21-02-2025
Is Pierce County doing enough to help the homeless during cold weather? Providers say no
Homeless service providers in Pierce County recently took part in a nearly month-long effort to protect those living unhoused from freezing winter conditions. Many say the region needs a better plan to protect a vulnerable population.
Pierce County Human Services triggers a cold-weather response when predicited or actual temperatures reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below, according to the county's Inclement Weather Response Plan.
Many service providers say the planning to protect those living unsheltered from extreme cold weather does not happen until that threshold is met — creating a response that is disjointed, poorly prepared and at times under-resourced.
Pierce County Human Services says the department worked diligently to organize the region's cold-weather response in January and February — opening multiple warming centers and reducing barriers for the unsheltered population to access 'lifesaving services.'
'Dozens of people were served daily for overnight shelter, food, warm clothing, hand warmers, and more,' Kari Moore, a spokesperson for the department, told The News Tribune. 'We lowered barriers so people could bring in pets or partners without worrying about being turned away.'
Steve Decker is the CEO for Family Promise of Pierce County, an organization that hosts a warming center which opens when the inclement weather response is triggered. Decker told The News Tribune the warming center in Parkland was open Jan. 19 through Feb. 14.
He said the need for a place to stay warm is great, and the building sometimes hosts around 90 people trying to escape freezing outdoor temperatures.
During a Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness meeting on Feb. 14, Decker said the multi-week response felt 'reactionary,' without any 'advanced planning whatsoever.'
'And frankly, it was reactionary during the process,' Decker reported to the coalition. 'Because every day it was a question, 'Are we going to be open until what day?' And that makes planning almost impossible when you can't even plan out, you know, more than a day or two, At best.'
According to the Inclement Weather Response Plan, when a response is triggered Human Services can expand services or extend operating hours; hotels vouchers can be provided to place people into shelter for the night; and supplies such as blankets, clothing, food and water can be distributed.
It also allows certain populations to be served by shelters that would not be under normal conditions — for example, single adult shelters may serve youth or households with children and vice versa.
Some service providers and volunteers have been frustrated with the logistics of the county's inclement-weather response, claiming it keeps them from being prepared.
Dionne Jacobson is the outreach director at St. Vincent de Paul's Community Resource Center. Jacobson said when the cold-weather response is triggered, organizations under contract with the county are expected to attend a virtual morning meeting to talk about how they will use resources.
She said many organizations do not attend the meetings on a daily basis, creating a potential gap in coordination. Jacobson said the county's response lacks leadership, leaving 'everyone to fend themselves.'
During cold weather, St. Vincent de Paul helps get folks into hotels using funding from the City of Tacoma. It also helps distribute cold-weather supplies such as blankets, tarps, hand warmers, Mylar insulation and hand sanitizer, which people burn for warmth inside their tents.
Jacobsen said this is the first year the county allowed for the purchase of survival items with county funds. In previous years, organizations and volunteers had to wait for either the county's Department of Emergency Management, which has its own inclement-weather threshold, or the City of Tacoma to hand out the supplies to the organizations, she said.
'We had no ability to pre-plan,' she said. 'The best time to get ready is before it gets cold.'
Jacobsen estimated St. Vincent de Paul spends about $8,000 a month on survival supplies during the winter.
Sally Perkins volunteers to distribute supplies to her unhoused neighbors in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. During a Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness meeting on Feb. 7, Perkins shared her frustrations with the county's lack of planning.
'The money needs to be flexible,' she told the coalition. 'It can't be tied to a rule that says temperature has to be between this and that, or you can't spend the money. The money needs to be flexible and needs to be available in advance, so supplies can be purchased.
'We should have a warehouse full of hand warmers in August.'
Paula Anderson is the executive director of the New Hope Resource Center. The Puyallup-based organization hosted a warming center in South Hill area and is contracted by the county to be a part of the inclement-weather response.
Anderson told The News Tribune the response has been a 'learning curve for everybody' over the past few years.
She said there was some initial confusion over what kinds of survival supplies could be purchased with county funding as there was no explicit list of permitted items.
Moore told The News Tribune the contracts do not specifically list approved supplies, by design, because they are considered 'flexible funds' and can be used to meet basic safety needs. Providers are asked to seek approval if they are unsure or it is not an obvious safety need.
'At any time, providers can buy supplies in alignment with their contract, which often includes things like water, blankets, etc.,' Moore told The News Tribune in an email. 'Many of the cold weather supplies that organizations would purchase are already eligible due to the nature of the work done by emergency shelters, day centers, and street outreach.'
Anderson said because each city, jurisdiction and county agency has its own threshold for when inclement-weather resources are mobilized, it can create 'confusion' for service providers and disparities for those living unsheltered in different parts of the region.
She said the patchwork of different rules can be 'taxing' for service providers 'who just want to go help people.'
Anderson advocated for an alignment of funds and resources between communities and jurisdictions as a way of creating a cohesive response.
'There needs to be someone in charge of this process,' Anderson told The News Tribune.
Jake Nau, the outreach manager for St. Vincent de Paul, told The News Tribune that many organizations doing important work to open warming centers and distribute supplies to keep people alive rely on donations and volunteers to do so.
When asked if the county is dedicating enough resources and has organized an efficient cold-weather response, Nau answered: 'Absolutely not.'
Nau used the example of Common Good Tacoma, an organization that keeps a warming center open during cold nights. He said the place stays open because of the labor of volunteers, who stay there well through the night.
'I have yet to see a county employee coming down to the shelter,' Nau told The News Tribune. 'We need boots on the ground and people who realize the (expletive) crisis is here.'
Moore said Human Services plans to have an after-action review to identify areas where it can improve the response.
