boise decision, prohibiting municipalities from enforcing anti-camping ordinances in public places against individuals experiencing homelessness.
Kondrat stated that Olympia does not have enough shelter capacity to accommodate this influx, even with the expanded shelter system funded by the governor's safety initiative. "Without the influx, it still wasn't enough to address all of our current folks who are there. There are a lot of vulnerable folks out there."
She added the city has not had a women's shelter for many years. Efforts to engage faith communities in opening new shelters have faced barriers.
"It would be very helpful to a lot of folks who are working with the unhoused population," said Kondrat, referring to the city's extended declaration of a public health emergency to homelessness.
Council member Lisa Parshley said the state should step up.
"We have jurisdictions that are now enforcing camping bans, arrests and sweeps, (while) other jurisdictions are continuing to do the work," Parshley said.
Mayor Pro Tem Yen Huynh expressed concern about Olympia potentially taking on the responsibility of addressing homelessness from other communities that are displacing their homeless populations.
She noted that Olympia's city government is funded by its residents and is cognizant that some community members are asking the city to be more compassionate, while others community members are demanding more accountability.
"I get into conversations with people and kind of fight against this idea of a 'magnet theory,' that everyone's just coming here because we're compassionate. I should like to think that that's not necessarily the case," Huynh said.
"But when I hear you and your team say that people from other communities (are) coming here, I can't say I don't have concerns about that."
Huynh believed that housing insecurity is not unique in Olympia, and it is a regional and even national issue.
"I believe that everyone needs a place to go. I'm not suggesting that we be checking people's IDs …. we're such an ambitious city, and we have big hearts, and we don't have endless resources."
She added that housing insecurity does not just impact the people experiencing homelessness, but a whole ecosystem of the community. Huynh wants to ensure the city is considering the broader Olympia community, and to balance compassion for homeless individuals with the city's limited resources.
Mayor Dontae Payne echoed concerns raised by Huynh. He used an analogy to illustrate the city's dilemma.
"There's the image of like 100 people trying to get onto a small sailboat. Eventually, the boat is going to sink," he said.
"That is what comes to mind when the city of Olympia trying to help everyone. We do not have endless resources. And as compassionate as we want to be, we also have to be realistic."
The mayor expressed hope that the city is closely tracking and monitoring how many individuals experiencing homelessness are coming from outside the Olympia community.
"I believe that is part of the census anyway, and that we make sure we are sending a message to other communities that the city of Olympia is not your way out of passing your regressive policies," he said.
Payne made it clear that Olympia has no intention of picking up the slack for other jurisdictions that are pushing out their homeless populations.
"That is not what this is about, and we are certainly not going to be supportive of those efforts. They need to take care of their people," he said.
City Manager Jay Burney acknowledged that Olympia cannot continue to take on and allow more large homeless encampments to be established in the community.
He admitted the city is already struggling to get housing options for the two large encampments it currently has within its borders.
"There's just (a) balance we have to find in terms of making sure that we're caring for everyone as best we can and with the resources that we have," said Burney, as he suggested continuing working regionally through the Thurston Regional Housing Council to find solutions, not just in Olympia.
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JulesJames
Sure would be good if we stopped with the "homeless" and "houseless" feel-good terms. This crisis has absolutely never been about housing. Its been about addiction. Its been about municipalities unwilling or unable to enforce the most basic laws on the books. Government extending a government-caused "emergency" rings hollow with me.
Thursday, December 12, 2024 Report this
OlyBlues
Years of failed liberal policies catering to the homeless, allowing addicts to deal drugs and overdose on the streets, large homeless camps allowed to flourish on city property and along Percival Creek, environmental contamination, out of control fires, explosions, murders, trafficking stolen property, human trafficking, sexual assaults, not allowing police to enforce certain laws......all coming to fruition. People are absolutely sick of it! The city council should really revel in all their success doing it "the Olympia way!" Time to join the other jurisdictions who are taking back control of their cities, offering help and treatment, and for those who don't partake, go elsewhere and freeload.
Thursday, December 12, 2024 Report this
Claire
There's a battle in the Olympia Shitty Council over who can be the most Woke and advocate for the most Woke agenda. Really pathetic.
Friday, December 13, 2024 Report this
hptrillium
Instead of criticizing the City Council we should be offering suggestions about how to solve the problem. It is a housing problem. They have no houses. Some have addiction problems but not all. It is a poverty problem and a mental health problem. There are many reasons why people are houseless. Putting people in jail will not solve this problem.
Support the people who are doing the hard work of trying to solve this problem.
Friday, December 13, 2024 Report this
JW
The transient crisis is a large money-laundering scheme with politicians taking taxpayer money and distributing it to nonprofits which have no intention or incentive to actually fix the problem. Everyone wants to dance around the issue but the ultimate solution is immediate incarceration with one pathway out: forced rehab.
Friday, December 13, 2024 Report this
Southsoundguy
None of these people are capable of resolving this issue.
Friday, December 13, 2024 Report this
BigOlBoloz
Drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill -- all need to be put back into hospital settings, not "housing" where their problems keep on happening. Enough already. Arrest them. Kick them off the streets and encampments. Bums are bums. Mentally ill need help, but the others need to dry out and get out of town. Compassion is getting the addicts and drunks treated in hospitals, not giving them free places to live.
Friday, December 13, 2024 Report this
ejpoleii
I served on the Lacey Homeless Work Group. What became clear is that the bulk of the politicians, bureaucrats, and homeless industry (mainly NGOs) have no incentive to solve the problem. Indeed, they exacerbate it. The "state of emergency) was passed in 2018. It has gotten worse and worse, not better, until some cities enacted effective laws and practices.
Friday, December 13, 2024 Report this