Olympia Mutual Aid Partners

Your support today means more shelter and services for those in need tomorrow.

Our Mission & Vision

OlyMAP is a Thurston County-based homeless services organization who mission is to support equitable access to safe, just, and warm places to call home for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Thurston County. We provide low-barrier and medical respite shelter for people experiencing homelessness, in addition to outreach-based case management and survival support services for those living unsheltered. 

Our vision is for the South Puget Sound to be a community where every person has a safe and warm place to call home, where every person is cared for and treated with dignity, respect and compassion and where no one is without the means to access essentials that are necessary for safety, survival and basic well-being – shelter, food, water, warmth and community.

Support from our community is needed now, more than ever, to transform this vision into South Puget Sound’s reality and every dollar donated during this Give Local season will go directly towards supporting that end.

The Need

Tonight, hundreds of people, including vulnerable adults and children, seniors and people with disabilities will be sleeping outdoors, doing their best to survive without protection from the elements or access to basic needs such as potable water, food, warmth and medical supplies. People and organizations within Thurston County have been working tirelessly over the years to support and increase access to basic services, shelter and housing for all. Despite great strides made over the years to address the crisis of homelessness in our community, recent federal, state and local funding cuts, as well as policy shifts, have severely and widely impacted the services and support available for people facing homelessness, including those available through OlyMAP. At a time when the need is only growing, shelter beds and services available are decreasing and those surviving outdoors have less access to support and places to shelter themselves than they did this same time, last year.

In addition to providing low-barrier shelter for people experiencing homelessness, OlyMAP has been relied on as Thurston County’s primary outreach services provider for people surviving unsheltered in recent years. Our outreach services include care navigation and service connection, hazardous weather support, as well as the provision of services intended to support the basic health and safety of people surviving outdoors, including, but not limited to, garbage removal services and the provision of potable water, firewood, warming, shelter and harm reduction supplies. As a direct result of this year’s funding shortfalls, many of these life-sustaining and saving services have been greatly reduced or altogether slashed, immediately and significantly impacting the ability of those we serve to stay connected to services and remain as safe and healthy as possible while they try to survive. Your support today can bring these services back tomorrow.

Where Will Your $ Go?

OlyMAP will be using funds raised during this Give Local season to increase the number of shelter beds in our shelter programs & bring back outreach services (such as propane & survival supply distribution) that have pulled back or cut due to funding shortfalls. 

In partnership with First Christian Church, we are on our way to add 6 new tiny homes at our New Hope shelter in early 2026. Funds raised this Give Local season will go directly towards supporting this effort and bringing back outreach services!

Already, your support given during this Give Local season has allowed OlyMAP to restart our distribution of propane for people surviving outdoors!! 

This critical service for supporting people in staying safe and warm was paused in July due to funding cuts. Thank you for helping us keep our community members safe and warm this winter. 

How You Can Help & Get Involved 

Donate funds: Give today through our Give Local page to keep critical survival services going and help us to increase the number of shelter beds available in our community. 

Donate supplies: OlyMAP is also always accepting donations of supplies. They can be dropped off at our downtown office Tuesday-Friday from 11am - 3pm (701 Franklin Street SE, Olympia....Office entryway is in the below ground parking lot off of Franklin Street, just follow the signs!). Tents, tarps, Little Buddy Heaters, blankets, clothing, batteries and first aid supplies are some of our most requested items. Check out our donation page for a full list of needed supplies! 

Volunteer: Volunteers are always needed and we have many ways for folks to get involved, from putting together hot meals for our shelter residents to office cleaning/organizing and tagging along on outreach with our staff to help distribute water, firewood and other supplies. If you're interested in volunteering with us, visit our website and submit a visit our volunteer page to get started.