Encampments removed in Tacoma were ‘notably larger' in first quarter of 2025
According to data from Tacoma's Neighborhood and Community Services Department, the city conducted 79 encampment removals during the first quarter of 2025. The city removed 68 encampments during the first quarter of 2024.
City spokesperson Maria Lee told The News Tribune encampments removed in the first quarter of 2025 were 'notably larger' than in the last quarter of 2024, with several locations having more than 10 tents.
Lee said the first quarter of 2025 included approximately four weeks of pauses in removals for certain holidays and the Point In Time Count — a one-night survey of those living homeless. Those pauses might have allowed the camps to grow, she said.
The city agreed to not remove encampments for approximately two weeks ahead of the county's annual survey of those living unhoused. The city stated the pause was intended to allow the county to collect more accurate data.
In the first quarter of 2025, the city spent $561,112 to remove 488,960 tons of debris from encampments. In the first quarter of 2024, the city spent $585,621 to remove 605,600 tons of debris.
According to data from Tacoma's Homeless Engagement and Alternatives Liaison Team, the city records the highest volume of encampment reports during the summer months.
In March, Shiloh Baptist Church closed its homeless shelter, which had 40 beds. The city is preparing to lose nearly 400 shelter beds by the end of 2025.
Heading into the 2025 legislative session, Tacoma requested roughly $6 million to keep roughly 300 shelter beds operational through 2025. By June the city will lose 339 shelter beds without state funding.
Lee told The News Tribune as of the first quarter of 2025, the city has a little over 1,000 shelter beds.
With fewer shelter beds available than in previous years, the impact on the number of encampments the community will see is unclear.
In October 2022, the Tacoma City Council passed an ordinance that prohibits camping and the storage of personal belongings in a 10-block radius around temporary shelters and all public property within 200 feet of Tacoma's rivers, waterways, creeks, streams and shorelines. Under the ordinance, violators face fines of up to $250 and up to 30 days in jail.
To date, the city reports that two citations or fines have been issued since the ordinance was passed.
To enforce the policy, the city uses both police and homeless-outreach staff, known as the HEAL team, who make contact with people living in encampments that have been reported to the city. Their job is to get folks living unhoused to accept offers of shelter and services that help them get off the streets.
The HEAL team reportedly contacted 519 people in the first quarter of 2025. It contacted 454 people during the first quarter of the previous year.
When offered services by the HEAL team, historically only about half of individuals accept those services. That trend continued in the first quarter of 2025, with 54% of individuals expressing interest in the services offered.
According to the city, the HEAL team placed 74 people into shelter during the first quarter of 2025, about 14% of those it contacted. In the first quarter of 2024, 61 were placed into shelter by the HEAL team, about 13%.
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