Downtown Olympia Winter Warming Center Permit Sought

Above: As snow fell on South Sound late Thursday afternoon, a daytime winter warming center can’t open soon enough for some of Olympia's most vulnerable residents. Interfaith Works is seeking a temporary use permit to use the historic Hyak Lumber Building, seen above, as a warming center with community social service resources, as soon as possible through March 2017.

By Janine Gates

http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

An unanticipated delay due to funding setbacks in the opening of the Providence Community Care Center has caused the need for a full time winter warming center.

The Center was scheduled to open in early Fall at the corner of State Street and Franklin Street.

To fill the gap, Interfaith Works, a community non-profit, has requested a temporary use permit from the City of Olympia for the use of a building, the former location of Alpine Experience, as a daytime winter warming center. 

The historic Hyak Lumber Building is owned by Joe Hyer and his family, and is located at 408 Olympia Avenue NE, near the LOTT Clean Water Alliance and the Hands On Children's Museum. 

The warming center would provide relief for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, physical or mental health challenges and substance use related challenges.

An informal meeting about the proposal was hosted by city staff at Olympia City Hall on Thursday evening. A handful of community members, some representing downtown businesses or organizations, were in attendance to hear more and ask questions. 

Interfaith Works executive director Danny Kadden and emergency overnight shelter manager Meg Martin answered those concerns and more. The informal setting allowed for a deeper conversation about local homelessness issues and current community efforts.

City of Olympia community planning and development director Keith Stahley said he expects to issue the permit with reasonable conditions next week. 

Stahley complimented Interfaith Works staff on the level of detail in their operations and staff training manuals and said he has heard some community concerns about issues such as people smoking or congregating around the outside of the building.

The building lease would be paid for through Thurston County, and City of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater housing funds. Martin said that the Hyer family is leasing the building for the cost of utilities.

Since early November, Interfaith Works has operated a warming center five days a week using two rotating downtown locations, The United Churches of Olympia, and First Christian Church. 

Due to scheduling issues, the warming center is closed on two days, Tuesdays and Sundays. 

At the new location, the group plans a full time operation as soon as possible through March 31, 2017. The hours of operation would be 7:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. daily and replace the two church locations. Staff would also be on site just prior and just after open hours. 

As it does now, Interfaith Works would provide the necessary supplies, supervision and support services to conduct the operations of the warming center. At least two Interfaith Works emergency shelter staff would be on site daily, plus volunteer support. 

Community support services will be available on site and include the SeaMar Community Health Care Management Team, the PATH program through Capital Recovery Center, Behavioral Health Resources, Providence Health Services, Olympia Free Clinic providing acute medical care and first aid relief and SideWalk, providing access to rapid rehousing, coordinated entry and shelter diversion programs.

Martin said that the current warming centers see nearly 100 guests per day, but they are not all there at the same time. 

“Homeless people are busy. They have errands to run, with many health, medical, and food services located outside of the downtown core,” said Martin.

She described the space as a calm environment. Some stop by to get warmed up, sleep, visit friends, or dry their belongings. In the new location, when they are not meeting with social service providers, they will do the same, as well as watch movies or play games. They are also actively involved in the upkeep of the surrounding area. 

“They want to be good neighbors. They sweep and pick up trash. Their house is the sidewalk and they are interested in keeping it clean,” said Martin.

Martin said that at the end of the last year's warming center season, about 130 guests per day signed in. 

Olympia Police Department Lieutenant Sam Costello manages the downtown foot patrol and downtown safety programs. He was positive about Interfaith Works' management of the current warming centers and the emergency overnight shelter. 

“The interactions officers will have with street individuals will be more friendly if they have a place to tell them to go,” said Costello.  

Shelter staff managed last winter's warming center program, and trained in de-escalation and emergency intervention skills. Staff will manage an outdoor smoking space to minimize impact on immediate neighbors, and all guests will be expected to sign good neighbor guest agreement.

Above: Interfaith Works seeks to use a portion of the Hyak Lumber Building, about 7,000 square feet, in downtown Olympia to serve the community. The space was most recently leased by the Thurston County Democrats.

Interviewed today at the building, Joe Hyer said he is excited about the opportunity to lease a portion of the building to Interfaith Works. Hyer says the Thurston County Democrats leased a portion of the building and left November 15.

“I like Interfaith Works. They know what they’re doing. I like their attitude,” he said.

Hyer said the building, recently used as a former commercial space, is all up to code with fire sprinklers, modern wiring, and plenty of outlets. Hyer said he is leaving the Wi-Fi set up so guests and staff can use their phones in and around the building.

Hyer is also excited that the Thurston County Democrats left numerous room dividers, desks, and office equipment in the building, and are donating the supplies for the warming center's use. 

The building has two restrooms. Interfaith Works will also provide two outdoor port-a-potties to accommodate demand, which will be locked when the warming center is not open.

At the meeting, Connie Phegley, owner of Old School Pizza, said that she is not happy that the public bathrooms at East Bay Plaza are closed, and yet Interfaith Works has to pay for port-a-potties at the nearby warming center. 

“Not only that, the port-a-potties are being put up for a certain population. I'm not happy about that and I haven't been for quite some time,” she said. The bathrooms, located near the Hands On Children's Museum and the LOTT Clean Water Alliance, are closed due to ongoing vandalism and drug use.

Hands On Children's Museum executive director Patty Belmonte was in attendance, and said that despite best efforts, there will be some parents who will very concerned and many others who will not be concerned. 

“We will work to educate our families and ensure their safety. The reality is, we will hear from many families. Undoubtedly, some families will be unhappy. We will work with Interfaith Works to make it as smooth a transition as possible,” she said. 

Belmonte said she is developing a 'frequently asked questions' page to the children's museum website to help educate children's museum members about the warming center.

Interfaith Works has communicated diligently with nearby businesses, including Crawford Auctions, ACME Fuel, the Hands On Children’s Museum, and the LOTT Clean Water Alliance, and Martin agreed that open communication with families is key.

“We are also serving families. Families come to the warming centers everyday. There's not enough beds at Pear Blossom Place or Rosie's Place at Community Youth Services. We're a mixed population. Some stay up all night and just need a place to sleep or if they are sick....”

Stahley brought up the question of possible sex offenders at the center. Martin explained that Level 2 or 3 sex offenders are not allowed.

“All I can comment on is our experience. We have had zero incidents and zero threats related to sexual offenses. We've served 700 unique individuals in two years and all are screened. Many we will serve in the new location have already been screened. As a behavioral based shelter, we know that when people do not have access to services, they are more likely to reoffend. Whatever criminal behavior they may have, when basic needs are met, our entire community is safer,” said Martin.

“Our day to day experience builds a tremendous amount of skills and that's reflected in our relationships,” said Kadden. 

“A lot of thought goes into contingency planning. Challenging episodes happen rarely but when they do, we're prepared....This will be a dress rehearsal for when the Providence Community Care Center opens. Connecting people with services will help us make that a success and professionalize our homeless services....We're trying to bring the community together in the long term. We're going to do everything we can to be mindful in response to calls and interactions,” added Kadden.

Eastside neighborhood parent Whitney Bowerman is the parent of two small children, and said she is a member of the children's museum. 

Bowerman said she first met Martin when she opposed an Eastside neighborhood location once considered for a warming center. She has come a long way in her personal education about homelessness issues and credited that knowledge to Martin's work and patience. 

“Knowledge is power, and there are preconceived notions. When you clear that up, it's magic,” she said. 

Now, she and her children deliver meals to the shelters, and have gotten to know the guests and the names of their dogs. 

“It's been a good experience for my children, to talk about compassion, to help them see the big picture. I started way far from where I am now. I was afraid of these people (the homeless), but I'm impressed with the program. They do a great job,” she said. 

Her friend Joellen Wilhelm agreed. She and her young family are also Eastside residents and members of the children's museum and the YMCA.

“A warming center is a basic human right. There's space for all of us,” she said. 

Current warming shelter information:

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at United Churches, Social Hall, lower level at 110 11th Ave. SE; entrance is in the rear parking lot on Washington St. between Union and 11th Ave. Open for guests from 7:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. 

Thursdays and Saturdays at First Christian Church, Koinonia Hall (upstairs), 701 Franklin St. SE; open for guests from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. 

Donation Requests: Coffee, sugar, creamer, herbal tea, socks, gloves, hats and hand warmers for use after guests leave shelter. Round tables are also being sought for use in the new location.

For more information about Interfaith Works and its programs and projects, go to interfaith-works.org. 

For more information about the Emergency Overnight Shelter and how to donate supplies, go to www.iwshelter.org.

For more information about the lack of 24 hour public restrooms, including the ones at East Bay Plaza, the LOTT Clean Water Alliance, Interfaith Works, homeslessness issues, the emergency overnight shelter, and Meg Martin, go to Little Hollywood, http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words in the search button.

Above: The Hyak Lumber Building on Olympia Avenue was also home to the Olympia Shingle Company and may have been built as early as 1946.

Thurston County Specialized Recreation is in Precarious Budget Situation

Above: On April 9, about 60 participants of Thurston County's Special Recreation program gathered to bowl at Westside Lanes in Olympia. Strikes and smiles were in abundance!

 

Commissioners to Hold Work Session on Issue May 1

By Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A small group of dedicated people in Thurston County are addressing budget shortfalls and issues regarding the specialized recreation program for individuals with developmental or physical disabilities.

James Reddick, president of the PARC Foundation, a local, nonprofit parks, arts, recreation, and cultural organization, recently reached out to Little Hollywood to tell the story.

“I am concerned that the public does not know what is taking place with Thurston County specialized recreation services. What happens if this recreation service is eliminated for this population of citizens?” says Reddick.

Many of the individuals who use the county’s recreation services live with their parents or guardians. Some live on their own and sometimes support themselves with work income earned through agencies like Morningside. 

“I have contacted many individuals and organizations, but I have not received much response. I would like to find or start a group that would be influential in raising funds for special recreation, similar to the St. Peter’s Foundation that supports the hospital,” says Reddick.

Thurston County Specialized Recreation Budget History

Currently, the county contributes about $220,000 and the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater contributes a combined $23,000 to the program, says Cliff Moore, Thurston County manager. Program users fees are also part of the budget.

 

Thurston County Recreation Services is a registered contractor with the state Department of Social and Health Services and is able to accept Department of Developmental Disability respite funds for payment of activities.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Moore placed the special recreation program into a larger context, and provided a history of Thurston County’s budget situation overall.

Since 2009, the county support for special recreation services has continued to be reduced.  Moore recounted how 2009 was the year Thurston County suffered a tremendous financial impact due to the economic downturn.

“The county lost 175 positions in 2008-09….Since 2008 until now, we’ve lost 252 positions. The biggest reasons are inflation, an increase in the cost of medical benefits, salary step increases, and fuel for county vehicles….Our largest single source of income is property taxes…and up until 2009, we had a healthy budget from the general fund.”

That year, the special recreation program was going to be cut from the budget. Moore was reminded by this reporter who was present, of an emotional 2009 county board of commissioners public hearing in which passionate testimony was voiced by caregivers and clients of the program.

Moore immediately responded, “In my entire 25 years of public service, that was the single most moving public meeting I’ve ever attended….”

The public testimony and passionate outpouring worked, and after the 2009 public meeting, the commissioners created a combined funding mechanism of the general fund and the Millage Fund that has sustained the program for the last five years.

The Millage Fund

The Millage Fund is established by state statute and requires the county to spend a certain amount of property taxes on social service programs, including special recreation.

Chris Colton, a member of the Thurston County Parks and Recreation citizen advisory group, provided specifics on the Millage Fund, illustrating the range of services required to take care of an individual with developmental or physical disabilities.

“The Millage Fund receives 2-1/2 cents per $1000 from property taxes…however, the Millage Fund's expenditure is greater than its income, and the program needs to cut about $20,000 in spending every year, starting in 2015.

“In 2014, 45% of the Millage Fund was spent supporting special recreation while the rest of the money went to high school transition (12%), parent and family support (9%), intensive case management (14%), senior services (10%), child care development and support (1%), personal counseling (3%), People First self-advocacy (3%), and assault prevention classes (3%).

“The municipalities agree that special recreation is important but….if each city upped its contribution, the $20,000 could be made up.  However, the cities are in a budget crunch and are not inclined to give up more money, at least not at the request of park staff. Also, that rationale is based on the commissioners continuing to require Millage Funds to fund special recreation. This issue needs to be addressed in our future meeting with the county commissioners.”

 

Efforts to Save Program Comes Up Empty-Handed

Moore says the county strongly appreciates the special recreation program and has worked hard to find a sustainable plan, a programmatic home, and funding for the program. Last year, the county launched an effort to save the program by convening a summit of 17 local organizations in June 2013, but there were no takers to provide the services.

The organizations involved include the Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County, the Hands On Children’s Museum, Morningside, Senior Services of South Sound, United Way of Thurston County, the Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater parks and recreation programs, the PARC Foundation, the South Sound YMCA, and many more.

When the county’s Resource Stewardship department took an overall 10 percent budget reduction in 2014, the summer day camp program for special recreation was cut.

In March, the county moved the program from Resource Stewardship into the public health and social services department on Lilly Road. Moore says it has been good to connect the program with other staff.

“It heightens the awareness, value and importance of the special recreation program to more staff…before, it was always seen as something different. Still, our goal is to find a sustainable long term solution.”

Moore says the Millage Fund will be tapped out in just a couple of years.

 

Above: Special Recreation participants try different tactics to help their game at Westside Lanes.

Thurston County Special Recreation Activities

Thurston County Specialized Recreation is the only recreation services agency in the county that provides activities and events to individuals with developmental and developmental disabilities.

The current Spring program lists fun field trips to the Puyallup Fair, a trip on the Kitsap Mini Steam Train, trips to see the Tacoma Rainiers, the Point Defiance Zoo, the Olympic Air Show, and more. Locally, the group has a regular bowling club at Westside Lanes, takes walks at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, trips to movie theaters, and more.

In the afternoon of April 9, I caught up with a group of about 60 special recreation program participants at Westside Lanes to see some pretty amazing bowling and lots of smiles.

Virginia Cook, a caregiver for her 50 year old developmentally disabled son, sat nearby to watch him bowl. She said he has memory issues, anxiety attacks, and sometimes get confused. She has been with the program for many years.

“I don’t want them to cut the budget. I rely on this program…I need the respite. I don’t have other people I can rely on too often. I could call a professional caregiver, but my son doesn’t like strangers. Without the program, people like me wouldn’t really have any breaks.”

Cook said she sometimes goes to the mall or somewhere nearby while he’s bowling under the watchful supervision of recreation staff, but then she feels bad if she missed him being happy about getting a strike.

“When he gets a strike, I can go ‘yea!’” she smiles.

Josh Russell, a caregiver with Citizen Access Residential Resources (CARR), sat near his client, watching him bowl a rocking game.

“He’s been bowling here for about 10 years…he looks forward to it. He brings his scores home and puts them up on the refrigerator, and calls his family and tells them. He’s very proud of playing a sport – he’s good at it! He’s beat me a few times. He’s an interesting character….” said Russell.

Just then, Russell’s client got a strike! He immediately came over to me and with a big smile, said, “I like to bowl. I like people.” I gave him a fist bump.

The PARC Foundation Offers Possible Solutions

The PARC Foundation, begun by Reddick in 1998, is dedicated to preserving the vital green spaces of Thurston County’s natural surroundings, expanding and supporting works of art and artists in our community, and ensuring all children have free access to recreational opportunities.

“How can specialized recreation continue to serve individuals with developmental and physical disabilities? In addition, how can this program expand to meet the needs of individuals with developmental and physical disabilities? Specialized recreation has high operational costs due to staff and safety requirements. Most of the participants are on Social Security disability income, or need support through low wage employment, or by parents and guardians,” says Reddick.

PARC serves as a nonprofit financial manager for individuals and organizations that want to contribute to their community, but are not themselves interested in becoming a nonprofit or assume financial accounting efforts.

The organization leverages a number of separate funds to achieve major projects such as the creation of the popular Olympia Skate Court on Cooper Point Road in west Olympia. It currently serves as the fiscal agent for South Sound Hounds, and the Tenino Quarry Pool’s fundraising efforts, and other projects. In the past, it served as the fiscal agent for the South Sound Estuary Association.

For special recreation, the PARC Foundation used a $15,000 grant it received in 2012 from the Nisqually Tribe for a weeklong overnight camp held last year. 

“We applied for the same amount of funds this year, and received $5,000. We were also given $5,000 to put towards a Washington State Department of Transportation grant for a 30-35 passenger bus. We’re still trying to raise funds for the bus. Fundraising is difficult.”

County Commissioners to Hold Work Session on Special Recreation

The county commissioners will meet with the Thurston County Parks and Recreation citizen advisory group for a work session on Thursday, May 1, at the Thurston County Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Room 280, at 2:00 p.m.

The advisory group wants to reconnect with the commissioners, remind them of the group’s mission, and discuss the plight of the special recreation program. The group was recently instrumental in helping the county update its comprehensive plan for parks and recreation, but now members feel in limbo. The establishment of new goals, and changes in the configuration of the group may be in order.

The program’s move from Resource Stewardship to the county health department illustrates the disconnect between the commissioners and the advisory group. Douglas Bell, a member of the Thurston County Parks and Recreation citizen advisory committee says, “We found out about it in an email.”

The public is invited to observe the commissioner’s work session on special recreation, but public comment will not be allowed. Moore welcomes public comment on the subject at any regular county commissioner meeting on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. at the Thurston County Courthouse, Room 280.

Metropolitan Parks District Option?

Moore said that due to new legislation two years ago, a dedicated funding stream for parks was created as the Metropolitan Parks District. Moore says 25 jurisdictions in Washington State have adopted one.

“We haven’t. It takes a vote of the people and creates another tax, so that’s a challenge…but information about it has been provided to the commissioners about that opportunity….As far as I know, no one is leading an effort to create one here, but it could be beneficial for the community. Generally speaking, the overall size of parks and recreation staff increases because there’s a more sustainable revenue stream,” said Moore. In turn, this option could help the special recreation program.

Moore says a 2015 budget for the special recreation program has not yet been established.

For more information about Thurston County Special Recreation, go to the Thurston County website at www.co.thurston.wa.us or contact Cliff Moore, county manager, at (360) 786-5440 or moorecl@co.thurston.wa.us.

For more information about the PARC Foundation, go to www.parcfoundation.org or call (360) 352-0980.

 

Above: Leaning helps too....