County, ASO and regional housing council outline home fund and encampment program funding limits

Tom Webster of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services and Tara Smith, finance director for the Thurston‑Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization (ASO), summarized how local and state homeless‑response funding flows and the limitations on flexible service dollars during a July 23 work session.

Tara said the ASO’s primary contract with the state Healthcare Authority covers non‑Medicaid funding for low‑income, non‑Medicaid individuals. She described annual allocations of roughly $12,000,000 under the ASO’s main contract, with about $6,000,000 identified as GFS (state general fund) flexible dollars. Tara said those flexible dollars are constrained by three contractual obligations: population‑based crisis services, involuntary hospitalizations and involuntary treatment court costs. She described budget use in the recent year as roughly $1,200,000 for crisis services (blended with…