Coordinated Entry FAQs

Eligible households are those that reside in Thurston County and fall under Categories 1 and 4 of homelessness as defined by HUD:

Category 1: Individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:

1. Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation;
2. Is living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs); or
3. Is exiting an institution where they have resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.

Category 4: Any individual or family who:

1. Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence;
2. Has no other residence; and
3. Lacks the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

If any of these apply to you, but you reside outside of Thurston County, you may be eligible for Coordinated Entry in your county. Please reach out to the appropriate provider for your county:

• Lewis County
• Mason County
• Grays Harbor
• Pierce County

No. Individuals who are seeking immediate shelter should contact the emergency shelters below during business hours. If you are seeking shelter outside of business hours, please call the Thurston County Shelter and Housing Line 844-628-7343. Below is a list of emergency shelters in Thurston County:

Union Gospel Mission is a nightly shelter that operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. This shelter serves individual adults. Open from 8:00pm-4:30am. For more information, please call 360-352-8596

Rosie’s Place is a First come, first serve shelter for youth ages 18-24 and is open from 9:00pm to 8:30am. Located at: 520 Pear St. SE Olympia, WA 98501 (Corner of Pear & Legion, behind Jack-in-the-Box). For more information, please call 360-918-7879

For a comprehensive list of shelters, click here.

After an intake appointment has been completed, the client is placed on a waiting list to be connected with an available resource that the client is interested in. When a resource (case manager, shelter, rental assistance, permanent housing, etc.) is available, someone will reach out to the client directly to discuss the next steps.

Diversion Assistance might be possible. If you have a family or friend that will allow you to be housed with them for at least 30 days, a diversion assessment should be completed in order to assess the need for financial assistance. Please call the Thurston County Shelter and Housing Line 844-628-7343 and choose which option best describes your household composition.

Click here for more information about resources in our community.

Coordinated Entry is for individuals experiencing literal homelessness. Households needing eviction prevention should click here(opens in new tab for more information.

During the intake appointment individuals will be asked to share their housing interests. Please note that this does not guarantee a bed or unit when selecting; when referrals are open, the next person on the list that is interested and eligible will be referred. Each program has its own requirements and eligibility criteria. Please call the Thurston County Shelter and Housing Line 844-628-7343 and choose which option best describes your household composition.

It's important to keep in touch with the CE system so that you remain active and can be contacted for any available resource. It's also important to keep the system updated with any new contact information you may have. The best way to do both is to reach out directly to the CE provider for your household within 180 days or less of your last check-in.

For families with children, survivors of domestic violence, and singles please contact the Family Support Center (FSC) at 360-754-9297 x 215 or ce@fscss.org.

For young adults between ages 18-24, please contact Community Youth Services (CYS) at 360-943-0780

People are placed on the Master List based on their assessment score and when they did their assessment. As people are added/removed, other people's position on the list may change-- it may go up, or down.

Each housing and shelter resource has their own set of criteria, and you may be at the top of one resource list, while being at the middle of another, all because the criteria are different.

For providers working with clients, what is important to know and confirm is that a household is on the list, that their preferred housing options are selected and that their contact information is up to date including phone, email, associated provider, and where they can be located. This assures they stay active on the list and we can locate them for all housing options they are eligible and interested in. Providers should get in touch with ce@fscss.org to provide any pertinent updates about a household.

Family Support Center is one of the community’s access points for those fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence (DV), utilizing the Jackie Campbell Danger Assessment for placement on the DV housing list. FSC is currently the only agency trained to administer this assessment within the Thurston County Coordinated Entry System and has access to help with both DV and housing support. Anyone who is fleeing or attempting to flee is eligible for the DV master housing list. If the client would like to be added to the DV housing list, a referral to FSC is necessary.