Is Pierce County doing enough to address homelessness? Tacoma city leaders don’t think so

Tacoma city leaders are calling on Pierce County to step up its efforts to address homelessness.

During the Aug. 13 Tacoma City Council meeting, a letter to the Pierce County Council and County Executive was approved by the City Council. City spokesperson Maria Lee told The News Tribune the letter was brought to the council by Mayor Victoria Woodards.

The letter expressed a “growing concern” over the “escalating” issue of homelessness across Pierce County.

“While we recognize and appreciate the work you have done to support sheltering and resources in Tacoma over the years,” the letter to Pierce County leaders reads, “additional action from the county to prevent the burden from disproportionately continuing to fall on our city alone is required.”

According to the writers, Tacoma provides over 80% of all sheltering in Pierce County while accounting for a little less than 25% of the population.

“As our programs have expanded, it has become increasingly clear that our efforts alone are insufficient to address the broader regional crisis,” the letter wrote. “Many individuals experiencing homelessness are either residing or seeking refuge in unincorporated areas, where access to essential services and shelter is extremely limited.”

The letter urges county leaders to provide the necessary support and resources in unincorporated areas, and specifically for the County Council to pass Ordinance O2024-540 , which would allow the county to streamline the process of setting up temporary stability sites.

The ordinance was recommended to come before the county council by a subcommittee on Aug. 5. It follows the failure of an emergency ordinance with the same intent. The emergency ordinance failed on party lines after Democrats on the council tried to push the legislation through without committee input, citing homelessness as an emergency in the region.

The legislation is intended to amend county zoning codes that prohibit projects such as the county’s planned stability site — a temporary housing shelter the council stipulated be built outside Tacoma with the recognition that there is a need for homelessness resources outside the city.

The letter states the ordinance would “alleviate the pressure” on Tacoma by allowing non-congregate housing projects like tiny-home villages to be established in unincorporated Pierce County.

“We know that keeping residents in their own communities and near their support networks, and providing services there leads to better outcomes for them,” the letter read. “The absence of adequate County-supported services not only exacerbates the issue but also places an undue strain on our city resources as we strive to accommodate the growing needs of our houseless neighbors.”

The city cited data from the 2024 Pierce County Point-In-Time Count that showed nearly 30% of homeless people counted were found to be sleeping unsheltered with the overall number of unsheltered homeless individuals increased 59.4 percent between 2023 and 2024.

“Tragically, between January 2022 and July 2023, 158 people died while living unsheltered in Pierce County, clearly indicating a growing emergency that requires county-wide solutions,” the letter stated.

The City of Tacoma declared homelessness an emergency in 2021. Pierce County has not declared homelessness an emergency, despite evidence that suggests the number of those living homeless in Pierce County continues to rise . Under Pierce County’s charter, it is the executive’s job to declare a state of emergency — Bruce Dammeier has said he will not do so .

“The responsibility of providing shelter cannot rest solely on the shoulders of Tacoma,” The city’s letter read. “It is imperative that Pierce County steps up to provide the necessary support and resources in unincorporated areas.”

In response to the letter, Pierce County Council Chair Ryan Mello called the dynamic between Tacoma’s homeless services and the county’s an “imbalance” that puts vulnerable people at risk.

“It’s time for the county to do its part, and this County Council knows it,” Mello told The News Tribune on Aug. 14.

Mello pointed out the council’s appropriating $2.5 million to establish a stability site outside the city as well as putting forward a proposal to allow the siting of temporary housing communities like tiny-home villages.

“I hope the County Executive is listening because we need tools to help people right now, and we need him to work with us to bring those solutions forward,” Mello said.

Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier wrote a response to the letter in which he expressed his opposition to Ordinance O2024-540 , supported by both the City of Tacoma and Mello.

“I am concerned Ordinance 2024-540 would allow large tent encampments to be established throughout Pierce County with almost no public notice,” Dammeier told The News Tribune. “I can’t support establishing stability sites like this in unincorporated Pierce County.”

Instead, Dammeier said he would prefer to support long-term supportive housing projects.