New data shows more people are experiencing homelessness in Pierce County

Yahoo

3 hours ago

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Pierce County is going up, according to the latest report released by the county.
The number of individuals sleeping in shelters and on the streets is up 11% in 2025 compared to 2024. The data is based on a point-in-time count that service providers, volunteers and Pierce County leaders conducted starting January 30.
There were 2,955 total individuals counted.
'If we did this count today, I'm confident that be considerably higher number of people who are outdoors,' said Rob Huff, a spokesperson for the Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.
Huff said since the count took place, the county has seen the number of shelter beds decrease.
'Funding has decreased,' he said. 'The City of Tacoma has had to shut down roughly 200 shelter spaces that are no longer available to people in Tacoma or across the county.'
County Executive Ryan Mello said much of the federal COVID-19 funding that supported housing assistance and homeless prevention has started to dry up.
'This has been a long, long-term problem, and then we got the shot in the arm of American Rescue Plan Act dollars,' Mello said. 'We've spent those down.'
Both Mello and Huff say the broader cause of the spike in homelessness is the lack of affordable housing.
Property values have increased 86% between April 2017 and July 2025, according to Zillow data.
Pierce County passed the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act in 2023 to try to help. The act has generated more than $25 million in sales tax revenue to support the development of affordable housing units. County leaders say they are approaching 1,000 units built as a result.
County leaders also tout the success of the Pierce County Shelter Access Hub, a 24/7 hub available for people to connect those in need with critical resources.
Experts warn the true number of people experiencing homelessness is likely much higher, as it can be impossible to count everyone who doesn't have access to stable housing (including people in their cars or couch surfing).
It also does not include those on the verge of homelessness.
'One missed paycheck, and you could lose it all,' said Michael W. Dodson, who has lived in his car for the last three and a half years.
Dodson was working in the service industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
'People weren't going out. They weren't spending money,' he said. 'They weren't throwing parties. They weren't tipping and I watched my savings dwindle and I ended up sleeping in the car.'
He plans to finally move into a new home later this week with roommates, after getting some emergency help from family. He knows not everyone is so lucky.
'Living on practically nothing, it's not easy,' Dodson said.'It's no wonder that so many people out there give up.'
Dodson said assistance systems are not easy to navigate and can be especially complex for people who have lacked educational opportunities or who are mentally ill.
'It's so hard to lose that stability and be able to regain it,' Huff said. 'Especially when you're on the streets and there's nothing in your world is stable.'
You can read more about the solutions Pierce County has implemented to try and reverse these trends here.
KIRO 7 also dug into the numbers in King and Snohomish Counties.
Snohomish County saw a slight decrease in the number of people in shelters, transitional housing and on the streets this year. The number was down 1.8% from 2024.
King County does its count every other year. In 2024, the number of people experiencing homelessness in King County was 26% higher than it was in 2022.
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