Salvation Army had planned to close Olympia shelter, but COVID-19 has changed that
After surveying Thurston County citizens about the community’s needs, The Salvation Army planned to stop using its downtown Olympia building as an overnight, cold-weather homeless shelter, according to the local director. But, with the introduction of a global pandemic, the community’s needs have quickly, drastically changed.
“At this point, everything we were thinking about four weeks ago is on hold, and we have to take care of the immediate need right now,” Captain Mark Stearns, The Salvation Army corps officer in Olympia, said. “That means taking care of our people.”
In recent days, Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby and Thurston County’s Board of Commissioners sent letters to Salvation Army Northwest Division Commander Bill Dickinson Jr., asking the organization to continue offering shelter in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among other work in Olympia, The Salvation Army hosts the Community Kitchen operated in conjunction with Catholic Community Services and has a contract with the county to run its 29-bed overnight shelter November through April.
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