Winter can be deadly for the unhoused. Is enough being done to protect them?
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- Tacoma and Pierce County coordinate new inclement-weather shelter thresholds.
- Shelter capacity fell after closures; current sites offer limited bed availability.
- Advocates warn demand will outstrip services despite motel vouchers and overflow.
Tacoma and Pierce County are aiming to improve how they provide shelter and resources for the unhoused during inclement weather this winter.
In the past, homeless-outreach workers and advocates have raised concerns about the region’s approach to inclement weather, saying it is disjointed with varying thresholds across jurisdictions for what constitutes inclement weather.
Others are concerned the region will not have enough places for people to get out of the cold.
Kari Moore, a spokesperson for the Pierce County Human Services Department, said the region will have roughly 122 additional shelter beds available during inclement weather this season - all of which are in Tacoma.
“We have a similar situation for capacity this year compared to last year,” she told The News Tribune.
Dionne Jacobson, the homeless-outreach director at St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Resource Center in South Tacoma, told The News Tribune she does not think the region is prepared for the upcoming seasonal weather.
“I’ve been doing this every winter for five years, and there is never enough,” Jacobson said. “Every organization scrapes by begging for donations.”
Jacobson said she believes the loss of nearly 200 shelter beds in Tacoma this year likely will compound the issue.
She said St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Resource Center, staffed by fewer than 20 people, hosted more than 110 people looking for shelter from the hot weather on a single day in July following the closure of several shelters.
“We have less day shelter and less night shelter this year than the year before,” Jacobson said. “We worry a lot about the impact of shelter closures and lack of shelter beds that will be available.”
This fall, Tacoma also lost one of its largest day shelters when Catholic Community Services closed Nativity House due to funding shortfalls.
Faatima Lawrence, director of homeless adult services for Catholic Community Services, told The News Tribune the day center often serves 300 people a day, up to 600 in the winter months.
Staff from Pierce County and Tacoma reported shelter and day shelter capacities to the Pierce County Council during a Health and Human Services Committee on Nov. 18.
According to the Pierce County Human Services Department, there are three official day shelters in the region, with the capacity to serve a little more than 1,500 annually.
“We do not have enough day centers in our system, I absolutely, wholly believe that,” Devon Isakson, Human Services Department supervisor, told the committee. “And I think there is some work that needs to be done to expand that capacity,”
Maria Lee, spokesperson for the City of Tacoma, said the city would be working to ensure there would be sufficient supplies to help keep people warm at city libraries, as well as the following locations:
- Stability Site, 1423 Puyallup Ave., 7 days a week, 8 a.m.-5p.m.
- Saint Vincent DePaul’s Community Resource Center, 4009 S. 56th St., 7 days a week during inclement weather response, 9:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
- Saint Vincent De Paul’s Family Community Resource Center, 505 South Tacoma Way, operating 7 days a week for families during inclement weather response, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Common Good, 621 Tacoma Ave. S., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Beacon Young Adult Shelter, at S. 13th St., during inclement weather, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Lee said the city and the county are partnering to set clearer thresholds for when the inclement-weather response goes into effect and have defined clearer roles and responsibilities for each jurisdiction.
“This new, collaborative framework ensures that our response to dangerous weather is more predictable, efficient, and effective,” she told The News Tribune. “By unifying our efforts with Pierce County, we can better deploy our collective resources, ensure clear communication, and provide timely protection for our community members when they need it most.”
When the forecast is for 35 degrees with wind or rain or 32 degrees and colder, the city will activate additional overnight shelter resources.
The city has committed a funding pool of $933,000 for inclement weather in 2025 and 2026. The funding can be used for supplies and can be given to shelter providers for additional staffing.
Altheimer Memorial Church is operating a shelter at 1121 S. Altheimer St. The church anticipates operating the shelter through March 2026. According to the city, the shelter will provide 32 beds, and referrals will come from multiple teams, including the City’s Homeless Engagement Alternative Liaison (HEAL) Team, outreach providers and other emergency shelters that have reached capacity.
Valeo Vocations, 415 S. 13th St., will provide 20 overflow beds for young adults between 18 and 24 at the Beacon Young Adult Shelter.
On Nov. 18, Isakson announced Valeo Vocations also will be operating a 50-bed shelter at 813 Martin Luther King Jr. Way for inclement weather. Lee said plans call for the shelter to operate from early or mid-December through March.
Saint Vincent DePaul will expand capacity for its program, which provides motel shelter vouchers for up to 20 households.
“A 20-household capacity for winter shelter is amazing — but it’s just a fraction of what is needed,” Jacobson told The News Tribune. “We know that people die from inclement weather, and we know this is under-reported.”
