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Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness
In March 2022, Pierce County officially adopted a Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness. This plan aims to document the scale of the need and design a system to end homelessness in Pierce County.
$1M Latest Updates Latest Updates
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Over $29M awarded for behavioral health services in Pierce County
Posted on August 23, 2023
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$4M available to support homeless housing assistance
Posted on August 3, 2023
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$1M available for Homeless Shelter Access Hub
Posted on July 25, 2023
Get Involved
The Pierce County Council has directed the Human Services Department to regularly convene a Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness Implementation Advisory Board comprised of members of the Steering Committee and other community representatives. The board typically meets monthly, on the first Friday of each month, from 1:00 pm. to 3:00 p.m.
Join the board meetings:
https://piercecountywa.zoom.us/j/95094642126
Webinar ID: 950 9464 2126
Join by phone: 253-215-8782
Implementation Advisory Board
The Pierce County Council has directed the Human Services Department to regularly convene a Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness Implementation Advisory Board comprised of members of the Steering Committee and other community representatives. The board typically meets monthly, on the first Friday of each month, from 1:00 pm. to 3:00 p.m. Click the link below to join.
Join the board meetings:
Next meeting is Friday, July 28 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
https://piercecountywa.zoom.us/j/91084688732
Webinar ID: 910 8468 8732
Join by phone: 253-215-8782 or 877-853-5247 (Toll Free)
Meeting Agendas and Notes:
April 1, 2022 Meeting Packet
April 1, 2022 Meeting Notes
May 6, 2022 Meeting Agenda
May 6, 2022 Meeting Notes
June 3, 2022 Meeting Agenda
June 3, 2022 Meeting Notes
July 1, 2022 Meeting Packet
July 1, 2022 Meeting Notes
August 5, 2022 Meeting Packet
August 5, 2022 Meeting Notes
September 2, 2022 Meeting Packet
September 2, 2022 Meeting Notes
October 7, 2022 Meeting Packet
October 27, 2022 Special Meeting Notes
November 4, 2022 Meeting Packet
November 4, 2022 Meeting Notes
December 2, 2022 Meeting Packet
December 2, 2022 Meeting Notes
January 3, 2023 Meeting Agenda
January 3, 2023 Meeting Summary Notes of Board’s Discussion on Options to Create the Proposed Unified Regional Office on Homelessness
January 30, 2023 Meeting Agenda
January 30, 2023 Meeting Recording
January 30, 2023 Meeting Notes
February 3, 2023 Meeting Packet
February 3, 2023 Meeting Recording
February 3, 2023 Meeting Notes
Link to Pierce County Village Proposal
Pierce County Village Presentation
February 10, 2023 Meeting Agenda
February 10, 2023 Meeting Notes
February 10, 2023 Meeting Recording
March 3, 2023 Meeting Recording
April 7, 2023 Meeting Recording
CPEH ARPA Implementation Presentation
| Implementation Advisory Board Members |
|---|
| Faatima Lawrence, Catholic Community Services, Representing Service Providers |
| Kevin Bates, Helping Hand House, Representing Service Providers |
| Scott Schubert, Representing Service Providers |
| Cynthia Stewart, Representing the Continuum of Care |
| Rob Huff, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Representing the Coalition to End Homelessness (Alternate) |
| Rich Berghammer, Representing the Faith Community |
| Adam Reichenberger, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Representing TPCHD |
| Erika Tucci, Cheney Foundation, Representing the Philanthropic Community |
| Michael Mirra, Representing the Affordable Housing Community |
| Delmar Algee, Pierce County Human Services, Representing Pierce County |
| Steve O'Ban, Pierce County Executive's Office, Representing the County Executive |
| Ned Witting, Puyallup City Council, Representing the City of Puyallup |
| Caleb Carbone, City of Tacoma, Representing the City of Tacoma |
| Tiffany Speir, City of Lakewood, Representing the City of Lakewood |
| Fred Palmiero, from East Pierce County, Representing Citizens |
| Courtney Love, Representing the Lived Experience Coalition |
| Travaris, Representing the Lived Experience Coalition (Alternate) |
| Alan Hartman, Representing the Youth Advisory Board |
| Andrea Reay, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, Representing the Business Community |
| Kirsten Stewart, Representing the Business Community |
| David Schroedel, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, Representing the Business Community (Alternate) |
- How does Pierce County involve people with lived experience into the evaluation process?
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We work with the Lived Experience Coalition (LEC) as a Pierce County funded entity. This group works with folks who have lived experience. In addition to mentorship, they prepare folks to sit on boards and voice their stances to stakeholders. The LEC also recruits people who have experienced homelessness or currently are.
- Can the Unified Regional Approach (URA) be reasonably stood up and operating by July 1?
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The goal identified by the CPEH, and the hired consultant is July 1, 2023. Pierce County Human Services will support the process and implementation and goal will be shifted as required and requested by CPEH.
- How is the 501 Commons grant being utilized?
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The 501 Commons contract started September 1, 2022 and was fully executed January 25, 2023. To date the program has served one by-and-for agency. As the project progresses, additional data will be provided by Human Services staff as requested by the CPEH.
- If funds are reallocated because they cannot be spent on their intended purpose, how will these be reallocated?
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Pierce County Human Services will follow all funding allocation protocols and requirements. This includes reallocation of additional dollars through a Notice of Funding Availability, Request for Proposal, or other approved processes. Pierce County staff work to support providers to ensure they spend down complete and meet their targets.
- We have a transportation pilot that gave free bus passes to people experiencing homelessness. Were those given to clients not on a Pierce Transit bus route?
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The Transportation Project was a pilot program with limited eligibilities. Clients not on the Pierce Transit routes may be eligible for Beyond the Borders program. Our staff working on Transportation is working diligently to find resolution.
Goals of the comprehensive plan to end homelessness
Goal 1 - Unified Response
Create a unified homeless response system, including a unified regional approach with central decision-making authority of funding and services.
Goal 4 - Adjacent Systems
Ensure adjacent systems address needs of people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness.
Budget
Funding is needed from a variety of sources.
Pierce County has pledged historic funding investments in housing and homelessness -$250 million over the next two years, but ongoing funding is needed to sustain these efforts. We currently spend $41 million annually on homeless system operating costs, but need to spend roughly $160 million annually to reach functional zero.
Homelessness is traumatic for those experiencing it and has many community impacts. Excessive pressure on healthcare, justice and other systems creates millions of dollars of direct costs to taxpayers each year, but we can see less impact and less public costs (saving $48 million annually) when functional zero is reached. We estimate a savings of $48 million per year across public systems once functional zero is reached.
Implementation
Implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness is progressing. In many ways, the funding plan is the key to ending homelessness in Pierce County. That plan is due to County Council by late October 2022. The funding plan will provide pathways to increase funding from the current $40 million dollars a year to the $160 million dollars necessary to end homelessness in Pierce County. That additional $120 million would increase the exits served annually from the current 1,750 households housed each year to 5,800 households housed. Initial $9M of new funding currently rolling out is going towards more shelter beds, navigation services, homeless prevention, employment programs and system improvements. 2022 will see another year where shelter capacity increases by hundreds of beds. Shelter beds provide a safe place for households while they work towards permanent housing.
Goal 1: Create a unified regional response.
Many factors are necessary to end homelessness: effective management, sufficient resources, coordination of those resources, accountability, and skilled leadership. A unified approach will enable an understanding of the entire need in the community and allow the leadership, management and resource acquisition and distribution necessary to meet that need.
Recent Progress Made Towards Goal Plan Strategy | |
|---|---|
| The Unified Regional Approach is in the midst of creation. Conversations are being held, but nothing has been implemented yet. (August 2023) | 1.1, 1.2 |
| The Pierce County Council's Human Services Committee heard presentation from Social Change Partners, the consultants hired to develop recommendations on how a Unified Regional Approach would affect the Pierce County homeless crisis system. View their recommendations here. | 1.1, 1.2 |
| Social Change Partners is working on their final report and is slated to formally presented to Council in mid-January or early February. Implementation slated to begin in July 2023. | 1.1, 1.2 |
| Technical Assistance is now available to nonprofits currently funded for work in the homeless system or interested in being funded for work in the homeless system. 501 Commons will provide technical assistance in a wide variety of topics, including board development, accounting practices, grant writing, human resources, policies, procedures, and more. (October 2022) | 1.6, 2.1 |
| SCP begins research for unified regional approach and interviewing key stakeholders. (September 2022) | 1.1, 1.2 |
| Social Change Partners, LLC (SCP) was awarded the contract for consultation on a unified regional approach. (July 2022) | 1.1, 1.2 |
| 501 Commons was awarded the contract to provide technical support. (June 2022) | 1.6 |
| Develop request for proposal to provide technical support to organizations that serve BIPOC communities. (May 2022) | 1.6 |
| Develop request for proposal for a consultant-led process to develop the regional approach. (April 2022) | 1.1, 1.2 |
Goal 2: Ensure interventions are effective for all populations.
Targeted Universalism requires considering the unique needs of target populations within each service. The first step in developing targeted strategies requires engagement with members of the target populations. Continued engagement with targeted populations is vital, using community outreach as well as surveys and other tools to identify areas to improve.
Recent Progress Made Towards Goal Plan Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Create new data warehouse and develop plan for dashboard development. (December 2022) | 2.6, 4.7, 5.8, 6.9 |
Technical Assistance is now available to nonprofits currently funded for work in the homeless system or interested in being funded for work in the homeless system. 501 Commons will provide technical assistance in a wide variety of topics, including board development, accounting practices, grant writing, human resources, policies, procedures, and more. (October 2022) | 1.6, 2.1 |
| Create data visualizations. View the data visualizations. (September - November 2022) | 2.6, 4.7, 5.8, 6.9 |
| Hire staff to develop data visualizations and publish dashboards of outcomes, interventions, etc. (June 2022) | 2.6, 4.7, 5.8, 6.9 |
Goal 3: Prevent homelessness.
Preventing housing instability and stabilizing households at risk of homelessness is a key strategy to ending homelessness. Available funding must be targeted where it will prevent homelessness for the greatest number of households. Funding must increase to reduce the number of at-risk households.
Recent Progress Made Towards Goal Plan Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Criteria for Eviction Prevention eligibility was established, and the final document was provided to County Council. (October 2022) | 3.1 |
| Eviction Prevention awards announced. (October 2022) | 3.1 |
| Release NOFA for eviction prevention assistance program starting in 2023. (September 2022) | 3.1 |
| Provide financial counseling to at risk households. (June 2022) | 3.4 |
| Expand the mortgage assistance program. (June 2022) | 3.2 |
Goal 4: Ensure adjacent systems address needs of people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
Adjacent Systems – those that serve people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness but are not part of the formal homeless crisis response systems - are seldom designed with the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Making changes to these adjacent systems, including locating adjacent system services at homeless program sites, can improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.
Recent Progress Made Towards Goal Plan Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Working with Pierce County Probation team on potential replication of the transitional housing program operating out of the Washington County Community Corrections Center outside of Portland, Oregon. | 4.1 |
| First report of Pilot Transportation project of 500 bus passes shows over 3,000 trips taken during the first quarter. (December 2022) | 4.3 |
| Working with the Veterans Steering Committee is being done to integrate the veteran rental assistance program into the County’s rental assistance portal. (October 2022) | 4.1 |
| Awaiting completion of a county-wide behavioral health system gap analysis slated for January 2023. (September 2022) | 4.5 |
Pilot transportation project of 500 one-year bus passes available for people experiencing homelessness. (May 2022). | 4.3 |
Goal 5: Meet immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness.
Meeting immediate needs for shelter, food, and pathways out of homelessness is vital. Knowing who is homeless and actively engaging them to assist entering shelter and establishing permanent housing will reduce the duration of homeless episodes.
Recent Progress Made Towards Goal Plan Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Over $12M was awarded to three non-congregate shelter projects, including one with medical respite, and another in a geographically underserved area. (January 2023). | 5.4 |
| The City of Tacoma has opened a new shelter on the 35th and Pacific property in Tacoma. The site is operating with tents, but will eventually convert to tiny houses. | 5.4 |
| The cities of Puyallup, Tacoma, Fife and Lakewood are meeting with Pierce County staff to develop the most effective approach to managing a by name list. Implementation is expected by Q4 2023. (November 2022) | 5.1 |
| The City of Tacoma is developing a new shelter on the 34th and Pacific property in Tacoma. The site will begin with tents before converting to tiny houses. Eventual site population will be around 50 units. (November 2022) | 5.4 |
A notice of funding availability (NOFA) bringing four separate funding streams together to create projects for a medical respite shelter, non-congregate shelters in an underserved geographic area and a shelter access point. Projects are anticipated to be awarded in January 2023. (November 2022) | 5.4 |
The City of Lakewood had capital funding available in a Request for Proposals for an Emergency Shelter for veterans that closed on October 17, 2022. Awards could be made in December 2022 or early 2023. | 5.4 |
| Pierce County, the City of Fife, and homeless service providers were awarded $35 million from the state Right of Way Safety Initiative to help move residents living on state highway rights of way into safer housing opportunities, with an emphasis on permanent housing solutions. As a result, 300 additional shelter beds will operate for at least two and a half years. Read more. (October 2022) | 5.2, 5.4 |
| Expand Critical Time Intervention (CTI) services to anyone experiencing homelessness. (July 2022) | 5.2 |
Provide Critical Time Intervention (CTI) services to chronically homeless individuals through pilot navigation program. (June 2022) | 5.2 |
Goal 6: Expand permanent housing system to meet the need.
Permanent housing is the goal for all people experiencing homelessness. Because of the very limited supply of housing, a wide variety of interventions and approaches will be necessary.
| Recent Progress Made Towards Goal Plan Strategy | |
|---|---|
| A combined $24M in State Rapid Acquisition 2.0 and City of Tacoma funding allowed LIHI to purchase the 82-unit Heron apartment building for use as a mix of Permanent Supportive Housing and affordable workforce housing. (October 2022.) | 6.4 |
| The Pierce County Village project is schedule to move to Council before February 2023, to fully allocate the $22M set aside the project. This project will create at least 150 permanent supportive housing units. (October 2022) | 6.4 |
| Award $17M to support development and preservation of affordable housing. (September 2022) | 6.4 |
| Release NOFA for $17M to support development and preservation of affordable housing. (June 2022) | 6.4 |
History
In March 2022, Pierce County officially adopted a Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness. This plan aims to document the scale of the need and design a system to end homelessness in Pierce County.
We know that increased funding for services and more affordable housing units are needed to drive real sustainable solutions. Pierce County does not have enough housing for all its residents, and much of its housing is not accessible to our lowest earners, but we are on the way to making significant change through historic funding investments in housing and homelessness - $250 million over the next two years.
This plan aims to achieve “functional zero” – a state where any person starting a new episode of homelessness has immediate access to shelter and a permanent housing intervention. The plan outlines the following six goals:
- Create a unified homeless response system, including a unified regional approach with central decision-making authority of funding and services.
- Ensure programs are truly effective for all populations.
- Prevent homelessness.
- Ensure adjacent systems address needs of people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness.
- Meet immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness where they are becoming homeless – not requiring them to leave the support networks in their communities to access services.
- Expand the permanent housing system to meet the need.
“Targeted universalism” is a methodology underlying much of this work. Targeted universalism sets a single target for everyone – in this case, stable housing. However, different groups need different supports to reach that goal. Programs must be designed to meet the unique need of everyone entering homelessness.
Pierce County Human Services is currently developing the plan implementation framework, but efforts are already underway to improve the homeless response system.
Resources
- Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness (CPEH)
- CPEH Summer 2022 Presentation
- CPEH Fall 2022 Presentation
- Homeless Crisis System Data
- Homeless System Presentation
- This is a self-guided presentation to provide background information on Pierce County's Homeless Crisis Response System.
- Presentation: Pierce County Data on Homelessness
- Homeless System Map - Shelter Emphasis with Data (2021)
- Implementing a Unified Regional Approach to Ending Homelessness in Pierce County, WA