Regional Housing Council approves ERP allocations and delays decision on $290,000 for encampment planning

The Regional Housing Council on Thursday approved the recommended 2026–27 operating allocations for the county’s ERP (rights-of-way) program, while postponing a final decision on an unallocated balance of about $290,000 so staff can further study options for how to use the money.

Tom Webster, program manager for the Thurston County Office of Housing and Homeless Prevention, told the council the ERP initiative began in 2022 when the state Department of Commerce asked local partners to propose projects to close encampments along state rights-of-way while offering housing. Webster said the state set a baseline appropriation of $45 million statewide, with Thurston County receiving about $5.5 million annually.

"We started to talk about this at the April meeting," Webster said, describing early investments that included funding for Unity Commons shelter operations, the acquisition of a hotel that became Maple Court, and the Franz Anderson tiny home village on City of Olympia property. He said Commerce has prioritized projects in which it made capital investments and has indicated it is no longer interested in funding congregate shelter operations in future rounds.

The tech team proposed three options for distributing the roughly $290,000 that would remain if the recommended allocations are approved: (1) pro rata distribution among existing projects, (2) deferring the sum to support a phased encampment transition plan, and (3) piloting "global leasing," where an agency leases units and subleases them to people exiting homelessness, pairing that with case management and damage-mitigation supports.

Jay Berney, city manager (transcript: city manager, city of Columbia), urged the council to defer the $291,000 so the regional camp/transition team can refine a human-centered plan for closing the large encampment near Olympia. "By doing that, it allows us to take folks that are housed there and potentially move them into vacancies within other ERP row funded sites," Berney said, describing phased moves, safety monitoring and outreach as part of the plan.

Supporters of deferral cited the need for more time to build a plan that includes providers and people with lived experience. One advisory member pressed for proof that lived experience is being incorporated early in planning: "I really want evidence that lived experience has been incorporated, not just telling us that we're going to do it," the member said. City staff and the transition team said they have begun outreach to residents and providers and will include lived-experience voices as planning proceeds.

During discussion, some council members said they favored a hybrid approach that targets global-leasing supports to people with the highest barriers while otherwise reserving the balance for transition planning. Members also emphasized the risk of a future state budget cliff and urged staff to move quickly but deliberately so the region does not lose funds for lack of an articulated plan.

Nick Dunning moved to approve the recommended allocations for the ERP projects as presented; Tom Webster seconded the motion. The council approved the allocation motion by voice vote. The action covers the recommended operating funding for the projects listed in the council packet and leaves the roughly $290,000 unallocated pending further work by staff.

Tom Webster said staff will develop a draft framework and return to the council in coming weeks with more detailed scenarios, cost estimates and proposals for engagement with providers and people with lived experience. The council adjourned after confirming those next steps.

Next steps: staff will further analyze options 2 and 3, produce cost estimates and engagement plans, and return to the Regional Housing Council at a future meeting (staff referenced a target timeframe of the next one to two months).