Demand for homelessness services in Pierce County has surged so far this year, data shows
Pierce County Human Services recently reported that the county’s homelessness-response system has served nearly 17,500 people through the first three quarters of 2024.
During a Nov. 13 Pierce County Council Select Committee on Homelessness meeting, social service supervisor Devon Isakson reported data from the beginning of 2024 through September. In that time frame, the county reported serving 17,493 individuals, 1,164 more than through the same months the previous year.
“That is a big number, but it does include interventions such as prevention, which is not literal homelessness,” Isakson told the committee.
According to the data, the largest service used by more than 7,000 individuals has been the diversion program provided through Coordinated Entry. Coordinated Entry is considered the “front door” to the region’s homelessness-response system, and the diversion program aims to give one-time assistance to those at risk of homelessness.
Diversion can often come in the form of cash assistance to prevent someone from becoming unhoused. Diversion solutions are unique to each person’s situation and can be used to pay for a deposit on a new apartment or even travel costs to help someone stay with family in a different state. According to data from Human Services, diversions makeup 41% of the interventions offered by the homelessness-response system.
More than 6,500 people used the Coordinated Entry Priority List, the next most utilized service through the first three quarters of 2024. The Priority List is a system where folks in need of housing wait to be referred to programs. With priority for housing referrals placed on those deemed to be the most “vulnerable,” thousands wait indefinitely on the list.
More than 4,800 people utilized emergency shelter resources in the first three quarters of 2024, and nearly 3,800 people were contacted by street outreach services.
From January 2024 through September 2024, Pierce County reported serving 8,013 individuals who were considered to be “literally homeless.” During the previous year, Pierce County served 523 more people during the same months.
Isakson told the committee that this was “not very much” of a change.
Isakson suggested that the slight drop in those receiving services could mean that there are less folks accessing the system or even people who do not know how to access services.
From January 2024 through September 2024, the county reported 4,215 people accessing services for the first time, indicating instances of first-time homelessness. That number was nearly 600 less than what was recorded during the same months of 2023.
Isakson said she does not believe that this slight decrease indicates that there are fewer people in need.
The county also collected data on the racial demographics of those experiencing homelessness, which indicate racial disparities.
While Black, African American or African residents make up 7.1% of Pierce County’s population, they represent about 26% of the county’s unhoused population.
“That’s pretty significant and also very alarming,” Isakson told the committee.
American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous populations make up 1% of Pierce County residents, but account for about 4% of those experiencing homelessness in the region.
The county also collected data on the number of people that were exiting the homelessness-response system into permanent housing, which Isakson called the “end goal of our system.”
Between January 2024 and September 2024, 2,222 people were reported exiting into permanent housing. According to the county, 331 more people exited into permanent housing in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the first three quarters of 2023.
“That could indicate that we have a lot more permanent housing opportunities for folks,” Isakson said. “Because we have expanded our permanent housing system.”
