Rent Assistance

More Information

Media Contact

For additional questions, please contact Tom Webster, Office of Housing and Homeless Prevention Manager at (360) 280-6265 or thomas.webster@co.thurston.wa.us.

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Thurston County Rent Assistance is now open as of Monday, May 2.

  • How Do I Apply?


    • Download this Rent Assistance Application Worksheet to help you organize and prepare your online application.

      Ages 25 and up apply online with LiveStories/FORWARD

      Steps to Create Your Account To Apply

      1. To apply, visit:  Thurston County Rental Assistance Program for Tenants  and then click on “APPLY”
      2. This will take you to a page to create an account with your name and email address. 
      3. Then it will send a confirmation link to your email to confirm your account. In the email, you click the “click here” link to confirm your account. 
      4. Then it prompts you to create a password and then log in. 
      5. Once you’re in, select APPLY. 

      The Online Application by FORWARD/LiveStories

      • The application prompts you to fill each part out and highlights the areas with missing information. 
      • You can edit one section at a time. There are drop down menus with options to select. 
      • You can upload your documents to the documents section in any file format. You can take photos of your documents and upload the photos. 
      • Some documents will be provided by your landlord to verify or confirm the information you provided. You do not need to collect these documents, LiveStories will reach out to your landlord.
      • Provide as many of the documents to support your application as possible. Incomplete applications take longer to process. 
      • The application questions after the document upload section need to be answered right before you submit the application – they don’t save.
      • An Intake Specialist will first contact your landlord and then notify you via email/text/phone call. Having as complete an application as possible improves processing time. 

      For help with the online application, including video tutorials, visit: bit.ly/ThurstonCountyTenants.

      Information for landlords/property managers at: bit.ly/ThurstonCountyLandlords.

      Ages 18-24 apply through Community Youth Services

      Submit your request to apply online or by email. If you don’t have access to internet or email, call to request the assistance.
      • RentSupport@CommunityYouthServices.org
      • (360) 280-8114 – Call or text. Please don’t leave more than one voicemail.
      • www.CommuityYouthServices.org

      Apply with a Partner Organization

      The following partner organizations are available to help their clients and the communities they serve in Thurston County apply for rent assistance:

      Family Support Center of South Sound serves families.
      Contact: trap@fscss.org, 360-754-9297

      CIELO serves the refugee and immigrant community.
      Contact: Cristian@cieloprograms.org, 360-968-0571

      SafePlace Olympia serves community members experiencing and surviving domestic violence.
      Contact: safeplace@safeplaceolympia.org, 360-754-6300

      Innovations HTC serves the Indigenous/Native American community and survivors of human trafficking.
      Contact: erap@innovationshtc.org, 360-706-1262

      Senior Services for South Sound serves seniors age 60+. 
      Contact: assistance@southsoundseniors.org, 360-586-6181 extension 135

      Thurston County Office of Housing & Homeless Prevention serves referral clients from the Dispute Resolution Center and applicants without access or ability to apply online for themselves and don’t fit the populations served by the other partner organizations.  
      Contact: RentAssistance@co.thurston.wa.us, 360-490-7648

      Update on Applications Transferred from Community Action Council  

      Thurston County and LiveStories are working together with increased staffing to complete the applications that were transferred from the Community Action Council (CAC). We apologize for how long it is taking to complete these applications. The original estimate for the number of applications to be transferred was around 500 and the actual number was closer to 1000. We're working through these as quickly as possible. 

      In order to process your application as quickly as possible, we recommend that you create an account in FORWARD/LiveStories and re-submit your information.  Once you submit your application, you will be able to track the processing status through your account

      Applications that are submitted by people with active applications transferred from CAC will be prioritized for processing before new applications. 

      If you are unable or unwilling to re-submit your application, LiveStories will continue to transfer and process applications from CAC.  They will contact you as soon as they get can to your application, but it may take a few more weeks.  
      The contact for applications that continue to be transferred by LiveStories is the Thurston County Office of Housing & Homeless Prevention. Please don't contact LiveStories about transfer applications as their staff is focused on getting them completed. Please email your questions to RentAssistance@co.thurston.wa.us.

      We are deeply sorry for the stress and anxiety caused by the delay in these services. We recognize it is has taken longer than we anticipated to process the transferred applications. We are offering this option to re-submit your application as a way for you to speed up the processing of your application.  We are working on these as quickly as we can and we're committed to getting the assistance out to all of you who have been waiting.

  • Eligible Households

    • • Have 2021 or current gross income at 80% or less of Area Median Income (AMI). Households with incomes at 50% or less of AMI and those currently on unemployment will be prioritized.

      • Are experiencing financial hardship directly or indirectly due to COVID-19.

      • Are at risk of experiencing homelessness or currently experiencing housing instability.

      • Most non-traditional or informal rental situations, including hotel stays, mobile home lot rentals and single room rentals can be covered.

      Number of household members80% of AMI (Thurston County)
      1$50,550
      2$57,750
      3$64,950
      4$72,150
      5$77,950
      6$83,700
      7$89,500
      8$95,250

  • What Do I Need To Apply?

    • • Income verification for all household members (W-2s, pay stubs, etc.).

      • Lease or rental documents.

      • Any unemployment documentation.

      • Landlord contact information, including email.

      • You are not required to provide immigration status.

      Download this Rent Assistance Application Worksheet to help you organize and prepare your online application. 

  • How Much Of My Rent & Utilities Can Be Covered?

    • • This program can cover rent up to 150% of Fair Market Value and not more than the total amount owed.

      • This program can cover rent past due since March 13, 2020.

      • This program can cover three months of future rent at a time. Households can reapply after each three-month period for up to 18 months of total assistance.

      • This funding can assist with past due utilities, including Internet.

  • How Can Landlords Participate?

    • • Landlords can share this opportunity with their tenants and encourage them to apply.

      • Landlords will need to provide their most recent W-9 form and lease or rental documents.

      • Rent payments go directly to landlords. They'll need to agree to accept payment from Community Action Council.

  • Thurston County Rent Assistance Reports

    • Distribution of Thurston County Rent Assistance Since April 2021*

      ​Organization
      		​Total Households Served
      		​Total Financial Assistance Provided
      ​Community Action Council (serving ages 25 at CAC and up and all ages through partner organizations)
      		3902
      		​$27,989,035.98
      ​Community Youth Services (serving only ages 18-24)
      		196
      		​$1,551

      *As of February 15, 2022

      Distribution of Thurston County Rent Assistance for 2020

      In 2020, funding for Rent Assistance programs began in August as a response to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

      ​Organization
      		​Total Households ServedTotal Financial Assistance Provided
      ​Community Action Council (serving ages 25 and up at CAC and all ages through partner organizations)
      		​1290
      		​$2,983,836.61
      ​Community Youth Services (serving only ages 18-24)*
      		​100
      		​$304,827.43

      *In 2020, Community Youth Services was contracted directly with the Washington State Department of Commerce. The funding they received in 2020 did not go through Thurston County Office of Housing & Homeless Prevention. In 2021 this changed and the funding for CYS to administer Rent Assistance is now contracted from Thurston County. 

      Other Reports

      • Community Youth Services Reports (coming soon) 
      • Quarterly Reports (coming soon) 
      • Annual Reports (coming soon)

  • How Is Rent Assistance Funded?

    • To help address the economic impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on low- and moderate-income households, Thurston County is providing rent and utility assistance to help people maintain their housing. Through a mix of local, state and federal funding, these resources are targeting low- and moderate-income renter households who need assistance paying rent, past due utility bills and other eligible housing costs.  This program benefits both renters who are struggling to make payments as well as the property owners who may have lost rental income during the pandemic. Funding for Rent Assistance programs must be spent by September 2022.

  • Thurston County Eviction Information and Resources
  • Flyers, Reports, and Additional Resources
  • Rent Assistance Suspension and Transfer 2/24/22 – 4/30/22

Public Health and Social Services Contact Information

  • During business hours call 360-867-2610
  • WA Relay: 711 or 800-833-6388
  • Public health emergency call 1-800-986-9050
  • Medical emergency call 911
  • COVID-19 Business Group

State COVID-19 Assistance Hotline 

  • Call 1-800-525-0127 
    • Then press #
  • Hours:
    • Monday through Friday 6:00am - 10:00pm
    • Saturday and Sunday 8:00am - 6:00pm
  • Language
    • Press 2 for Spanish
    • For other languages wait and request an interpreter
  • Or text 'Coronavirus' to 211-211
    • For Spanish reply 'esp' to the hotline message