Olympia council allocates $30,000 from council funds to World Relief for refugee support and urges regional partners to join

The Olympia City Council on March 4 approved a referral to allocate $30,000 from the city council's discretionary goal funds to World Relief to sustain essential services for refugees and immigrants in Thurston County after recent federal funding cuts.

Council member Gilman introduced the referral, saying that about 40 recent refugees in Olympia had lost access to promised federal resettlement assistance and that World Relief had been providing critical services including housing search assistance, employment support and school enrollment help. The referral asks the council to allocate $30,000 and to formally urge the cities of Tumwater and Lacey and Thurston County to join a coordinated regional response.

City Manager Bernie and several council members praised Gilman's long-term engagement with refugee resettlement work and noted that dollars, while modest relative to government budgets, constituted important bridge support to prevent immediate hardship for newly arrived families. Bernie said staff and community partners were in regular consultation and that the city's action could help leverage additional regional or nonprofit support.

Council moved and seconded the referral and approved it by voice vote. The motion as recorded in the meeting allocates $30,000 from Olympia City Council goal funds to World Relief for refugee support; the transcript does not list a roll-call tally in the recorded minutes. Council directed staff to proceed with the allocation and suggested outreach to neighboring jurisdictions to seek collaborative support.