Olympia tiny home village that costs $1.7 million a year is ‘at risk of closing’
Thurston County will pay to help keep an Olympia tiny home village open this year, but the village’s long-term prospects remain uncertain.
The Board of County Commissioners approved a $440,000 contract with the City of Olympia to continue operations at Quince Street Village through June 30.
The village houses about 100 people in as many small shelters at 1211 Quince Street SE in downtown Olympia. The City of Olympia opened the temporary housing site in 2022 to accommodate people experiencing homelessness.
In recent years, the village has been partially buoyed by money from the Washington State Encampment Resolution Program. However, the state reduced funding for Thurston County projects in the 2025-2026 contract to $5.6 million — about $4 million less than the state paid out in 2024-2025, The Olympian previously reported.
The reduction created a funding gap for Quince Street Village, which has an annual operating budget of about $1.7 million, according to county documents. To cover the funding gap, the city made a request through the Regional Housing Council for the $440,000.
The city also asked for $850,000 to cover a funding gap from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, as well as long-term funding support, per RHC documents. Failing to fully fund the village would put the housing of about 100 people in jeopardy.
“Without a long-term, sustainable funding strategy for Quince Street, the project is at risk of closing, which would likely exit approximately 100 people back into homelessness,” RHC documents state.
The RHC is an advisory body comprised of elected officials from Thurston County and the cities of Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Yelm. The body voted to recommend the county pay the $440,000 during a March 25 meeting.
The county intends to pay the $440,000 with local home fund tax revenue. Collections for the sales tax exceeded projections in 2025, resulting in $440,000 that the county can use without impacting existing homeless response projects, Jen Freiheit, Director of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, told the board.
Future funding for the village has yet to be determined, Freiheit said.
“Over the coming months, the Regional Housing Council will also be working to identify the strategies and priorities to address funding needs for Quince Street operations for the 2026-2027 operational year ” Freiheit said.
Catholic Community Services, a nonprofit that operates in western Washington, currently manages the site 24/7 and supports residents, according to the city’s website.
The Olympian has asked Kim Kondrat, Homeless Response Coordinator for the City of Olympia, to comment on Quince Street Village.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 5:15 AM with the headline "Olympia tiny home village that costs $1.7 million a year is ‘at risk of closing’."
