The Tacoma City Council has approved unanimously a resolution increasing the city’s agreement with Green Earthworks Construction Inc. for homeless-encampment mitigation. The move brought the contract from nearly $2.2 million to more than $4.6 million.
Supporters say mitigation services are needed to protect public safety and ensure that the city looks inviting and clean. Critics fear that the efforts could inflict further harm on people living on the streets.
Lewis Griffith, division manager of Environmental Services, told The News Tribune that the increase was necessary to keep the “same level of service.” The city previously had a secondary contract for encampment-cleanup work, which sunset last year and couldn’t be extended. So, that work has been added to the contract with GEC.
Griffith said the encampment-cleanup work had been funded through federal grant money. Today it’s primarily covered by the Tidy-Up Tacoma fund, which began last year as 6% excise tax on solid waste.
The GEC contract lasts through the end of 2025, said Arly Hyatt, who manages the Tidy-Up Tacoma program. At that point, the city would look for a new contract — hopefully one offering the same work for less money.
Green Earthworks was originally awarded the contract in December 2022, according to a city memo .
What does homeless encampment mitigation mean?
Hyatt, who uses they/them pronouns, explained that Green Earthworks Construction cleans up in and around encampments. The contractor diligently avoids throwing folks’ belongings away, Hyatt said.
Workers pick up things that are clearly garbage — such as empty food containers — and leave personal items alone, including tents and backpacks, they said.
“We’re not interested in taking people’s only remaining belongings in the world,” Hyatt said. “We want to get the garbage. We want to get the potential public health-threat items out of the community and off the streets.”
Part of the reason the city uses the contractor is because it has the necessary training certifications and personal protective equipment, Hyatt said. The work can be hazardous. Drug paraphernalia like needles — potential carriers of diseases — are sometimes found on sidewalks or in parks, they added.
The contract covers the cost of materials, labor and equipment, such as skid steers used to traverse uneven terrain and collect large amounts of waste, Hyatt said.
Critics air concerns about the contract
The amended contract attracted some criticism during the July 2 City Council meeting’s public-comment portion.
Tacoma resident Kathy Lawhon opposed the amended contract. Lawhon referenced a local single mother, who minutes before had told council that she’d nearly become homeless.
“The woman that just spoke here could be one of the people to be chased out of a tent, the only solace she has, by cops,” Lawhon said in part.
Sean Arent, a Tacoma activist who helped pass the Tenants Bill of Rights, also spoke out against the contract. Arent cited the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson that effectively outlawed sleeping outside.
“Can I get reassurances from this council that these funds won’t be used to terrorize the unhoused community and throw away their belongings? …,” Arent said. “I know rent in Tacoma is really high, but $4 million could pay a lot of rents.”
City leaders had questions about the contract. Before officials approved the resolution, Council member Olgy Diaz sought clarification from the city’s finance director about the “cleanup” involved.
“Is this trash,” Diaz asked, “or are you talking about human beings that we’re serving with services?”
It is the former, finance director Andy Cherullo replied.
Council member Kiara Daniels said although she doesn’t agree with sweeps, she has witnessed an “undue effect on neighbors” who live near litter-ridden encampments.
“I do think this is an important contract for the cleanup of the neighborhoods that are … just dealing with a lot,” Daniels said.
Praise for homeless encampment mitigation services
The unhoused population in Pierce County has increased in recent years , The News Tribune previously reported, from around 1,850 people in 2022 to nearly 2,150 in January 2023. Hyatt said solid waste in the community has spiked as a result, making the work of the contractor all the more necessary.
Waste can have an adverse effect on the look and feel of the city, Hyatt said, and biohazardous materials are a danger to public health. The service with GEC prevents litter from “blowing all around our city,” Hyatt added.
In Hyatt’s experience, the community has been grateful that the garbage is getting addressed. When an encampment crops up near a business, potential customers might be less willing to go inside, the Tidy-Up Tacoma program manager said.
Andrea Reay, president and CEO of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, told The News Tribune that the city’s focus on mitigation efforts is helpful for businesses and others in Tacoma. Reay said it’s also important to continue to try to solve the root causes of homelessness.
“I think that if [there’s] one thing that we can all agree on, it’s that nobody wins when people have to sleep outside,” Reay said, “and that there is absolutely a right way to go through the mitigation: ensuring that things are done as compassionately and safely as possible.”
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