Tacoma City Council to Join Regional Effort to Reduce Homelessness
Aug 19, 2026, 2:43 PM
Sound Sound
Originally published on South Sound.
In an effort to help reduce area homelessness, Pierce County Councilmember Jani Hitchen recently presented the proposed Pierce County Unified Regional Approach to the Tacoma City Council during a study session.
On Aug. 25, the council will consider a resolution to work with other Pierce County governments to launch the URA. More information on the URA is available here.
Pierce County and the cities of Fife, Gig Harbor, and Lakewood have adopted resolutions expressing an intent to help launch the URA, with presentations to the city councils of Ruston, University Place, and Fircrest scheduled for the coming weeks.
Pierce County’s 2025 Point-in-Time Count identified nearly 3,000 people experiencing homelessness across the county. Of the 1,044 people who reported where they lived prior to being homeless, more than half reported living in a Tacoma ZIP code. However, 76% of those identified in the Point-in-Time count were staying at a shelter in Tacoma. The city of Tacoma hosts approximately 85% of the shelter beds in Pierce County.
