IW Shelter at Unity Commons

As of December 17, 2021, our flagship shelter program at 701 Franklin St SE, is closed.

Shelter

As of December 17, 2021, we are operating one 58 bed, 24/7 supportive shelter program at 161 Pattison Street NE in the ground floor of the Unity Commons building. 

• All genders are welcome, couples stay together whenever possible, service animals and companion pets okay, sobriety is not required, no ID is required for bed placement. 
• Guests must be over 18, have gone through Coordinated Entry with Community Action Council, and can test negative for COVID-19 prior to placement. We can help with getting a COVID-19 test if you are struggling.
• We prioritize single adults, couples without dependent children and their pets who are living with serious, persistent challenges related to physical, mental and substance use related health issues.

Directions

Available Beds

Due to COVID-19, our shelters are closed to the public.

• If you are interested in getting a bed at one of our locations, you can contact Community Action Council through the Coordinated Entry Hotline: 1 (844) 628-7343 to be placed on our waiting list.
• ​You will be contacted when a bed becomes available.

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Shelter Amenities

Lockers

• Guests are assigned a locker when they are assigned a bed.
• Guests must use the locks provided by the shelter. They are not permitted to use their own locks.
• Lockers are to be used for anything valuable that guests want to remain secure.
• The shelter is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
  

Mail

• Guests may use the physical address of the shelter 161 Pattison St NE Box 101, Olympia, WA 98506 as a mailing address.  At this time we are unable to hold or distribute mail for people not staying at our shelter.​

PHONE

• Guests may use the two dedicated phones in the lounge at Unity Commons to make and receive calls, and receive voicemail to receive messages relating to important issues including, but not limited to medical, mental health and/or social service appointments, family contact and emergency situations. When calling for a shelter guest please dial 360-918-8424 and press option 2 or 3 for the phones that ring in the lounge.

Clothing Closet

• We have a clothing closet accessible to our shelter guests.
• The IW Shelter is well aware of the great need that extends beyond our 58-bed capacity so we have always tried to make any food, coffee, clothing, emergency supplies, and hygiene supplies available to whoever needs it while we are open each day, however, this service is on hold at our new location until we get better settled into our new neighborhood and can assess the potential impacts.  Our Navigation Team does have supplies to hand out during outreach hours on Tuesday afternoons by the mitigation site and Olympia Union Gospel Mission.

Replacement ID Cards

IW can help people get replacement ID's. This happens through our Navigation Team. Please check out their tab under our Programs menu for more information about connecting with them.

Transportation

In 2019, Intercity Transit made all busses in Thurston County free to all riders! Unity Commons has a bus stop very close to the building on Martin Way and the 1, 60, 62A, and 62B all come through very regularly on a daily basis.

When resources are available, the IW Supportive Shelter may support guests by paying for transportation to relocate to family or for job opportunities in other areas. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Domestic Violence Fund

Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence/Sexual Assault Fund

The IW Supportive Shelter Domestic Violence fund is a set-aside, pot of money to pay for emergency accommodations when someone is fleeing a violent situation and their perpetrator is believed to be in pursuit of the victim/survivor.

This takes the form of paying for transportation to relocate to family or friends elsewhere and/or paying for an anonymous hotel room while they are being actively pursued. We coordinate closely with area agencies who specialize in this support and connect people to those services whenever possible.

Showers

The IW Supportive Shelter at Unity Commons has showers available to our shelter guests. There are two single stall restrooms with showers, and one large public restroom facility with 11 shower stalls, 6 toilets, and 4 ADA accessible shower/toilet options. We have roll in shower capabilities. 

Laundry

We have two washers and dryers available for our shelter guests at Unity Commons. Guests are responsible for their own laundry and need to follow the guidelines. We can help provide detergent. 

Communal kitchen

The IW Supportive Shelter at Unity Commons has a communal kitchen in our lounge space where we serve volunteer meals (please see our shelter meals page under get involved to learn more about our volunteer meal program), and where shelter guests can cook for themselves. All food is communal and we try to provide two meals per day to our shelter guests. 

Other meal programs in town are at the Community Kitchen at Salvation Army and the Union Gospel Mission in downtown Olympia. 

Questions?

Call (360) 918-8424 to talk to a staff person or email for additional information.

Email Us

Navigation Team