Olympic Neighbors has finished tallying the funds raised from its fourth annual Summer Bash Aug. 18, and Program Coordinator Claudia Coppola is proud to report it generated more than $23,000.

“That money will go toward the cost of basic bills at Hamilton House — rent, food and utilities— plus paying for daily staff support for our residents, so they can participate in the community in meaningful ways,” Coppola said. “That means getting to work, volunteering, making doctors’ appointments and having assistance in the home with all aspects of daily living, from cooking and cleaning to cooperative living.”

Coppola reported that more than 70 individuals and businesses donated more than 100 items to the auction, even as she acknowledged that the total proceeds from the Summer Bash appear to have fallen slightly short of Olympic Neighbors’ goal of $25,000.

“We still felt incredibly successful for the number of people that came to the event, and our ability to get the word out about what we do, and what the needs are for this population in Jefferson County,” Coppola said.

Coppola clarified that Olympic Neighbors has to raise 33% of their budget annually to meet costs, so she encouraged the public to lend its support to the Port Townsend-based nonprofit for adults with developmental disabilities by donating, volunteering and sharing information about its program with others, as well as by impressing upon legislators the importance of funding services for adults with developmental disabilities in Washington.

With more than 500 adults with developmental disabilities living on the Olympic Peninsula, resources such as Olympic Neighbors’ Hamilton House — the only adult family home in Jefferson County — are enough in demand that Coppola noted the nonprofit already has enough people on its waitlist to start another house, but it doesn’t have the funds to do so at this time.

Al Latham, treasurer of Olympic Neighbors, recounted how the nonprofit found a suitable house for six adults with developmental disabilities just outside of Port Townsend in 2016, and began leasing it “at a low rate,” in addition to converting its garage into two bedrooms.

Olympic Neighbors began the licensing process with the state Department of Social and Health Services in May of 2017, and invested an estimated $30,000 in renovations to the property, since the accessibility standards for an adult family home exceed those of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The adult family home had a “soft opening” in September in 2017, when two of its residents moved in and began paying rent. Olympic Neighbors had hired a site manager by that point, but it has since added two full-time and four part-time staff members.

“The house has been full since December of 2018, after slowly and thoughtfully moving in six residents,” Coppola said.

Olympic Neighbors President Bob Wheeler inherited what would become Hamilton House from his own parents, and because they lived in the house until their deaths in their 90s, it was the perfect house to convert into an adult family home.

Even with Olympic Neighbors essentially receiving Hamilton House for free, Wheeler estimated its annual expenses run more than $300,000, of which the state covers only two-thirds, leaving Olympic Neighbors to make up the difference.

“We just received an increase in state funding on July 1,” Coppola said.

To that end, Coppola expressed the nonprofit’s gratitude to its sponsors, including the Pourhouse, Cascade Community Connections, Coldwell Bankers, Kristin Manwaring Insurance and Gale Investment Management, as well as the Merry Makers, the PT Village Drummers and the Unexpected Brass Band.

“Our volunteers and our community show us incredible support, not just one day a year, but on a continual basis,” Coppola said. “We are humbled by their generosity.”