About 50 people gathered Wednesday to celebrate the opening of a new Lacey homeless shelter, and Gov. Jay Inslee addressed the crowd outside the lobby of what is now known as the Maple Court enhanced shelter.
The property used to be a Days Inn, but it is now part of the state's rights-of-way initiative to move those living in public spaces — such as along Interstate 5 — into housing.
The new shelter on Quinault Drive Northeast near Marvin Road Northeast was acquired and converted using state funds, and it now offers 118 rooms that can serve up to 125 people, according to the Low Income Housing Institute, a Seattle-based nonprofit that is operating the property.
Although the opening was celebrated Wednesday, Maple Court actually opened to residents a week ago, and now has seven women and nine men living there as well as five dogs and four cats, said operations manager Katie Stemmene. About 7-10 residents a week will move into Maple Court through late August, she said.
The residents must be 18 or older and can be single adults or couples, she said. Referrals are being handled by the homeless services group Oly Mutual Aid Partners, Stemmene said, and they are starting with those who are living in an encampment just off Sleater Kinney Road in Olympia, not far from a Hobby Lobby store.
During his speech, Inslee wanted to address the "why" of opening a shelter such as Maple Court.
"Because we can't wait a decade to build new buildings," he told the crowd. "We need to convert existing structures to get people into housing."
He also acknowledged that some people who are homeless are battling mental health issues or drug addiction.
"The first step is to get a roof over their heads because you can't treat a chemical addiction problem or a mental health problem under a blue tarp," Inslee said. "This gives people a roof and a stable way to deal with their problems. It is a first step toward a permanent solution."
As Inslee and several other speakers stepped up to the microphone, Jimmy Harkness-Noll was standing near the driveway entrance to Maple Court.
One of Maple Court's first residents, Harkness-Noll, 35, said he grew up in the Lacey area and attended Lacey schools, but has been homeless off and on since he was 15. He said he previously lived at the encampment off Sleater Kinney Road, sometimes referred to as Tortilla Flats, and before that, Hamburger Hill, a former camp in Lacey near the McDonalds on Sleater Kinney.
Harkness-Noll said he has been looking for housing for a long time and appreciates that Maple Court is a little more hands off than other housing situations he has encountered. However, for those who need accountability, he believes that Maple Court will be provide the "extra help and extra support."
"I do better holding myself accountable," he said.
Harkness-Noll isn't working and acknowledged that he recently went through drug rehab and has a criminal conviction on his record. He said drug addiction runs in his family.
Harkness-Noll asked that people stop harassing the people still living at Tortilla Flats. He said passersby often honk their horns at all hours to disturb the group. He acknowledged that some people are there by choice, but many others are trying to move on from previous problems in their backgrounds.
"Shame on you," said Harkness-Noll to those who have honked their car horns.
Carolyn Cox, a Lacey City Council member and chair of the Regional Housing Council, an advisory body to the Thurston County Commission, also spoke on Wednesday.
She praised the work of the Low Income Housing Institute, not only for creating the space at Maple Court, but for working with Lacey and the community to ensure that Maple Court is a good neighbor.
"I know we all had some concerns," she said. "But the model we can see up the way in Tacoma shows that an enhanced shelter can be an excellent neighbor and a better neighbor than what was here before."
