After weeks of outrage and frustration that fueled protests and civic action, Tenino-area residents celebrated Tuesday as Supreme Living announced that it no longer plans to house sex offenders at a housing facility in south Thurston County north of Tenino.
“The fact that we don’t have five or six sexually violent predators living in our backyards is a huge sense of relief,” said Sarah Fox, a neighbor of the Tenino property who, along with fellow neighbors Kerri Jeter and Kendahl Tuttle, organized a petition and protest effort against the facility when they learned about it in mid January.
“It’s been a very long month and I feel like we did it. We finally did it. We broke through and this was the relief we were waiting for,” Tutlle said in an interview with The Chronicle outside the Tenino property on Tuesday.
Supreme Living had not formally started the process of terminating its contract with the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) as of Tuesday evening, but “Supreme Living has indicated it plans to follow that process,” DSHS Media Relations Manager Tyler Hemstreet said in an email to a Chronicle reporter.
“We anticipate a request to terminate the contract, but we have yet to receive one in writing at this time,” Hemstreet said Tuesday.
Supreme Living’s announcement, posted to its website Tuesday afternoon, came after weeks of outcry from residents and government officials caught off guard by the plans.
Officially known as a less restrictive alternative (LRA) sex offender housing facility, the Supreme Living facility would have provided supportive housing to five sex offenders who have served their prison sentences but have been civilly committed as sexually violent predators.
Residents would have included sex offenders released from McNeil Island Special Commitment Center under a court-approved LRA placement.
Under Washington state law, McNeil Island residents are entitled to a yearly evaluation to determine if they still meet criteria for civil commitment, if a less restrictive alternative is in their best interest and if conditions can be imposed that adequately protect the community, according to Hemstreet.
Legislation passed in response to a court ruling in 2021 amended the procedures for LRAs to make it easier for facilities to open and for sexually violent predators to apply for LRA placement.
DSHS contracted Supreme Living, a residential care services company with two existing supportive housing facilities in Olympia, in 2022 to open and operate an LRA in Thurston County. While DSHS and Supreme Living notified the Thurston County Board of Commissioners about the facility over the summer and notified the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office in December, most of the Tenino-area community did not know about the proposed facility until Supreme Living organized a public meeting on Jan. 11.
That meeting left many with public safety concerns and sparked the protest effort within the community.
Supreme Living did not cite the ongoing public outcry over the Tenino facility as a reason behind its decision to abandon its plans for the property Tuesday.
Rather, Supreme Living stated “that due to resources and expenses associated with land use requirements, it will not proceed with providing supportive housing services at its Tenino property.”
The property, located at 140th Avenue Southwest north of Tenino, is currently permitted as a three-bedroom, single-family residence.
Because Supreme Living proposed housing five residents at the property, Thurston County required Supreme Living to update its water supply and septic system and to acquire necessary food service permits before opening.
“The change in use from a three-bedroom single-family residence to the proposed LRA facility will require compliance with a number of health laws,” Thurston County Public Health and Social Services stated in a Jan. 24 letter informing Supreme Living CEO Angela Rinaldo of the code requirements.
That letter went out about a week after county commissioners listened to hours of emotional testimony from Tenino residents asking for the county’s help in stopping the facility from opening.
The facility was scheduled to accept its first resident, a registered level two sex offender on Feb. 1, but that release was postponed due to the code compliance discussion between Thurston County and Supreme Living that was ongoing at the time.
“Twenty-eight days from the first person supposedly being in here, and we’re standing here saying it’s not happening. It’s unheard of. It’s just really remarkable and phenomenal,” Jeter said Tuesday. “It’s been an emotional afternoon.”
Local representatives shared the Tenino community’s relief in the wake of Supreme Living’s announcement.
“Thank you to the active Tenino community members who brought this matter to all our attention and were relentless in making sure their voice was heard,” said Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, in a news release on Wednesday. “I am pleased that predators will not be placed in the Tenino community. I also am grateful for the quick action by Thurston County to slow this down. Now it is time for the Legislature and governor to enact meaningful legislation that creates an open process and ensures the safety of all of our communities.”
Earlier this legislative session, MacEwen and his fellow 35th District lawmakers Reps. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, and Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, proposed legislation in the state House and Senate intended to prevent what happened in Tenino from happening again elsewhere.
Two proposals, Senate Bill 5544 and companion House Bill 1734, would improve community notification procedures related to LRAs.
A third proposal, House Bill 1813, which would end sex-predator placements in less-restrictive group homes while a legislative task force reconsiders the policy.
“While this is a victory for Tenino, other communities are still facing the same scenario as we speak, and any one of our communities could be next if the current policy remains on the books,” Griffey said in a news release.
“That is why it is imperative that we put a moratorium in place and create a task force to find the best path forward for placing dangerous, sexually violent predators in less restrictive alternatives that meet the constitutional requirements of the court while protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.”
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, who held public meetings with the Tenino community throughout January and February to try and answer their questions and address their concerns about the facility, issued a statement Tuesday thanking the Tenino community for their patience through the process.
“It is imperative to convey to the public that Supreme Living runs a number of successful and much-needed supportive housing programs in our county, and we particularly appreciate the mental health housing services they provide for those needing assisted living,” Sanders said. “This incident exposed a number of substantial flaws in how we handle LRAs, and I look forward to working with our state government and representatives in the future to find a long term solution to this problem that protects everyone.”
Tenino Mayor Wayne Fournier celebrated Supreme Living’s decision in a post on Facebook.
“We fought back, we won this battle and we started not only a statewide conversation but a nationwide debate,” Fournier wrote. “Tenino and the surrounding communities are strong and we can fight way outside of our weight class. I’m very proud of this effort and cheers to everyone over the past few weeks to months that have gotten involved. I encourage everyone to continue being vigilant and the best way to maintain a good defense is through building stronger and tighter communities!"
