The encampment known as “The Jungle” is a significant and complex challenge facing our community. I want to provide an update on where we are, what has changed in recent months, and where we’re headed.
First, we are grateful and relieved that the missing young woman recently located at The Jungle was found safely. We appreciate the work of the Olympia Police Department and the many local, state, and federal law enforcement partners whose coordination helped bring this case to a successful resolution.
Since 2021, the City of Olympia has closed 14 encampments through coordinated outreach, housing navigation, and partnerships with service providers. Today, The Jungle is the last remaining large encampment the city is working to address. Because of its size, the number of people living there, multiple property owners, and the need for regional coordination, it requires a different approach than previous encampments.
Earlier this year, we recognized that no single agency or jurisdiction could successfully accomplish this work alone. Since then, Olympia, Lacey, Thurston County, the Washington State Department of Commerce, service providers, behavioral health partners, and others have established a coordinated regional effort focused on transitioning and ultimately closing the encampment.
Since January, significant progress has been made. A regional planning team has been established. A by-name list of established residents has been completed to support individualized transition planning. On a daily basis, outreach teams are working on site to build relationships, connect people with available services, and prepare for future housing and shelter opportunities as they become available. This work is no longer simply in the planning stage, it is actively underway.
Our goal is clear: to close The Jungle while reducing the likelihood that another large encampment simply forms somewhere else in our community.
Experience has shown that simply clearing an encampment without a coordinated transition does not solve the underlying problem. It often results in people dispersing throughout the community into neighborhoods, parks, and other public spaces, making it more difficult to connect individuals with services while shifting impacts rather than reducing them. Our responsibility is to take a thoughtful, deliberate approach that creates lasting improvements for the community while treating people with dignity and connecting them with available shelter, housing, treatment, and supportive services whenever possible.
