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RHC weighs adding lived-experience and provider voices to regular meetings
Summary
Thurston County staff proposed two new engagement approaches to give people with lived experience and shelter providers more direct input to Regional Housing Council meetings: a rotating LESC attendee and short, focused provider briefings.
Thurston County staff proposed two steps to increase the Regional Housing Council's engagement with people who have lived experience of homelessness and with shelter and housing providers.
Tom Webster outlined the first idea: invite a rotating member of the Lived Experience Steering Committee (LESC) to attend RHC meetings as a nonvoting participant, with a regular standing agenda item for brief updates. "The idea is to have a standing agenda item on RHC meetings and invite a member of the LESC to attend these meetings, to provide you a brief update...and participate as a nonvoting participant," Webster said. Staff said they would seek LESC interest before implementing the change.
The second proposal would bring provider input on focused topics (for example, policy or funding impacts on shelter providers) by inviting two to three providers to answer three predetermined questions in a short presentation and allow limited discussion. Webster said the format is intended to avoid giving any single agency an unbalanced advocacy opportunity when the council makes funding decisions.
Council members broadly supported the ideas but raised practical concerns about agenda time and frequency. One member suggested alternating the two approaches across months; another recommended limiting presentations to short blocks of time or conducting the provider briefings on a case-by-case basis. Staff agreed to return in September with a more detailed proposal, including scheduling options and suggested topics.
Why it matters: The RHC makes funding and policy recommendations used by jurisdictions and providers across Thurston County. Members said direct input from people with lived experience and frontline providers can improve policy design and ground decisions in operational realities.
What happens next: Staff will consult the LESC about member participation and will prepare a more detailed calendar and topic list to present at the September meeting.
Ending note: Members noted the value of diverse perspectives and urged staff to design formats that keep meetings focused and time-limited while ensuring meaningful input.
