A press release from Office of Pierce County Councilmember Ryan Mello.
Currently, there are an estimated 3,300 people in Pierce County experiencing homelessness. And with just under 1,000 emergency shelter beds and 15 safe parking units across the county, about 2,287 people are without shelter in our county each night.
We know that 70 percent of people experiencing homelessness in our county are from our county. When people become homeless, they often stay near the community they’re used to.
These sobering statistics are likely an undercount. We know something must be done to address these numbers and provide a safe place for people to get the services and resources they need.
That’s why we are working as a county with regional partners to create the 2021 Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness. Two groups of dedicated service providers, community members and people with lived experience are collaborating on this plan and a shelter plan to identify ways we can help.
Part of this includes actively gathering feedback from the community. If you would like to share your thoughts about how we can end homelessness in Pierce County, please take the survey.
Want to learn more about the work being done to create the 2021 Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness? Visit this dedicated website to find more information, or this Open House website for more statistics and information around the survey and available resources in our community.
If this topic is one of interest to you, I invite you to join me Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. for my special District 4 in-district Council meeting, which will focus on housing and homelessness and include updates from regional partners working to find solutions. The meeting will be held at the University Place City Hall Council Chambers, 3609 Market Place West, suite 200 in University Place. The meeting will also be televised on PCTV.
As we continue with our endeavor, I will share our progress and communicate ways where you can weigh in on this important topic impacting our community, along with ways you can help if you feel called to do so.
The Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness – a coalition of service providers, lay people who care and local government – is doing incredible work advocating and coordinating a lot of important steps in this difficult work. You can find out how to be involved and the resources they have organized here.
