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Resource Report - 42 Olympia Mutual Aid Partners (OlyMap) · Resource Report

0:20
Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we
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share with you important information about local
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nonprofits and resource organizations that support
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the community we share, produced by Pathways
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to Agency. I am your host, Rainmaker. Today's
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guest is Tye Gundel, co -founder and executive
0:39
director of Olympia Mutual Aid Partners, usually
0:42
known as OlyMap! Here's Tye. I am here at KAOS
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Radio Station with Tye Gundel of Olympia Mutual
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Aid Partners, OlyMap. How are you doing today,
1:03
Tye? I'm doing well, thank you. Happy to be here.
1:06
Yes. And can you please reintroduce yourself,
1:10
your position, and how did you come to be here
1:12
at OlyMap? Yeah, so my name is Tye Gundel, and
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I'm one of the co -founders of Olympia Mutual
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Aid Partners, and I also currently serve as the
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executive director. I've been with the organization
1:25
since we started back in 2020, and I was also
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with our predecessor organization, Just Housing,
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before that. Before my work with both of those
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groups, though, I've been working in homeless
1:37
services in Thurston County for about 13 years.
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So started as a volunteer working with a few
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shelters and outreach groups and then moved into
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community organizing, which is where I was with
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Just Housing. And after some time, OlyMap was
1:54
born out of that. So been with it from the start.
1:58
Oh, thank you. Thank you. And I'm going to ask
2:01
you to share a little bit more about that history
2:03
of Olympia Mutual Aid Partners. But you did a
2:07
little bit mention the Just Housing aspect, which
2:10
is clearly there on your website for anyone who
2:12
would like to see it. And are you aware that
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I previously interviewed Phoenix from Integrate,
2:18
who also shared with us that they were born out
2:21
of Just housing? Yeah, I actually didn't know
2:25
that y 'all had interviewed with Phoenix, but
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yes. Phoenix was a part of Just Housing many
2:29
years ago. So and knew her for a while before
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then, too. So really glad you guys got to connect.
2:35
Yeah, it's just so really cool to me that I was
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able to interview Phoenix who came out of Just
2:43
Housing for Integrate, and now you, with OlyMap,
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who also came out of Just Housing. It's like
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now the community is able to get the full picture.
2:51
Yeah, absolutely! Yeah, and that's one of the cool
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things about Just Housing, is it really was like
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a very community -based volunteer group and..
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a dandelion group of sorts, where you know,
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we were all together for some time and folks
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have branched out to start their own things and
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continue the work in a lot of different ways,
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so it's really great to be a part of that little
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local history. I love that analogy, dandelioning.
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We're going to spread the seeds where they will.
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Yes. We will bloom where we were planted. I love
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that. Absolutely. Yeah, okay. And what are the
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mission and values of Olympia Mutual Aid Partners?
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On your website, you list Housing First, Harm
3:30
Reduction, People -led Services, and Trauma -informed
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Care. Can you talk about that? Yeah, so our mission
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at OlyMap is to support equitable access to safe,
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just, and warm places to call home for people
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who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness
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in Thurston County. And an important part of
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that mission is to support people in finding
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that home wherever it is that they want to call
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home, whether that means that they are outdoors
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at a camp or wanting to get indoors to a shelter
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or place like an apartment. And yeah, harm reduction,
4:04
housing first. trauma -informed care have all
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been really important parts of our work since
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the beginning, and really all of that comes from
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a belief that people are better able to meet
4:15
their needs, exit homelessness or just improve
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like their own quality of life and health and
4:20
safety if we're supporting stability where they
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are. So we see that if people are supported in
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being more safe and stable, for example, when
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they're outdoors living at a camp, that those
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folks are then better able to work on those long
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-term goals and get connected to the services
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that are actually going to help them leave that
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situation. So harm reduction for us is really
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about reducing the harm that people experience
4:45
when they're living unsheltered in whatever ways
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that we can. And also what we find is that when
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we're supporting folks who are living outdoors
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it's also reducing the harm that other people
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in the community experience, you know, so for example,
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if we're providing support for people living
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at a camp that is struggling with hazardous burning,
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and we're providing supplies that help prevent
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hazardous burning from happening, that's an improvement
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for also like, the neighbors of the camp, who then
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aren't impacted by smoke or the hazardous burning
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taking place there. And Housing First, as a philosophy,
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and for us, means supporting people in getting
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safe shelter and housing so that they can work
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on, again, maybe longer -term needs, like working
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on substance use, working on their behavioral
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health, reconnecting with family. What we see
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time and time again is that if people are living
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in unsafe, unstable situations, it is a million
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times harder for people to connect to the resources
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they need, stay connected to the resources they
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need, and get to where they want to be so we
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want to support people uh in in getting to that
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shelter first, um or also, for us it also means
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supporting people and being more safe safe and
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stable where they are when they're living outdoors,
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because again if we can support somebody in in
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staying as safe and healthy as possible where
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they are, then again, we can better connect people
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to the resources they need to get into housing
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or improved shelter. Thank you. That was a really
6:22
well... Well -worded, comprehensive breakdown.
6:26
Thank you. I want to go back to where you were
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talking about housing first, harm reduction,
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and it's particularly people -led. And that perspective
6:35
that you shared that informs that we are going
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to listen to what their needs are according to
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them. Yes. We are not wanting to... rule that
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by our standards or anyone else's standards,
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but the people that we're helping. I think that's
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a very important point that you're making there.
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And I think it's very important to repeat and
7:00
make sure that people get that concept wrapped
7:04
around their heads that, you know, if someone
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is feeling safer being outdoors. Mhm. We are not the
7:13
ones to say, no, no, you couldn't possibly be
7:17
safer, feel safer outdoors. What is wrong with
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you? Yeah. You need to be in a house. Exactly.
7:24
No, I have a friend who actually... had worked
7:30
in social work and was getting someone into a
7:33
housing through services. And this person was
7:37
a Zen Buddhist practitioner and had literally
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no furniture. She had a little rollout mat in
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her living room and she had a little pop -up
7:49
tent in her living room. And her social case
7:53
managers came and this was not okay. She needed
7:56
a table. She needed a couch. needed a coffee
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pot and she really didn't. Yes! And you know.. and,
8:04
and it's it's like, what standards are we value
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judging on, right? Exactly. That's an important
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point that should be reiterated. Yes. Thank you
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so much for that. Yeah, thank you. And so... what
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does OlyMap do? Like, what are your programs?
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It looks like you have shelter programs and outreach
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programs. Can you talk about those? Yes. So,
8:28
yeah, we provide a range of services. When we
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first started, our first program was the Scattered
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Site Pilot Project, which was really focused
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on providing what we call shelter -in -place
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support for people who are living outdoors. So
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at the time, we were working with the largest
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camps in the area, so the Jungle, Ensign Road.
8:48
by the hospital, the large camp that was around
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Capitol Lake to provide support to, again, just
8:54
keep people safe and stable as possible where
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they were, including case management, garbage
8:59
removal, providing people with warming supplies,
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shelter supplies, harm reduction, all of that.
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And since that time, you know, we've continued
9:07
to shift and grow our services just to try to
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meet the needs and fill the gaps wherever we
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can. So outreach really is the heart of our organization.
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It's where we started and it's what we've always
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continue to provide through throughout our existence,
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and uh, that takes a few different forms.. uh the
9:25
the main service we're known for is our site
9:27
support services, so again that's the, that's our
9:30
team that's going out wherever people are finding
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shelter outdoors, so in the camps, on the streets
9:37
downtown, under bridges in the woods, and that
9:41
program provides support like water refills,
9:46
so making sure people have access to potable
9:48
water, providing propane and firewood, so that
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people can keep themselves warm and cook safely,
9:54
providing shelter supplies like tents and tarps,
9:58
sleeping bags, so people can have some basic
10:00
protection from the elements. And we, through
10:04
that program, also do regular tabling events
10:07
where we're handing out food and all of those
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other supplies that I mentioned. And the camp
10:12
that we're working with the most with those services
10:14
is the Jungle, which is currently the largest
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camp in our area and has about 300 people living
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there. So that's where we provide the bulk of
10:22
those services, but we're also at all the other
10:25
places in Thurston County. And another service
10:29
that that program provides, that I think is really
10:32
important and needed, is advocacy and support
10:35
for camps that are facing displacement. So if
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a camp is about to be shut down, our team will
10:42
continue working with the camp, advocate for
10:45
the folks there to try to delay displacement,
10:49
stop the displacement, and at the very least,
10:53
if people are going to be displaced. Provide
10:56
whatever support we can to reduce the harm that
10:58
happens and that people experience in those situations.
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So helping people pack and store belongings,
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helping people transport their belongings to
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a new place. But advocacy is a really big part
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of that. And we're usually asking the community
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to back us up in that support so that people
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aren't just shuffled around. A couple of things
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I want to say there is I've observed and actually
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shared on our social media, as well for you, a lot of your
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posts with the notifications of what's happening,
11:30
you know, regarding the city versus the Jungle
11:34
encampment. So that's definitely getting the
11:36
word out there. And also calling out to helping
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people move their belongings. Because I remember
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in the interview with Phoenix for Integrate,
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she detailed this horrific experience where the
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encampments would get bulldozed before anybody could
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go and collect things such as, you know, important
11:57
stuff like IDs and things like that, not giving
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individuals time to go get their things, not
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giving them adequate notice. Like, you know,
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you post something online and you expect a houseless
12:11
individual to just find that out? Are they scrolling
12:14
their Facebook feed every morning? Right. And
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even when there is- No, exactly! And even when
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there's, you know, notices posted up at camps,
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a lot of folks are going to miss that. We know
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a lot of folks that like struggle with literacy,
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so- and also aren't- don't speak English as their
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first language, and won't get that noticed, won't
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understand what it means. And, you know, some
12:35
some practices with sweeps have improved over
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the years but especially thinking back to like
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the days of Just Housing, and watching people's
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tents literally, as you mentioned, just be bulldozed
12:47
and the number of people that I've met that have
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lost like not only IDs and important documents
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and have had to start from scratch that way but
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losing things like like the ashes of their loved
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ones, you know, pictures of their children that
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they don't get to see anymore, so, those.. It's heartbreaking.
13:05
Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah, that's a really important
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part of the work that that we provide. And I'm
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really a lot of the stuff that we've noticed
13:14
with sweeps throughout the history is like, if
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we're not paying attention to what's happening,
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if there's not a light shown on like, what is
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going on, a lot of bad things can happen in the
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shadows. And so when we're posting those things
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and trying to get inform the community about
13:29
what's going on, it's really with that in mind,
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because what we've seen is when there's. community
13:34
members uh speaking up for the folks in that
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position, and when there's eyes on it, uh we see
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um, even if a displacement still happens, um it
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it happens in a way that's going to cause at
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least, less harm than it would in the days past. Reducing
13:49
that harm. Harm reduction, right there. Exactly,
13:52
exactly. And the other part of our outreach
13:56
work is, um case management support. So again, it's
13:59
like, part of it is immediate needs. Making sure
14:01
people are safe and stable, have the supplies
14:03
to stay safe, and then the other part of that
14:06
is case management. So we have a team of outreach
14:09
care navigators that, again, can go and meet people
14:12
wherever they are in Thurston county, and connect
14:16
them to the services that they need. And like
14:18
we were talking about earlier, it's participant
14:20
led, so there's no requirements that you get connected,
14:22
that if you're going to work with a care navigator,
14:24
that you have to work on housing, that you have
14:26
to work on unemployment. It is all based around
14:29
the needs of the person that's coming to us for
14:32
support, whether that's getting support with
14:34
an ID, family reunification. Basically, everyone
14:38
we work with does want to get connected to shelter
14:41
or housing, but helping them find the thing that's
14:43
going to be the right fit for them is the hardest
14:45
part of that and finding housing and shelter
14:48
that's available. But yeah, that's our case management
14:51
piece. And our case managers also, we host walk
14:56
-up hours Monday through Friday from 12 to 3
14:59
at our main office location. So outside of just
15:02
outreaching to wherever people are, we also always
15:05
have care navigators at our office during those
15:07
hours so people can drop in, get basic medical.
15:11
harm reduction supplies, walk through our clothing
15:14
closet, and also connect with a care navigator
15:17
to work on that and get outreach services. And where is that office? Yeah,
15:20
our office is located right downtown at the First
15:22
Christian Church. So it's 701 Franklin Street
15:25
Southeast. Is that the one across the street
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from the Franklin Street Harm Reduction? It is!
15:30
Yes, they are our close friends and partners!
15:32
Yes, we have a great little corner over there.
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That's awesome. That's awesome. Okay.
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And so you're talking about the outreach programs,
15:49
and when people come to your website, what they
15:52
will see under those headlines that you detailed
15:54
so nicely is Community Care Navigation, which
15:58
is the Roving Outreach Camp Support or ROCS and
16:02
Safer Space Outreach Advocacy program. And then
16:05
you have the Rights of Way initiative. Yeah.
16:08
So for the Rights of Way initiative, that is
16:09
actually a former program of ours. So it's a
16:14
complicated one, but basically a few years ago,
16:16
2022 the state of Washington put a bunch of funding
16:19
out for both like, increasing the availability
16:22
of shelter and housing in Olympia and also providing
16:25
outreach support for people specifically living
16:28
on state owned rights of ways and so we, for between
16:32
2022 and 2025, we were the Rights of Way outreach
16:36
providers. So we were the group that was responsible
16:39
for outreaching to all the camps that were on
16:42
state rights of ways, and again, providing both
16:45
like, the site support services and the case management,
16:47
and a big part of that was connecting the folks
16:52
at that camp. Who were at those camps to the Right
16:56
of Way funded shelters and housing. And through
17:00
that work, we actually were able to support 394
17:04
people in moving from camps to indoor shelters.
17:07
Almost one for every day of the year. Yes, almost
17:09
one for every day of the year. Exactly. So yeah,
17:12
that's definitely a really big part of our history
17:15
and something that, even if we're not still operating
17:17
that program, we keep with us. And, the other one I almost
17:21
forgot to mention is for outreach... we provide
17:24
hazardous weather support. So we're like, the
17:27
organization, that if a hazardous weather event
17:29
is declared by Thurston County, so extreme cold,
17:32
extreme heat, smoke, we get the go -ahead to
17:36
purchase additional supplies and do the outreach,
17:39
again, wherever people are staying outdoors to
17:43
support them in sheltering in place. Because,
17:45
yes, there's folks that want to get indoors during
17:47
a hazardous weather event, but also when you're
17:49
living at a camp, It's really hard to leave your
17:51
belongings behind. And we find that a lot of
17:53
folks prefer to be able to stay with their pets,
17:55
with their belongings in their space during those
17:58
events. So we want to be able to support them
18:01
in that and also make sure that they're able
18:03
to stay as safe as possible during those events.
18:05
What about flooding? Yes, flooding, too. So unfortunately,
18:09
there's not, um.. the flooding is not one of the events
18:13
that Thurston County declares a hazardous weather
18:16
event for. But that is something that we respond
18:19
to because people being flooded out of their
18:21
camps is a huge issue in Olympia. Has there been
18:25
flooding? Yes, there absolutely is flooding.
18:28
We see it less in camps like the Jungle, but
18:31
also, you know, the Percival Creek camp, which
18:34
there's still folks out there here and there,
18:36
but that is a camp that was closed down just
18:40
over the last year, but a place where people
18:42
have been living and sheltering in place for
18:45
as long as I've been living in Olympia. And that's
18:47
a location where we see a lot of people flooded
18:49
out of their shelters. So it does happen. We
18:52
get people showing up at our office, or talking
18:54
to our outreach workers, who have lost everything
18:57
because their tent site was flooded. Wow. Okay.
19:02
And then you have the shelter programs. The New
19:06
Hope Tiny Home Village. the former France Anderson
19:11
Tiny Homes and the Shelter Stays Hotel Program.
19:14
Can you talk about those, please? Absolutely.
19:16
So I'll start with New Hope, especially because
19:19
New Hope has a really... Interesting history
19:22
for us. So the New Hope Village is a pretty small
19:26
tiny home village that's located at the First
19:28
Christian Church where our main office is. There
19:31
are six tiny homes there. They're a larger size,
19:34
so they can accommodate like, two to three people
19:37
per unit. But that village started also in about
19:44
2020 and came out of like the 4th Avenue Bridge
19:48
Camp enclosure. So years ago there was a large camp
19:51
under the 4th Avenue Bridge, and when the city
19:55
of Olympia was moving towards shutting down that
19:58
camp, we partnered with the First Christian Church
20:01
and a few other community groups in the area
20:04
to advocate for people to not be displaced without
20:08
another place to go. And originally, the city
20:10
of Olympia was going to provide a new shelter
20:14
location with more than six tiny homes for at
20:18
least a good handful of the folks to be able
20:21
to move to, and at the last minute, the plug
20:24
was pulled on that. And they were just going
20:28
to move forward with closing down the camp. And
20:30
the First Christian Church stepped up and said,
20:32
you know, we don't have a lot of property, but
20:33
we have some, and so we want to put some tiny
20:37
homes there so at least some of the people from
20:40
this camp are not going to be displaced and have
20:42
a place to go. So that's how that village started.
20:44
And then we began providing the operational support
20:48
for the village in about 2022, and so we- it's
20:54
not- people are able to be there 24- 7. We don't
20:57
have 24 -7 staff. So a big part of that village
21:00
is supported self -governance. So we really want
21:04
to have a village where the people who are living
21:06
there feel empowered and like they can actually
21:09
have a meaningful say in how the village is run.
21:13
So we really work hand in hand with the residents
21:16
who are there to address the concerns that come
21:20
up, to come up with the community agreements
21:22
and to work through it together when there's
21:25
issues with folks upholding those agreements.
21:28
So it's a it's a really different and unique
21:30
shelter space and one that, again, we're just
21:34
really honored to be able to work with and be
21:37
a part of. So that's New Hope, and then we also
21:41
have our Stability Stays program, and that is
21:44
a more short -term temporary shelter program.
21:47
So that program is for folks who are in need
21:51
of medical respite, so folks who are being just- Which one was
21:54
that? Sorry, what was that? Which one? The Stability
21:57
Stays program. Oh, okay. Okay, that's the hotel.
22:00
Yes, right. And so we currently host folks at
22:03
a few different hotels throughout Olympia for
22:06
that program. And yeah, it's for folks that are
22:09
in need of medical respite. So people who are
22:12
being discharged from the hospital, who are maybe
22:15
well enough to leave the hospital, but definitely
22:17
not well enough to be living outdoors. Folks
22:20
who have wounds or infections and need to have
22:24
access to running water and a dry place to be
22:28
to make sure that that doesn't worsen and that
22:29
it can heal. And then also we can serve people
22:34
who are waiting for a treatment bed. So folks
22:37
who are waiting to get connected with inpatient
22:39
treatment for behavioral health or substance
22:42
use. And also folks who are close to housing.
22:47
So say somebody's name comes up in Coordinated
22:50
Entry and they know that they're like, next in
22:52
line for one of the shelters, it's still a few
22:54
weeks out, we can get that person into our hotel
22:58
program so that we can really do the wraparound
23:00
support and really make sure they have all the
23:02
support they need to make that connection successful,
23:05
so... That's a really important service there, because
23:09
moving from this state of survival mode and environment,
23:13
suddenly now you are in housing from Coordinated
23:17
Entry- that can shock your system! Absolutely. And
23:20
so, having that in between space, kind of as a
23:23
stepping stone to be able to process that, okay,
23:28
we're moving out of that space and about to move
23:31
into this space.. That is so huge. It is. And it's,
23:35
you know, what we see is that's generally a pretty
23:37
hard time for folks. For all the reasons you're
23:40
saying, it's like a big shift. And also there's
23:42
suddenly all these appointments and paperwork
23:44
that you have to complete. It's so overwhelming! It's so much. And
23:47
so we see a lot of people in those like critical
23:49
few weeks. fall through the cracks without that
23:52
support. Because there was a phone call that
23:55
they weren't able to catch or respond in time
24:00
back to. Executive functions really get impacted
24:05
in survival mode and in these kinds of changing
24:09
situations, and many people who are in these
24:13
situations maybe did not previously have executive
24:16
function issues. Yes. Yep. But now they do because
24:20
of this impact on them. And many people actually
24:24
are in these situations to begin with because
24:27
they have executive function issues and maybe
24:30
were overwhelmed and not able to navigate things,
24:34
and then, you know, when you're living paycheck
24:36
to paycheck, it's just one missed paycheck and
24:39
now you're on the street. Exactly. And, you know,
24:41
it is hard, even as a long -term service provider,
24:44
to navigate the services, right? Like, we have
24:46
a lot, and it's complicated, and it's hard to get
24:49
through all of that. So imagine also doing that
24:53
after years of not being able to have a reliable
24:55
place to sleep, or even to go to the bathroom,
24:58
you know, living in a constant state of crisis.
24:59
How do we have a normal life again? How does
25:01
that work? What's it like to have like, oh my
25:03
gosh, like a normal job and a normal place to
25:06
live? And now we do laundry and dishes. Yep.
25:08
And have to pay bills? Yeah. Yeah. That's new.
25:11
Yep. All over again. Exactly. It's a really big
25:13
adjustment. And many people who are in county
25:16
government who are making these decisions that
25:18
are impacting these people, don't maybe get that.
25:22
Yes, yes, there's often this um, kind of attitude,
25:26
especially when, you know, we hear about people
25:27
uh, denying a shelter placement, or um, or leaving
25:32
a shelter placement because it wasn't the right
25:34
fit for them, and uh, we can really see like, people
25:38
throughout the community judge folks for that,
25:41
or think, you know, they're not taking advantage
25:42
of whatever is being offered to them, or like,
25:45
why wouldn't you want to do this, and you know
25:47
I think it's.. think about the folks as customers.
25:50
You wouldn't blame the customer for not going
25:55
to a business or not wanting to access it. You
25:58
would think about what needs to change for this
26:00
business to make it something that people want
26:01
to access or feel like it's meeting their needs.
26:03
So what we see is if somebody's denying a shelter
26:06
placement or leaving a shelter, it is because...
26:09
It is because it wasn't their right fit. It was
26:11
because it wasn't meeting their needs. They weren't
26:13
able to stay with their loved ones or keep their
26:15
pets. Or they just felt like their quality of
26:19
life didn't improve when they went there. And so, it
26:24
really is.. yeah, people are quick to judge. But
26:28
really, I think if we kept the conversation more
26:30
focused on what is it that people need and what's
26:33
missing from the services and the housing and
26:36
the shelter that's currently available for folks,
26:38
we'd get a lot further. Perspective and context
26:41
matter. Yes. Yes. Thank you. And so how would
26:49
people access services with you? Yeah, so a few
26:55
different ways. I think the best way to access
26:57
services through us is to show up at our downtown
27:00
office during our walk -up hours, again, 12 to
27:04
3, Monday through Friday. They can connect with
27:07
any of our programs there just to, like, get
27:10
that initial connection or recheck in if they
27:12
already are connected. And then also looking
27:14
for our workers out in the camp. So, again, we're
27:17
out, especially at the Jungle, multiple days
27:20
a week, but other areas throughout Thurston County.
27:22
And our staff are usually wearing their lanyards, and um-
27:27
Oh, I was going to ask you, how can we tell
27:30
that it's you? Yes! Yes, so lanyards and also,
27:34
we actually are.. we just got them designed and
27:38
out, but some vests that have our logo and our
27:42
name on them so people can more easily spot us,
27:44
because there are other people out and about
27:46
and it can be hard for folks to tell, oh, that's
27:49
an OlyMap person. But generally, if you see people
27:51
distributing water, firewood, propane, or doing
27:55
garbage removal at the Jungle, that's usually
27:57
our team. So just finding them there... Unless
28:00
they are not wearing the OlyMap logo, then they
28:04
might be considered Olympia Food Not Bombs. Yes! Yes. Because
28:07
we recently interviewed them, and they're doing
28:09
that, too. Yes, yes, yes. And there's a few other
28:12
groups, and just like, community volunteers that
28:14
are out there doing garbage removal or distributing
28:18
hot food, and all of that kind of stuff too. So
28:21
you can also, if you're at the Jungle, we have
28:24
one of the ways you can. really easily identify
28:28
that as us because we have a big box truck called
28:30
the Beast, that we have out there, that also has
28:33
our logo on it. What's it called? It's called
28:35
the Beast. And it's very sweetly named. But
28:40
yeah, we use that one to like, you know, bring
28:43
out all the water and firewood and things like
28:45
that. But we also for... at the jungle we do
28:49
a garbage removal every Tuesday and what we'll
28:51
do, is we'll take the Beast and drive through
28:54
the Jungle and pick up the bags that people set out for us to take
28:57
and drive it up to the front and put it in the dumpsters
28:59
they have there. Right on right on. Yeah. Let's kind
29:11
of break it down for people because it still
29:13
sounds a little ambiguous. Like, if somebody wants
29:16
to come and access a service, maybe it could
29:19
be anything. It could be through the outreach
29:21
program. It could be to get into a shelter program.
29:25
What exactly does that process literally look
29:28
like? Like walk us through, like pretend that
29:30
it's me. Like what are we going to do? Yeah,
29:32
yeah! So we've really tried to make accessing
29:36
any of our programs as easy as possible and reduce
29:39
like as many barriers as we can. So for outreach,
29:42
if you're just trying to access like, our site
29:43
support services, like water, propane, things
29:46
like that, there's no intake process. It is just
29:49
walk up to either- No papers! No papers. No writing
29:52
down information, no we're entering this into
29:56
our database... Yes. No, when it comes to survival
30:00
supplies and shelter in place support, we just
30:01
want to make sure that whoever is coming up to
30:03
us is able to get that support immediately and
30:05
is having to jump through as few hoops as possible
30:07
to do that. But if you are not at a camp, or you
30:11
don't run into our workers out there, you can
30:13
also go down to our office and just be like,
30:15
where can I find these services? And again, you're
30:17
not going to have to complete any paperwork to
30:18
do that. It is just, be at the place that we're
30:20
providing that services at the time that we are.
30:23
and we'll make sure you get it. So that one's
30:25
pretty simple. If somebody wants to get connected
30:28
to our care navigation services, again, either
30:31
find an outreach worker when they're out at the
30:34
camp or walk down to our office during our walk
30:36
-up hours. And for that one, there is an intake
30:38
process. We do have to complete some paperwork
30:41
to go over basic demographic information, and
30:44
also just to talk with people about what are
30:46
your needs, what are the things that we can help
30:49
you get connected to, what are your priorities.
30:52
right now. So that intake process isn't very long.
30:56
It can take, depending on the person or situation
30:58
anywhere from like 15 minutes to an hour, so, um, but
31:02
once you've done that initial like, intake,
31:04
there's not ongoing paperwork to do unless it's
31:08
attached to like getting connected with DSHS
31:11
and getting food stamps. Yeah, so I was going
31:12
to ask that. Is it maybe sometimes, is that shared
31:15
with other partnering organizations for further
31:18
services? Yes, exactly. And our care navigators
31:21
will provide somebody as much support through
31:24
that process as they need. So if they would like
31:27
somebody to be able to like, go with them to those
31:29
appointments and help advocate or walk through
31:31
the paperwork, we can do that. If they just need
31:33
the referral, we just do the referral and make
31:35
sure they know where to go and when. So yeah,
31:38
that one intake process, but then you're done.
31:41
And then it's just working with the folks on
31:43
whatever their needs are. And for New Hope, to
31:47
get connected to that village, people do have
31:49
to complete a Coordinated Entry assessment. So
31:52
our shelter beds, they are filled through Coordinated
31:56
Entry. So when a spot opens up, we get a referral
31:59
from Coordinated Entry or Family Support Center
32:02
to fill that bed. And for Stability Stays, there
32:06
is also an intake process with that one, but
32:09
again, we try to keep it as low barrier as possible.
32:12
So if somebody wants to get into the Stability
32:14
Stays program, they can call us and set up an
32:17
appointment to do the intake with one of our
32:20
program workers. They can also send us an email and like,
32:26
referral at stabilitystays .org to get our referral
32:30
paperwork and fill that out and email it back.
32:33
We try to have as many pathways to connection
32:37
for that one as possible. So also if somebody
32:39
is working with another provider like Franklin
32:42
Street Harm Reduction or Interfaith Works. Or
32:44
Peer Olympia, who actually are not connected
32:47
into the Coordinated Entry network. And they
32:50
might be sending people to you who are in the
32:53
Coordinated Entry network. Is that accurate?
32:55
Yes, absolutely. Yes. And so, yeah, we will take
32:58
referrals for Stability Stays from any other
33:00
providers. People can self -refer, walk up to
33:02
our office. And yeah, to get connected to that, you
33:05
will have to do an intake paperwork, figure out
33:08
if you qualify. And then once it's determined
33:11
that you qualify for the program and we have
33:13
an open bed, then our workers in that program
33:16
will set up a time to move you into the hotel
33:19
and then take it from there. Awesome. Oh, thank
33:22
you so much for breaking that down. Of course.
33:25
And so we talked a little bit around this, different
33:28
partnering organizations. Who do you partner
33:31
with? Yeah, we partner with a lot of people.
33:33
I mean, I think one of the things that's always
33:35
been true for OlyMap, or previously Just Housing
33:38
is we... What we can do is limited if we don't
33:44
have the support of our community. Like we're
33:46
able to do so much more working with other people.
33:49
So we have... some of our biggest partners, I mean,
33:54
Thurston County has been, you know, probably
33:58
our longest term partner and funder. A lot of
34:01
the programs that we have wouldn't exist if they
34:04
didn't give us a chance, especially because a
34:07
lot of the programs that we have now were brand
34:10
new services or services that weren't really
34:14
being provided years ago, so they came from pilots
34:18
and new ideas, and so they were willing to give
34:23
that a shot, and so they they've been, yeah, very
34:27
long -term partners. We also work with Choice
34:30
Regional Health Network. They fund and support
34:34
most of our care navigation services, and also
34:37
are supporting us with expanding our Stability
34:41
Stays and New Hope program. So we're actually
34:44
in the process of adding 10 tiny homes to our
34:48
New Hope Village that will all be set aside for
34:51
medical respite. And Choice has been a big partner
34:54
in that project. Same with First Christian Church,
34:56
who is, of course, allowing us to put 10 more
34:59
homes there and supporting us through that process.
35:01
So I would also say First Christian Church has
35:04
been a very long -term partner. They stepped
35:06
up to provide space for New Hope. They let us
35:09
move into their basement to do all of our operations
35:12
and are, yeah, supporting this expansion of Stability
35:15
Stays. And another partner I'd really want to
35:19
mention is ORCAA, or the Olympic Regional Clean
35:23
Air Agency. So a very unique partnership there.
35:27
That's not ORCA Books, people. Not ORCA Books,
35:29
not ORCA Books, yeah. These are the folks who
35:32
support air quality throughout the South Sound
35:36
region. And our work with them started, again,
35:40
years ago, burning, hazardous burning, is definitely
35:45
a thing that happens at camps. And, you know,
35:47
they have always really historically responded
35:51
to hazardous burning with enforcement. And what
35:53
they found was enforcement isn't really getting
35:55
us anywhere here. And so they reached out to
35:59
us to develop a pilot project with like, what
36:02
would it look like if instead of trying to reduce
36:05
hazardous burning through enforcement and fines,
36:08
if we instead try to like address the root causes
36:12
of why people are burning and make sure people
36:14
have safer options so- Treat the causes, not the symptoms.
36:17
Exactly, and so they provide funding for us and
36:21
also just like, really like, in the community, support
36:24
our work to bring in more resources so that we
36:27
can provide again things like firewood and propane
36:30
and garbage removal services to reduce the need
36:34
for hazardous burning. So they've been really
36:37
wonderful partners and I would love to see more
36:39
agencies like that get into this because you
36:41
know it's not something.. I think it's pretty unique
36:44
for an air quality agency to be getting involved.
36:46
in homeless services. I think it is very unique.
36:48
It's very unique. So just the fact that they
36:51
were willing to do that and are still partnering
36:53
with us and doing that work with us years later,
36:56
really says a lot. And then outside of that,
36:59
of course, we work with a range of providers
37:02
throughout Thurston County. Franklin Street Harm
37:04
Reduction, Interfaith Works, Family Support Center,
37:07
Host, Peer Olympia. We really try to work with
37:10
as many different agencies as possible. Again,
37:13
we can just do more together. And and then, of
37:18
course, like community volunteers, too. So just
37:21
we- ending homelessness and reducing the harms
37:26
of homelessness is a community effort. So we
37:29
need to bring and be working with as many people
37:31
as possible to make that happen. I want to, I
37:39
want to go here... so, back with your values, Housing
37:44
First, and you're talking about, you have tiny
37:46
homes, villages, and all of the different community
37:49
partners you have. Do you know that I had interviewed
37:53
the executive director of the New Horizons Quixote
37:56
Village? And so I talked to her about the Housing
37:59
First model program that originally came out
38:02
of another country and all of the proof from
38:08
that and everything. So are you following the
38:10
Housing First model as well? Is that what
38:12
this is? Absolutely, yeah. So, I mean, again, with
38:15
our tiny home village, or any of our shelter services,
38:17
um simple way to describe is like, it's not strings
38:20
attached, you don't have to be, um, you don't have
38:23
to be sober to be there, um the only uh like eligibility
38:28
is that you are an adult and that you are homeless
38:31
in Thurston County. But you don't have to be
38:33
sober. You don't have to commit to working towards
38:36
sobriety. It's unconditional, man. Exactly. Unconditional
38:39
love. Yes, exactly. So again, it's really all
38:42
about meeting people where they are in the moment
38:44
and supporting people and being as safe and stable
38:47
and happy as possible. So yes, that we absolutely
38:51
for our shelter programs or all of our programs
38:53
rely on that housing first model. we also um
38:57
all of our aside from just getting into it staying
39:01
in our in our shelter programs we also really
39:03
try to keep as low barrier as possible so you
39:06
know we're not we're not an organization that
39:08
is going to kick people out the first chance
39:10
or like, the first time somebody violates a rule
39:14
or maybe gets into a fight you know we really
39:16
um, believe that like the rotating door people
39:19
getting into shelters and then just being exited
39:21
for whatever reason isn't really helpful for
39:24
addressing the issue like, yes, you need to have
39:26
accountability and sometimes for like the safety
39:28
of the whole village that can mean somebody needing
39:31
to leave like those situations do happen, but
39:33
we really treat that as a last resort, um, and
39:37
nobody needs to be demonstrating progress, quote
39:40
-unquote, in order to stay at the village, too,
39:43
you know, again, it's like we will work and support
39:45
people and with whatever they need during their
39:48
stay there, but we're not going to say you need
39:50
to be meeting with a case manager and working
39:52
on x y and z at least once per month to be able
39:55
to keep staying here. We're doing conscious parenting
39:59
with people. We're not doing like traditional
40:03
parenting. Exactly! Exactly. Perspective matters.
40:08
Yes. Yeah. Thank you so much for explaining that
40:11
and saying it. People really need to hear that kind
40:13
of thing. It's so healing to hear those perspectives.
40:16
Yes. Yes. And I think it means a lot to the people
40:19
that we work with, too. You know, a lot of the
40:21
things that we hear or something that's very
40:23
common for us to hear from people who have
40:26
access to other shelters, and you know, don't get
40:28
me wrong, there's really great shelters in our
40:31
community but a lot of folks feel like when they're
40:32
going into shelter spaces that they're treated
40:35
as if like, they are you know, the problem, like
40:38
they.. all the rules and restrictions make them
40:41
feel like they're somewhere like a few steps
40:43
below being in jail, like it's very.. it can be
40:45
very institutional or make people feel like, oh
40:47
I have a curfew, I have to be here at this time,
40:50
so like, I'm somebody who needs to be kind of
40:52
more controlled and regulated. That does not
40:54
help being in survival mode. Headspace. Yes.
40:57
Yes. And so exactly. So we just want to make
41:00
people feel as safe and comfortable as possible
41:02
where they are and make sure people know that
41:05
we love them and we see them for who they are
41:07
and they don't have to be anyone different to
41:09
get that support. Thank you for sharing that.
41:11
That's so important. And for anybody who wants
41:15
to know more about the Housing First Model Program,
41:19
that was detailed very much, very well in the
41:24
interview, that you can find on our podcast platform
41:29
at rss .com slash podcasts slash resource hyphen
41:34
report to listen to that interview. Go to Quixote
41:38
Village website and you can find more detailed
41:43
written information there on their website. Thank
41:45
you. Now I want to ask you, talk about your blog. Yeah, so you
41:55
know, we mentioned it a little earlier, um our
41:58
our blog was inactive for some time and we've
42:00
been starting to use it a lot more recently, but
42:02
um, if you are interested in getting updates on
42:06
significant things happening in the world of
42:08
homeless services especially unsheltered homelessness,
42:11
our blog is a place to go for that. So the types
42:14
of things that we're usually posting on our blog
42:18
are things like upcoming camp closures, or like
42:23
when there is a situation that needs community
42:25
advocacy support. So, for example, towards the
42:29
end of June, the Thurston County Board of County
42:33
Commissioners put a pause on funding for dozens
42:37
of organizations. And organizations across our
42:41
county were worried that they weren't going to
42:43
have funding starting July 1. And so that was
42:46
an instance where we posted information about
42:48
what was going on and how people could get involved
42:50
and support. And again, like there's been a few
42:53
camp closures over the years or upcoming ones,
42:55
and we'll often post all the information that
42:59
we can that we know about those situations.
43:01
So people are informed about what's going on
43:03
and again, know how they can get involved, know
43:05
how they can advocate to make sure these kinds
43:07
of things don't happen or that they happen in
43:10
a way that causes the least amount of harm possible.
43:13
So, yeah, really good way to stay up to date
43:16
on what's going on in that part of the world
43:18
of homeless services. Oh, thank you. Yeah, I
43:21
did see a lot of that that you mentioned on there
43:24
when I looked at your website. So people can
43:26
definitely go and check that out. And then how
43:37
to get involved? I know that you're looking for
43:40
a board chair right now. Is that a paid position?
43:44
It is not a paid position. No, it is a volunteer.
43:47
All of our board positions are volunteer. We
43:50
have an interim board chair right now who is
43:53
our long -term vice chair, but is filling the
43:55
board chair position as we continue to look for
43:58
a board chair. And so, yeah, we are looking for
44:02
a board chair. The amount of time that we're looking for folks
44:06
to commit per month is like usually about five
44:09
hours, maybe a little bit more during months
44:12
when more is going on. Five hours a month. Five
44:15
hours a month. So not a huge time commitment,
44:18
but something. Wow. And, you know, what we're looking
44:21
for a board chair is someone who is really
44:25
invested in what we do and these values and can
44:28
really support us in fundraising and building
44:31
awareness about this work and why it's important,
44:34
helping us connect with others throughout the
44:36
community and really help guide and lead our
44:39
organization and just always ensure that we're
44:42
on track, that what we're doing is staying true
44:44
to our values, why we're here in the first place.
44:47
And if somebody's interested in applying for
44:49
that, you can do that directly on the website
44:52
through our Get Involved page. And then one of
44:55
our folks will reach out to set up an interview
44:56
and go from there. Yeah, and I noticed that there
44:59
was a lot more of the job description and particulars
45:02
on the website there for anyone who would like
45:03
to see that. And as well as, um, you have for
45:08
volunteering you have kind of like a handbook
45:11
kind of thing and I looked at that and I think
45:13
that's really cool. Yes, yeah we want folks to
45:15
have all the information that they they might
45:17
need to help decide if it's the right fit or
45:18
what they want to do with us, so, um, so yeah, outside
45:21
of the the board position, we're always looking
45:24
for volunteers and we have dozens of ways for
45:27
people to get involved. Everything from like, helping
45:30
with cleaning, packing supplies, to doing more
45:33
engaging things like helping with distributing
45:36
supplies, doing tabling events, helping with the
45:40
garbage removal and water distribution and all
45:43
of that work, and also looking for volunteers
45:45
to provide support during our walk -up hours,
45:48
so for example hanging around the office during
45:51
our walk -up hours to help with getting coffee
45:54
for folks, helping them walk walk through the
45:55
clothing closet and find what they need. So a
45:58
lot of different ways. We also are always looking
46:02
for folks that are down to cook a hot meal for
46:05
our new Hope Tiny Home Village, either on a regular
46:08
schedule or just as a one -off thing. But that's
46:11
always a really nice thing for the community
46:14
when they get a nice home -cooked hot meal coming
46:17
in. Awesome. And I know that you have this on
46:20
your website. Why would one want to volunteer here,
46:24
with OlyMap? Yeah, yeah. You know, we have staff,
46:28
but we also have limited staff. And the more
46:30
community support we have or volunteers means
46:33
the more we can be getting out to the camps,
46:35
doing more outreach and reaching more people
46:37
to provide these services. And also, it shows
46:43
the people and our community members that are
46:45
living on the streets that their community cares.
46:48
One of the things that's... hardest for me is
46:51
all the people that I talk to who really feel
46:53
like their community does not care about them,
46:55
sees them. simply is a problem that they just
46:58
want to see disappear and when we have community
47:00
members showing up and taking the time out of
47:04
their their lives to get to know people to provide
47:08
support um, and and treat people as their neighbors
47:12
uh, that makes a world of difference not
47:14
only for the people that that we were supporting
47:16
but also I've seen that really change volunteers
47:19
lives and perspectives to be able to get to know
47:23
people in a different way and be a part of uh
47:27
bringing our community to where I think most
47:30
of us want to see it be, so yeah um, all of those
47:35
reasons I think are good reasons to volunteer. Awesome,
47:38
and can you detail for us the application process
47:42
and also people will need to have a background
47:45
check? Yes, yes. And so for the background check,
47:49
just to clarify, that's what we do go through-
47:51
We do have to have our volunteers go through
47:53
a background check. But also, this is true for
47:57
employment and volunteers. It's not that any
47:59
criminal history is going to make you ineligible.
48:02
We're looking very specifically for we cannot
48:05
have staff or volunteers who have been convicted
48:08
of something that's like exploitation of a vulnerable
48:11
person. So that's like very specific. That's
48:14
the only thing that's going to keep someone from
48:16
being accepted as a volunteer. Other criminal
48:20
convictions or things like that are are not going
48:22
to keep somebody from volunteering with us, but
48:24
do you have to go through the background check
48:27
but to start with as a volunteer with us the
48:31
place to start is our website. So we have a volunteer
48:34
form on our Get Involved page. You can fill that
48:37
out, put some information down about what kind
48:40
of work you're interested in doing. And then
48:43
one of our staff will follow up with you to talk
48:46
with you a little bit more about what options
48:47
are there, support through the background check
48:50
process. And once all that is done, get you plugged
48:55
in to the program or service that you're wanting
48:57
to volunteer for. Thank you. Is that kind of a case by
49:02
case basis as well? Like you can talk to the
49:05
person...Yeah. You know, like, hey, this is on your record, but
49:08
like, where are you at now? Exactly. You know,
49:10
what steps have you taken? Have you gone through
49:13
therapy? Yes, absolutely. And, you know, our
49:16
philosophy with that is like the same with our
49:19
staff. You know, so we really do try to have,
49:21
you know, low barrier employment. A lot of our
49:23
staff, most of our staff are people with lived
49:26
experience with homelessness, with substance
49:28
use, behavioral health. And a number of our staff
49:31
do have, you know, some criminal backgrounds
49:34
and stuff. And I couldn't be more happy that
49:37
we. talked with folks, did that case -by -case
49:40
basis, and brought people onto our team. Because
49:42
just from what we've seen, it doesn't always
49:45
reflect what somebody's going to bring to the
49:47
table. And, you know, some of our strongest, most caring,
49:52
compassionate staff and volunteers are people
49:55
that might have been turned away from other places
49:57
because of something on their history, so.. Good to
50:01
know. Thank you. And what is the application
50:05
process? Like, you fill out the application. then what?
50:08
Yep, and then, and then somebody from our team
50:10
will contact you, so it'll be Raven or Sarah most
50:13
likely giving you a call or sending you an email,
50:15
and again just chatting about like any follow
50:19
-up questions that come from your application
50:20
and talking more about you know, what days and
50:23
times are you available what types of volunteer
50:26
activities are you most interested in being involved
50:28
in? If somebody wants to get involved with just
50:31
like you know, the cleaning supply, packing things
50:33
like that, it's a very you know, pretty much that's
50:37
just complete that part and you're good to go.
50:40
If you want to get involved more in like, the
50:42
outreach side of things, so that you're actually
50:44
working with the clients and the participants
50:46
that we have, we do have volunteers go through
50:49
some basic training so that they understand,
50:52
again, like the values and philosophies of how
50:54
we're approaching this work, make sure they have
50:56
some basic de -escalation, first aid training,
50:59
and that kind of stuff. So I would say the training
51:03
for our volunteers is somewhere between three
51:05
to five hours before they're ready to go and
51:07
start actually doing the work. Awesome. Awesome.
51:10
So... donating? Yeah. Yeah. So one way to donate
51:16
is to donate funds like directly through our
51:19
website. So if you want to set up like a reoccurring
51:21
monthly donation or something like that, just
51:24
go to our Get Involved and Donate page on the
51:26
website and do that through there. We also can
51:29
accept cash if you just want to come down to
51:31
the office and donate cash. We have an Amazon
51:35
wish list on our website. So you can just visit
51:38
that link and select the items that you want
51:41
to purchase and it'll come directly to our door.
51:44
You can also just stop by our downtown office
51:48
during our operating hours, Monday through Friday.
51:51
So usually suggest the best time to do that is
51:54
between the hours of 11 to 3. But if you just
51:56
have some supplies like blankets, first aid stuff,
52:00
harm reduction, bottles of water, any of that,
52:03
you can. just come down to our office and drop
52:05
it off, or let our staff know that you're there
52:08
and we'll come up to the car and help get it
52:10
out, so those are the easiest ways to donate, but
52:14
we are always looking for donations of supplies
52:17
especially things like tents, tarps, buddy heaters,
52:24
clothing. Clothing is one of the main donations
52:26
that we get in, and we always really could use
52:29
more, especially durable, warm clothing as we
52:32
get into the winter months. For sure. And how
52:37
do we get in touch again? Yeah, so a few different
52:40
ways. Again, always you can walk down to our
52:42
office Monday through Friday, 12 to 3 p .m. You
52:46
can call us at 360 -515 -3202, and you'll get
52:52
routed to the right program or person just by calling
52:54
that main line. And you can also send us an email
52:58
at contact at olymap .org or complete the contact
53:05
form on our website. So a few different ways
53:07
for people to get in touch. That's great. Thank
53:09
you. Is there anything else you would like to
53:18
share? I think the main other thing I would like
53:21
to share is just that right now, I think, is
53:27
a more important time than ever, or at least
53:31
in recent history, to really start getting involved,
53:34
make sure you're informed about what's going
53:36
on with homelessness and homeless services in
53:39
our area and to be, you know, speaking up for the importance
53:44
of this work, and for the people who are our neighbors
53:48
that are living outdoors. We've seen a lot of
53:52
progress over the last 10 years, and also we're really
53:56
seeing a resurgence, national state and local
53:59
level, of this you know push for uh, criminalization
54:03
for sweeps, for quote unquote accountability, for
54:07
people who are homeless and um, a lot of you know,
54:11
critique and push back on, not only the services
54:13
that we're providing, but also the other low barrier
54:17
housing first harm reduction programs and shelters
54:20
throughout our our county, so um, It's a hard time
54:25
in this world right now. And so, yeah, just really
54:30
more of an important time than ever to get involved,
54:35
speak up for people, make sure people know in
54:39
your circles that you see this work as being
54:41
important, and why it matters, and why the people
54:45
in our community who are living outdoors deserve
54:47
to continue getting the support and compassion
54:50
from our community, and not just to be pushed.
54:54
out. Yeah. Thank you so much, Tye. Of course, thank
54:57
you guys, it's been really nice to be here and
54:59
chat with you. I really enjoyed speaking with
55:09
Tye about OlyMap. If you would like to find out
55:12
more, you can call directly at 360 -515 -3202.
55:18
Walk -up hours for services are from noon to
55:21
3 p .m., Monday through Friday. And for in -person
55:25
donations, please visit from 11 a .m. to 3 p
55:29
.m. And you can do those things at the First
55:32
Christian Church at 701 Franklin Street Southeast,
55:36
across from Franklin Street Harm Reduction, the
55:39
Little Purple Building. You can also check out
55:41
their website at www .olymap .org. That's it
55:47
for today's Resource Report produced by Pathways
55:50
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55:54
by the belief that everyone should have the tools
55:56
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55:59
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56:02
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56:08
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56:16
Report offers information about existing and
56:19
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56:22
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