Olympia tackles homeless crisis with new Emergency Homeless Response Plan

The City of Olympia just passed a new plan to tackle its homeless crisis. This comes just months after the city declared the crisis a public health emergency.

On the streets of Olympia, lots of homeless people are camping in doorways, in front of shops and wherever they can. It's putting some businesses in a tough place.

“We try not to ruffle feathers with them. And you know, but you can't live in fear. I’ve got to go to work every day no matter what I’m faced with. I've had windows broken before,” said Robert Johnson of Capital City Guitars.

“It’s like a pressure cooker,” said Colin DeForrest, the Homeless Response Coordinator for the City of Olympia.

The homeless crisis in Olympia is becoming more serious with each passing month.

“We have three large encampments on public-owned property. They're on two different parking lots and on one street,” said DeForrest.

“And unfortunately, there are a lot of camps that are not visible from the road,” said Olympia City Councilmember Lisa Parshley.

The question the City of Olympia faces--what to do about it.

“How can we ease this pressure for the individuals experiencing homelessness and also for the community,” said DeForrest.

Right now, Olympia police help with walking patrols in downtown -- often visiting with the homeless around the clock. On Tuesday, city council also approved a new homeless response plan.

Among the things it would do: it would help pay for and expand Rosie's Place, a youth shelter, to become a 24/7 resource, help pay for a storage facility so homeless people could safely store their belongings, help build temporary housing—dozens of tiny homes on Plum Street.

Supporters say this homeless response plan is a collaboration with community partners.

“This is not something where you arrested your way out of it. You do not fence your way out of it,” said Colin DeForrest, the Homeless Response Coordinator for the City of Olympia. “We need to think of strategies outside the box-- ways of working with these individuals. It’s a unique process. Coming up with some community strategies.”

*The multi-million dollar homeless response plan will be paid for, in part, by the city's new “Home Fund."

Voters approved it back in February.