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County staff outline draft of 2025–2030 five-year homeless housing plan and public engagement steps
Summary
Staff described the required components of the Department of Commerce 5-year homeless housing plan, public engagement completed to date (including surveys and listening sessions), five Commerce-mandated objectives and proposed strategies, and the schedule for draft review, public comment and final approval.
Thurston County staff updated the Regional Housing Council on progress drafting the county's required five-year homeless housing plan for 2025–2030, including outreach completed to date and the set of objectives and strategies the team plans to include in the draft.
Tom Webster and Jackie Velasquez summarized required plan components under Department of Commerce guidance: an inventory of current services and beds; a funding-source survey; estimates of housing needs; capital project prioritization methods; public engagement and a work plan with strategies and tasks. Webster said the draft plan will be submitted to Commerce's technical assistance reviewer for compliance review and then released for a 30-day public-comment period with a public hearing expected in late October or early November. The plan is due to Commerce in December 2025 and will go to the Board of County Commissioners for formal approval in November.
Velasquez described the engagement already completed: two community surveys (one directed at providers and one at general community members), targeted listening sessions at tiny-home villages, and a lived-experience listening session. She said 94 survey respondents identified as having lived experience of homelessness, and staff held targeted listening sessions to ensure input from people currently unsheltered.
Staff also reviewed the five Commerce-mandated objectives that must be addressed in the plan: promote an equitable, accountable and transparent homeless crisis response system; strengthen the homeless service provider workforce; prevent episodes of homelessness where possible; prioritize assistance based on greatest barriers to housing stability and risk of harm; and house everyone in a stable setting that meets their needs. Jackie described preliminary strategies under each objective, including data dashboards for transparency, workforce development and training, prevention coordination, equity-informed prioritization, and expansion of housing and shelter options where resources permit.
Council members welcomed the engagement work and offered suggestions: several asked for the engagement and survey recaps to be posted online, and multiple members urged staff to bring annual report summaries to city councils and the Board of County Commissioners so jurisdictions are better informed. Staff agreed to post recaps, to share the draft with the RHC during the public-comment period, and to return to the RHC for approval at the October or November meeting before the Board of County Commissioners considers the plan.
Why it matters: The five-year plan guides allocation priorities, provider support and capital investments in the county's homeless response system. The plan will also be the basis of annual reporting to the Department of Commerce.
What happens next: Staff will finalize strategies and draft tasks, submit the draft to Commerce for technical review, open a 30-day public-comment period and hold a public hearing. The RHC is expected to review and provide endorsement prior to the Board of County Commissioners' formal approval.
Ending note: Staff emphasized the plan is intended as a "North Star" for prioritizing funding and policy decisions, and said they do not intend a purely “checkbox” plan but rather a community‑driven implementation roadmap.
