Salvation Army urges accountability for homeless-service funding; commissioners seek further review

Captain Jen Pak, a Salvation Army representative who said she resides in Centralia and serves Lewis County, told the Board of County Commissioners on July 15 that a consolidated homeless grant administered with Lewis County Public Health and Social Services provided targeted services to local households.

“These funds weren’t theoretical. They weren’t abstract,” Jen Pak said, and she described program outcomes tied to the grant administered last fiscal year.

The Salvation Army told the commissioners the grant totaled $427,000 and that services stabilized 160 households. Pak said providers documented 461 months of rent paid collectively (described during testimony as “461 individuals remained housed” and equated to more than 30 years of rent when counted in months), and that 127 of the households reported disabling conditions. Pak said the Salvation Army operates on a reimbursement basis and described delays and accounting burdens tied to that model.

Why it matters: Commissioners debated whether the county should accept increased state funding for homelessness services while some other programs face cuts. The exchange raised questions about program oversight, per-unit cost, and the county’s role as steward of public dollars.

Discussion details: During public comment and follow-up, Commissioner Swope said he was troubled by perceived increases in funding and the county’s tax burden, saying, “We had the highest tax increase in the state of Washington,” and questioning whether the county was being a good steward of public funds. Swope also said he was concerned about reductions in other recovery services while homelessness-related funding increased.

Pak pushed back on statements that she said implied a lack of accountability. She asked the board to consider that providers submit reimbursement requests and that bookkeeping and cash-flow realities mean providers spend money before being reimbursed. Pak described a social-media claim that shelter bed nights cost $300 and said that claim was inaccurate; a county official later noted a figure “about $43 per person.” Pak also said the Salvation Army had submitted reimbursement requests that were returned for additional paperwork.

Next steps and direction: Commissioners did not take formal action on the topic at the meeting. The chair said the board would hold additional meetings to review the county’s contract with Commerce (the state agency referenced in the discussion) and encouraged Pak and other providers to participate. The board also asked Pak to submit her prepared remarks in writing for the public record and follow-up review.

Attribution note: Quotations and numeric details above are taken from public remarks delivered to the commissioners on July 15. Where the meeting included an exchange about a $300-per-night social-media claim, the meeting record shows that a county official referenced an actual per-person figure of about $43; both figures were discussed on the record.

Ending: Commissioners approved a series of deliberation and budget items at the same meeting but left homelessness funding and the county’s contract with the state for further review, and they invited providers to participate in the upcoming review meetings.