The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the Thurston County Homeless Housing Plan for 2025-2030, outlining the objectives, strategies and tasks to address homelessness and housing instability.
Every five years, local jurisdictions submit their Homeless Housing Plan to the state Department of Commerce. Commerce uses the local plans to inform a state strategic plan to the Legislature on Washington’s efforts to address homelessness.
The state’s plan is a five-year roadmap identifying state and county activities and goals.
Commerce requires local jurisdictions’ plans to address five objectives:
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The plan is based on available data and projected local housing and service needs in the coming years, according to a Thurston County news release.
It is a living document that the county says will remain responsive to emerging issues, evidence-based practices, and system data identifying opportunities for continuous improvement over its lifespan.
Additionally, the plan sets priorities for situations where the need for services exceeds available funding and resources, according to the county.
Use of Thurston County’s homeless services increased between 2023 and 2024, according to data included in the county’s plan. Data comparing 2024 to 2025 was not available when the plan was finalized.
The county estimates that a total of 3,054 people utilized homelessness services within Thurston County in 2024, up from 1,938 the year prior.
Of those, 1,554 people just used homelessness services — which don’t include the emergency shelter or other housing programs — in 2024, up from 753 in 2023.
The county estimates that 746 people enrolled in housing intervention programs — up slightly from 728 the year prior.
Those housing intervention programs include emergency shelters, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing and other permanent housing.
The data shows that the number of people who used emergency shelters and rapid rehousing decreased between 2023 and 2024, and that the number of people who utilized transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and other permanent housing increased between 2023 and 2024.
The county also estimates that 430 people enrolled in a homelessness prevention program in 2024, up from 281 in 2023; and 324 were enrolled in other homelessness-related projects, up from 176 the year prior.
The money spent on homelessness services also increased between 2023 and 2024, to the tune of $3.17 million. The greatest increase was to housing intervention services, with $17.7 million spent in 2024, up from $12.3 million in 2023.
State funding for homelessness resources in Thurston County also increased significantly between 2023 and 2024, while federal and local contributions decreased.
The state spent a total of $19.9 million on homelessness services in Thurston County in 2024, up from $14.5 million in 2023. Local contributions to homelessness services decreased from $6.6 to $6.1 million between 2023 and 2024, and federal contributions decreased significantly, from $6.6 million in 2023 to $4.9 million in 2024.
The full Thurston County Homeless Housing Plan can be accessed online at https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/public-health-and-social-services/social-services/office-housing-and-homeless/thurston-countys-local-homeless-housing-plan-2025-2030.
Thurston County Public Health & Social Services, Office of Housing & Homeless Prevention program, led a core team of stakeholders and the Lived Experience Housing Steering Committee (LEHSC) in developing Thurston County’s plan starting in the summer of 2024.
The core team of stakeholders and the LEHSC worked with Thurston County staff to conduct public engagement activities to ensure community members were aware of the plan and had a chance to provide input.
Two surveys were conducted in February 2025 for community input and for input from homeless service providers. In the spring, there were three listening sessions with people experiencing housing instability and one listening session with homeless services staff.
Following a final public hearing in the October, the plan was revised, in response to public comments, to more clearly connect the plan to the Thurston County Comprehensive Plan; add language specific to shelter-in-place activities; and add language related to shelter capacity and accessibility.
The final draft was approved by the Thurston Regional Housing Council in November before approval by the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
