Pierce County is currently facing a public health and safety emergency with respect to homelessness. The 2024 Point-in-Time Count exposed a 23% year-over-year increase in homelessness, with 30% living unsheltered. The closure of the FOB (Forward Operating Base) Hope Veterans Village, the county’s only sanctioned veteran’s tent encampment, will further heighten the need for emergency shelter for our most vulnerable neighbors.
To address this emergency, the Pierce County Council is considering an interim emergency ordinance to amend three chapters in the Pierce County Code (PCC) to eliminate regulatory barriers for Temporary Housing Communities, or THCs, in unincorporated Pierce County. The Pierce County Council will hold a public hearing on the proposal on Tuesday, July 9, at 3 p.m. or soon thereafter, to hear public testimony and take final action.
What: Public Hearing on Proposal No. O2024-538, Interim Amendments to PCC Chapters 17C.30, 18.25, and 18A.38
When: Tuesday, July 9, at 3 p.m. or soon thereafter
Where: 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Room 1046 in Tacoma or remotely via Zoom:
Remote Participation is available by calling (253) 215-8782 and using Webinar ID: 976-6178-7423, or using this link: https://piercecountywa.zoom.us/j/9215903381
The Proposal
Proposal No. O2024-538 establishes an authorization process for a Temporary Housing Community (THC) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the applicant and the Pierce County Human Services Department. The MOU will include conditions of approval, an operations and security plan, a code of conduct, a transition plan, public input and more. You can read all the required items included in the MOU in Exhibit C, Section F of the Ordinance.
The proposed interim changes to the Pierce County Code update regulations related to THCs are:
- Allow Temporary Housing Communities to accommodate up to 100 people.
- Authorize Temporary Housing Communities for 180 days, with the possibility of renewal based on compliance and community relations.
- Mandate a community meeting as part of the authorization process. The meeting must be held at least seven days before finalizing an MOU that establishes a Temporary Housing Community, with notices posted and mailed at least 14 days in advance.
- Define health and safety requirements for Temporary Housing Communities, including water, sewer, sanitation, security, and emergency plans.
- Exempt small structures and tents under 150 square feet from building permits when used for sleeping accommodations in Temporary Housing Communities.
The County’s Planning and Public Works Department identified the existing regulations as obstacles to creating emergency shelters during this year’s Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update and Review. These amendments provide an interim process to ease those regulatory obstacles until final regulations can be adopted through the Comprehensive Plan Update.
The interim emergency ordinance must receive five votes to be enacted as an emergency and then signed by the County Executive. The interim regulation will be in place for six months or until such time it is renewed, repealed by the Council or replaced with a permanent regulation. Permanent regulations are currently being developed by the Planning & Public Works Department, and it is anticipated permanent regulations will be considered by the Council by the end of 2024.
The Process
Ordinances normally go before a Committee of the Council for review and recommendation before final action. Emergency ordinances do not follow normal legislative procedures because they are intended to address an emergency situation that requires immediate attention.
These revisions draw from the County’s Safe Parking Requirements and are modeled after Tacoma’s successful Temporary Shelter regulations to ensure consistency for community and emergency shelter providers.
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