Puyallup inches closer to deadline to comply with state law on emergency shelters, housing
Puyallup councilmembers have yet to adopt changes to the city code, which would help align it to recently passed state law concerning emergency shelters and housing. The law makes it difficult for cities to prohibit homeless shelters in certain areas.
The council plans to have a final vote on the proposed changes during the next meeting, Sept. 28.
The state Legislature passed House Bill 1220 earlier this year and it took effect July 25. The council unanimously passed a 180-day emergency moratorium on July 20 to give city staff time to review the city code and write proposed changes.
Under this law, cities cannot prevent transitional housing or permanent supportive housing in residential or hotel zones. The law also prevents cities, beginning Sept. 30, from excluding emergency shelters or emergency housing where hotels are allowed.
Some of the proposed changes to the city code include spacing standards for emergency shelters and emergency housing. Both types of housing would have to be 1,000 feet away from public transportation. Spacing between facilities would also have to be 1,000 feet, with one facility per zone.
City staff also proposed to include a 40-person cap on the number of occupants in emergency shelters, which is a number consistent with Puyallup’s temporary homeless encampment chapter, Katie Baker, planning manager for Puyallup, said during the City Council meeting on Sept. 14.
Some councilmembers had concerns with the capacity number suggested for emergency shelters, with some saying it is low and some saying it is high.
The city should be authorized to bump it up to 50, especially during inclement weather, councilmember Robin Farris said during the meeting. People may be “roaming around on the streets” if the city does not plan for maximum occupancy, she said.
“We have people who actually are at that moment in time when they want to get clean and sober,” Farris said. “If they go on a waiting list, there’s no chance that we’re going to get them back.”
Councilmember Dean Johnson said the capacity number should be dialed down to 20. It could be dialed up gradually as soon as a shelter shows proof that their services are helping, he said during the meeting.
“We don’t want to get into a bunch of hot water,” Johnson said. “Let’s start from a lower bar as we build a relationship with our community.”
Ric Rose, a member of Homeward Bound in Puyallup, told The News Tribune he does not know if limiting the number of people in emergency shelters between 20 to 40 will meet the city’s needs. Homeward Bound is a nonprofit that oversees the New Hope homeless resource center in Puyallup. The limit may also make it difficult for homeless providers to come to the city, he added.
“I just don’t know if that’s going to make it worthwhile, and I hope that’s not the intent of limiting to 20,” Rose said.
Other proposed changes include adding definitions for emergency shelters and emergency housing consistent with state law, Baker said. Allowing both types of housing in residential, commercial and mixed-use zones was also suggested.
Definitions for transitional housing and permanent supportive housing were also in the list of proposed changes. The definitions would mirror what is already written in state law, Baker said.
Puyallup allows transitional housing and permanent supportive housing, but it is not clearly stated in the city code, Baker said. City staff suggests clearly stating that both types of housing are permitted in residential, commercial and mixed-use zones.
The proposed changes to the city code and its compliance with the state law “remains to be seen,” Rose said, as the city will still have time to come up with permanent changes to the code by the end of the year.
“I’m still hopeful,” Rose said.
