Puyallup homeless shelter won’t fix everything, but it does provide a reason for hope
In Puyallup, any sign of progress — however small — is a welcome one.
For years, the city has steadfastly refused to acknowledge that homelessness is a societal problem that it, too, has an obligation to help solve. While Tacoma has declared a state of emergency and the county has sought to increase shelter beds and the availability of mental health services, many in Puyallup have clung to a Mayberry-like insistence that the homeless crisis isn’t the sort of thing they should have to deal with.
That’s why the Puyallup City Council’s recent decision to authorize an agreement with Catholic Community Services that will create the first homeless shelter for adults in East Pierce County at a local hotel is worth standing up and taking notice of.
Yes, the shelter is temporary; for now, at least, a six-month pilot project. And, yes, there’s one noticeable string attached; the shelter will be made available to those experiencing homeless in Puyallup, according to the city, which is reminiscent of the provincial hard-line stances it has taken in the past.
But the fact remains: this is Puyallup we’re talking about, a city that has literally shipped people to a shelter outside of town and, between 2015 and 2019, spent more money defending bad homeless policies and settling lawsuits than it did helping local nonprofits that serve those in need.
Any way you slice it, the new shelter represents progress, and a small glimmer of hope for the future.
As The News Tribune’s Josephine Peterson recently reported, the agreement will make about 20 beds at the Hometowne Suites on North Meridian available to homeless adults. The shelter is expected to open later this month, and people will be referred to the program by the the Puyallup Police Department’s Community Outreach Officer and the city’s Emergency Management staff, according to the city.
Funded through a grant program overseen by the state Department of Commerce, the new shelter is part of a Pierce County application that also included money for a tiny home village in Tacoma and financial support for a women’s shelter at the Tacoma Rescue Mission.
On Tuesday, Mayor Julie Door said the Puyallup City Council’s embrace of the new shelter pilot program is the latest sign that — just maybe — the city’s elected leaders have finally decided to start working together.
“This has been an issue that Puyallup has been struggling with as a council and as a community for a long time. Clearly, we had some council members who had different opinions on the issue,” Door said, staking an early claim on the most diplomatic understatement of 2021.
“To (the council members’) credit, they have resolved some of their differences, and they recognize that it is time, and that we need to do more,” Door continued. “The pilot project is an excellent opportunity to have some learning experiences.”
In recent years — and particularly since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic — Door said council members have managed to find common ground on homelessness, rooted in what she described as a “genuine” desire to help people. The temporary encampment that the city opened for two months in the parking lot of the Puyallup Recreation Center is evidence of that, she said.
Now, by agreeing to host the shelter for six months, Door hopes her council colleagues and the residents she represents will get a chance to “understand what can be possible.”
Door said taking small steps — which the pilot project will allow for — is key.
“I think it’s a huge step,” Door said of the shelter. “If it’s executed well, we’re building trust within the council and the community as to how to take a next step forward. … We will learn more about what it is that is really needed here in Puyallup.”
Assuming Catholic Community Services maintains its homeless services track record and the shelter does operate successfully over the next six months, we will soon learn a lot more about the city’s newfound desire to be part of the solution.
The county’s grant application calls for an East Pierce County shelter to be operated over the next three years. It’s a timeline that Kathy Kinard of the state Department of Commerce’s Office of Family and Adult Homelessness said the county and Catholic Community Services are committed to.
If Puyallup throws in the towel after six months, “Pierce County will work with CCS to maintain the beds throughout the contract period,” Kinard said.
“The county … told us that this type of program is new to the Puyallup area and it is a large win for their homeless crisis response system. They have never had beds for single persons in this part of the county,” Kinard noted.
Mike Curry, who serves as director of operations for Catholic Community Services, said he’s hoping the new Puyallup shelter will be extended beyond the six-month pilot project.
“There’s clearly a need. There’s a growing need in all of our communities, particularly outside of Tacoma. It’s a step in the right direction, and we’d love to see it continue,” Curry said of the new shelter. “We also realize there are a lot of factors that go into that.”
According to New Hope Resource Center director Paula Anderson, who has spent her fair share of time sparring with the Puyallup City Council over the years, the new shelter provides reason for optimism in a city where it has often been in short supply.
Whether or not the council really has turned over a new leaf is a discussion that can be saved for another day, Anderson said.
“We know from serving the homeless at New Hope over the last seven-plus years that there is quite an extensive amount of people who are experiencing homeless in Puyallup right now,” Anderson said.
“Any progress to help build shelter in the city is a good progress.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
