PORT TOWNSEND –Jefferson County is turning to Olympic Community Action Programs, or OlyCAP, to build a 20-bed men’s homeless shelter by 2008 to complement a statewide drive to reduce homelessness by 50 percent within 10 years.
The shelter will cost $800,000 to build and $160,000 annually for service and operation, but it is still in the planning stages, said OlyCAP housing manager Steve Paysse.
The funds will come from a $10 surcharge garnered by the county for every property sold.
The fee was created by the state Legislature to help reduce homelessness.
A location for the shelter does not been determined, and the shelter that the plans call for currently may change before it is started.
OlyCAP conducted a head count of Jefferson County homeless last year and, from the results, decided that the need for men’s housing was greatest within the homeless community.
Another head count is planned for Jan. 26, and depending on the results, the shelter plans might remain exclusively male or could expand to include women and children, Paysse said.