Is Tacoma’s ‘services first’ approach to homelessness gaining momentum?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tacoma's HEAL team saw a 72% service interest rate in Q3 2025, up from 30% in 2024.
- Despite fewer HEAL contacts in 2025, shelter placement improved to 15% citywide.
- City officials credit stronger HEAL relationships with trust-building and outreach focus.
For years the City of Tacoma’s homeless outreach team reported low levels of interest in services from people living on the streets, with data showing less than half of people contacted being interested in services.
This year, the outreach team is reporting record levels of interest among the unhoused people it contacts.
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 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 to help them get off the streets.
While the city has removed more than 9 million pounds of debris from encampments since implementing the ordinance, it maintains that it is deploying a “services first” approach to getting people off the streets.
On Sept. 26, Tacoma interim city manager Hyun Kim issued a memo to the City Council giving a quarterly update on the city’s efforts to enforce its public-camping ban.
According to the memo, 72% of unhoused individuals contacted by the city’s Homeless Engagement Alternative Liaison (HEAL) team during the third quarter of 2025 expressed interest in services.
During the third quarter of 2024, only 30% of those contacted expressed interest in services, and 50% in the third quarter of 2023.
Through the first three quarters of 2024, 63% of people contacted expressed interest in services. In 2024, only 37% of people contacted by the HEAL team said they were interested in services.
This year, the city’s HEAL team also has seen an increase in the proportion of people they are able to place in shelters as well, despite Tacoma losing nearly 200 shelter beds in 2025.
According to the city manager’s quarterly update, 14% of people contacted by the HEAL team during the third quarter of 2025 were placed in shelters, totaling 51 people. During the same quarter of 2024, only 8% percent were placed in shelter for a total of 94.
Only 10% of people contacted were placed in a shelter during 2024, while 2025 has already seen 15% of people sheltered.
What is driving new interest in homeless services?
According to the city manager’s memo, the increased rates “may reflect both a reduction in visibly unhoused individuals across the City and a more targeted approach to outreach.”
Maria Lee is the spokesperson for the City of Tacoma. When asked why the rate of those who were interested in services had increased, Lee told The News Tribune in an email that it was due to the HEAL team’s efforts to build relationships and trust with those living unhoused.
“Our HEAL team members work very hard to establish meaningful relationships and build trust over time,” Lee said. “This foundational work allows them to effectively identify those ready to take the next step by determining interest in services, shelter, or placement on shelter waiting lists based on an individual’s specific request for help.”
Kevin Ruby works as an outreach specialist for the HEAL team. Ruby previously told The News Tribune there are a number of factors that might contribute to someone not accepting services when offered.
He said some individuals have experienced significant trauma, such as abuse, violence or the loss of loved ones, and shelters or other group settings can be triggering for them.
Mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, PTSD or schizophrenia can make it difficult to navigate social situations, follow rules or trust others, according to Ruby. He said those conditions might also impair judgment and decision making.
“Addiction creates its own set of challenges, and some individuals may prioritize obtaining and using substances over seeking shelter or other services,” Ruby told The News Tribune. “Shelter rules can feel constricting to someone who has already experienced a profound loss of control over their life.”
Number of homeless contacts on the decline
While rates of people being interested in shelter and services seem to have increased in 2025, the number of people reportedly contacted by the HEAL team has dropped significantly.
During the third quarter of 2025, the HEAL team reportedly contacted 359 people. During the third quarter of 2024, 1,156 people were contacted.
In 2024 more than 2,800 contacts were made and more than 3,000 in 2023. Through three quarters of 2025 just under 1,200 contacts have been made.
Lee attributed the decrease in HEAL team contacts in 2025 to the city’s efforts over the years. She said the team is currently operating at “full capacity” with eight members.
“The number of highly visible individuals experiencing homelessness is lower, which suggests that our previous efforts to connect people with resources have been effective,” Lee told The News Tribune. “The City is prioritizing quality, long-term outcomes over a high volume of initial contacts.”
