1,400+ People Counted As Homeless In Pierce County: Report

TACOMA, WA - The 2019 Pierce County Point-in-Time Count, conducted in January, recorded nearly 1,500 people who said they were experiencing some form of homelessness locally. Compared to the Point-in-Time Count conducted last year, the 2019 report shows a 9 percent decrease in people experiencing homelessness in Pierce County.

Altogether, volunteers identified 1,486 houseless people. Of those, 629 people were entirely unsheltered, in cars, or squatting in abandoned buildings, while 857 people were staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing units, county officials said.

The total number of unsheltered people counted was a 16 percent decrease from 2018, officials said.

More than 300 people reportedly volunteered to help with the 2019 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count on Jan. 25. And in addition to counting, volunteers and county staff also distributed food, hygiene items, and clothing for those in-need.

The annual PIT Count, organized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Washington State Department of Commerce, seeks to determine how many people experience homelessness in communities across the nation.

The results are meant to help guide communities and local governments toward programs that assist people who need to find housing or other living needs.

While the PIT Count provides a one-night glimpse of homelessness in a given area, other surveys and reports created throughout the past year reportedly found at least 10,860 people in Pierce County experienced homelessness in 2018. Of those, at least 4,000 people found permanent housing during the same period.

Furthermore, 85 percent of the people who found housing in 2018 did not return to homelessness, county officials said.

Also, for the first time, this year's team of PIT counters included several outreach workers who connected with homeless youth to provide resources and guidance in both Eastern Pierce County and in the Key Peninsula.

To see the county's PIT Count report, or to learn more about the programs the county offers, visit PierceCountyWA.gov/homelessness.

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