Supportive Shelter

IW Supportive Shelter at Unity Commons

We operate our 58-bed, 24/7 supportive shelter program at 161 Pattison Street NE, Olympia, WA, located on the ground floor of the Unity Commons building.

All genders are welcome, couples stay together whenever possible, service animals and companion pets are allowed, sobriety is not required, and no ID is required for bed placement.
Guests must be over 18 and be referred through Coordinated Entry.
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.

AVAILABLE BEDS

If you are interested in obtaining a bed at our shelter, you can contact the Coordinated Entry Hotline at 1 (844) 628-7343 to be added to our waiting list. You will be contacted when a bed becomes available.

Amenities ➞ Video Tour ➞ Resident Info ➞ FAQ ➞

Amenitities

In 2019, Intercity Transit made all buses 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 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.

IW Supportive Shelter features a communal kitchen in our lounge space, where we serve meals to volunteers and where shelter guests can prepare their meals. All food is communal, and we try to provide two meals per day to our shelter guests. If you or your organization is interested in serving a volunteer meal at the IW Shelter, please see our Shelter Meals donation page.

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

Amenities

Video Tour

Resident Information

OUR LOCATION
IW Supportive Shelter
161 Pattison St NE
Olympia WA 98506
(360) 918-8424

The IW Shelter is on the 1st Floor. Unity Commons Permanent Supportive Housing is on floors 2-5.

WHAT TO EXPECT AS AN IW SHELTER GUEST
Our shelter is different from a lot of shelters. We accept everyone as you are and we do whatever we can to not kick people out.

Sometimes it’s quiet, sometimes it’s loud, sometimes people are under the influence or having mental health crises, sometimes we do things in a way that people may not understand. We always try to listen and learn from the experiences of our guests. We believe that everyone deserves many opportunities to succeed, and we try to accommodate and welcome every person who comes through our doors, regardless of their circumstances.

All beds at our shelter are assigned through Thurston County's Coordinated Entry system. If you are interested in getting a bed at our shelter, you need to be enrolled through Coordinated Entry. You can call the Coordinated Entry Hotline at 1(844) 628-7343 to enroll or make sure you're on our waitlist.
Once you are in the coordinated entry system, you will be assigned a bed based on your Housing Equity Assessment Tool score.
Please keep a working phone number or email on file with coordinated entry so we can easily get a hold of you. If you need to update your contact information, you can call the coordinated entry hotline to let them know you have a new number or point of contact.

Getting placed on the waitlist for the supportive shelter at Unity Commons happens through the Coordinated Entry system. You can complete the assessment and be placed on this waitlist by calling the Coordinated Entry Hotline at 1(844)628-7343. If you've already done a HEAT assessment with Coordinated Entry and are looking to be placed on the waitlist for shelter at Unity Commons, please call Coordinated Entry and update your current information.

Since our beds become available on an inconsistent basis, we cannot provide you with a clear placement or timeline for when your name will be called from the waitlist. When your name comes up on our waitlist, you will be contacted by a shelter manager. Please make sure you have a current phone number or email with Coordinated Entry or are active with a local case manager, so we can easily get hold of you.