Puyallup extends hotel program for those experiencing homelessness. Here’s the plan
A program in East Pierce County that serves people experiencing homelessness is here to stay for another year.
The city of Puyallup plans to extend its hotel pilot project program, which will expire in late March. The program, in partnership with Catholic Community Services, assists homeless people by providing shelter at a local hotel and case management services to get them back on their feet.
When asked about the location of the hotel, Johnson said the city does not want to publicize that as it could put some people who participate in the program that may be victims of domestic violence at risk.
The city is expected to officially extend the contract with Catholic Community Services at the March 1 City Council meeting. The new contract would begin in April and last until March 31, 2023.
“It’s something that I think is greatly needed, and I’m glad that the council sees that need,” Faatima Lawrence, director of homeless adult services for Catholic Community Services, said. “The community sees that need and wants it.”
The program came as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, city spokesperson Eric Johnson said. The city held a temporary emergency site from April 2020 to June 2020 as a shelter for people experiencing homelessness as they were considered high risk to contract COVID-19, he said.
When the city closed the site, people were offered hotel rooms from July 2020 to December 2020, followed by the program officially launching in February 2021. The city established the hotel pilot project program in February 2021 after receiving funding from the state to reserve 20 hotel rooms at a local hotel for homeless people.
The contract in February 2021 lasted until the end of July 2021. Before it expired, the City Council voted to extend the contract for another eight months, The News Tribune reported. March 31, 2022 is when the contract now expires.
People who are over 18 years old, couples and families participate in the program. The purpose of the program is to help people experiencing homelessness transition into permanent housing, Johnson said.
City emergency manager Kirstin Hofmann said during the Jan. 25 City Council meeting the program has been at capacity since it was launched in February 2021. The program currently has 70 people on the waitlist.
The program has served 65 people so far since it was established, Melissa Moss, community support planning specialist, said during the City Council meeting. A total of 40 people have exited or completed the program, leaving 25 people in the program.
Hofmann and Moss shared data at the meeting. Out of the 65 people that have been in the program:
- 36 have engaged in mental health services
- 18 have gotten hired
- 16 have engaged in substance abuse treatment programs
- 12 have enrolled in outpatient drug treatment
- Nine have engaged in medical services
- Nine received housing referrals
Of the 40 people that are no longer in the program:
- 23 left due to non-compliance with rules.
- Six transferred to Greater Lakes for mental health services in supportive housing.
- Four have permanent housing and three are reunified with their family.
- Three chose to exit the program.
- One died from underlying health conditions.
The person who passed away from underlying health conditions died at a hospital on Dec. 26, 2021. He joined the program on June 16, 2021, and already had “severe health issues,” Lawrence wrote in an email.
A letter he wrote before he passed away thanked everyone involved in the program. It said in part: “It’s a great blessing and I’m very appreciative to have a roof over my head. I can only imagine how demanding it would have been trying to survive with my health issues. So again, I say thanks.”
City staff and the Puyallup Police Department’s community outreach officer identify the people who enter the program. From there, people go through a screening process, sign an agreement and complete a housing stability plan with their case manager.
The screening process involves a questionnaire, asking people things such as how long they have been sleeping outside and if they are willing to go to a shelter. Based on their answers, city staff collect their information and add them to the waitlist, Johnson wrote in an email.
Lawrence said the wait time after being waitlisted varies. A room opens at least every two weeks, she said.
When a person gets accepted into the program, a case manager meets with them to sort out their needs and barriers, Lawrence said. Together, they figure out job opportunities available for them, family they could stay with, among other things.
Refusing to meet with a case manager or not actively searching for a job can get people removed from the program, Lawrence said. Messing with the hotel room’s smoke detector or having drugs in the rooms can also get someone removed.
Lawrence said the program does not impose a limit for how long people can stay, but usually staff checks in on people when they hit their 90-day mark. Not many have stayed over 90 days unless they are actively working but have not found permanent housing yet, she said.
Hofmann said there is a lack of affordable housing options, which continues to pose a challenge for the program. The city relies heavily on case management staff to find housing options that work with people, she said.
“Those resources definitely are not as readily available as we would like to see,” Hofmann said during the City Council meeting.
For the current contract that will expire in late March, the program received $536,679 worth of grants from the state Department of Commerce as well as Pierce County’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, Hofmann said.
Of the $536,679 total, $455,338.97 went to Catholic Community Services for the hotel room and administration costs. A total of $13,239.31 went to miscellaneous expenses such as staff costs.
Extending the program another year will cost about $791,000, Hofmann said. This includes things such as hotel room costs, salary costs for those who run the program, and two rooms for case management staff. This also funds a position in the city for the community services planning specialist, which will cost about $84,000.
The city will start applying for grants to cover the total cost to extend the program when the city approves the contract on March 1, Johnson said.
“With this new extension for another year we can continue to make changes to it so that it becomes more successful,” Johnson said.
All seven council members expressed their approval to extend the contract for another year.
Mayor Dean Johnson said during the City Council meeting he has seen a downtick in the number of homeless people in Puyallup. Although the program is costly, hearing the results of the program makes it seem priceless, he said.
“I’m just pleased to hear some of the stats especially about the folks who are getting this treatment for substance abuse and getting help getting out of this pit,” Mayor Dean Johnson said.
Deputy Mayor Ned Witting said during the City Council meeting the number of people on the waitlist is a “cause for concern.” Having that many people without homes makes his heart heavy, he said, and he would like to look into alternative projects and other options.
Eric Johnson said he has not heard a discussion about plans to increase the 20-room limit.
Ric Rose, treasurer for the nonprofit Homeward Bound in Puyallup, said they are happy that the city is willing to extend the program for another year. They are supportive of it because the need for the program is great, he said.
“From my perspective, anything is better than nothing,” Rose said.
This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
