Title
Housing and Homeless Response Briefing
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Progress report on programs, policies and initiatives in the housing and homeless response department.
Staff Contact:
Darian Lightfoot, Director of Housing and Homeless Response, 360.280.8951
Presenter(s):
Darian Lightfoot, Director of Housing and Homeless Response
Background and Analysis:
In 2018, the City hired its first Homeless Response Coordinator and Home Fund Manager, moving the City to take a more active role in the nationwide housing crisis. The Homeless Response Coordinator’s role was to help support unsheltered residents and their transition to housing and manage other city-wide impacts. Over the years, the Homeless Response team has now grown to four staff working on a variety of different programs and initiatives including, tiny home village operations, encampment management, Governor Inslee’s Rights-of-Way Initiative, RV liveaboard policy, workforce development, hazardous weather sheltering and more. The City’s comprehensive, housing first approach is seen a best practice and allows the team to partner closely with the Olympia Police Department and Olympia Fire Department to balance compassion and accountability.
The City has also taken a very active role in housing policy and affordable housing development. While a majority of the Home Fund is now combined with Thurston County to best regionalize the housing development efforts, staff are working to create a pipeline of projects that will help bring units online faster and be more competitive for state and federal funding options. Some projects include, commercial to residential adaptive reuse, manufactured home park cooperative, land swaps with other public entities, and more. Staff have also responded to nation-wide data highlighting the increasing housing instability of renters, developing renter protection ordinances and a rental registry to help keep people housed and all dwellings safe and healthy.
Both teams work in lockstep to best understand the housing landscape and stay up to date with funding opportunities and share best ways to help serve our most vulnerable community members.
Climate Analysis:
The Housing and Homeless Response team has developed a strong relationship with the Climate team and aligned goals that meet both top City priorities. Projects include solar installation at Quixote Village, weatherization support for low-income residents, and EV charging at multi-family housing. Staff understand that as impacts of climate change continue to shape how we live, the financial burden of those adaptation requirements cannot be passed off to those who are already struggling to find housing stability. The housing team prioritizes projects that aim to meet the City’s density and transportation goals, improving our community’s resiliency and overall decrease in carbon emissions.
Equity Analysis:
The Housing and Homeless Response team’s value statement is Housing is a Human Right. Understanding when policy supports the most vulnerable and marginalized residents, the whole community benefits. The City uses data to help highlight those disparate impacts and share with the community why equitable policy is so critical. One important data set shares that BIPOC households are more likely to be renters than white households in Thurston County. Approximately 42% of BIPOC households rent, compared to 31% of white households. About 20% of respondents to the Assessment of Fair Housing survey in 2022 indicated they experience health impacts from their housing unit conditions. The most common concerns among respondents were: high heating costs or insufficient heat (57% of respondents), mold (48% of respondents), high cooling costs or insufficient cooling (45%), and air quality/pollution (33%). About 25% of survey respondents pay over $250 per month for utilities. This data has been a leading factor in the City’s focus on renter protections. The City also takes part in the Point in Time count which consistently highlights overrepresentation of marginalized residents in the unhoused community.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Affordable housing and homelessness are of high concern in the community. Staff are seeing a major spike in phone calls from distressed residents on the brink of becoming homeless and searching for options and support. Neighborhoods are also seeing an influx of unsheltered homelessness due to surrounding communities making the decision to criminalize homelessness and people seeking alternative options.
Options:
1. Receive the briefing.
2. Do not receive the briefing.
3. Receive the briefing at another time.
Financial Impact:
No financial impact.
Attachments:
One Community Strategic Plan Document
Assessment of Fair Housing
Point in Time Count 2024