Tacoma City Council Study Session - March 5, 2024: Homeless Strategy Update, Refugee Choir Sponsorship, Deconstruction Resolution
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Tacoma City Council Study Session - March 5, 2024
The Tacoma City Council held a study session on March 5, 2024, to review the quarterly update on the city's homeless strategy, discuss a Council Consideration Request (CCR) to sponsor the Tacoma Refugee Choir's first annual symposium, and consider a CCR to explore increasing deconstruction and salvage efforts. No public comments were heard during the study session.
Homeless Strategy Quarterly Update
Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) Director Allyson Griffith, along with Caleb Carbone and Javon Carlisle, presented the update. Key points include:
- TMC 8.19 implementation: Since November 2022, the HEAL team has conducted 229 encampment removals (196 within no-camping zones). As of February 29, 2024, over 1.7 million pounds of garbage and debris have been removed (an increase of 136,000 pounds since the last update). No citations, infractions, or fines have been issued.
- Outreach statistics: HEAL has made 3,626 contacts; 1,847 (51%) were interested in services (shelter, substance use treatment, counseling), and 352 (8%) were placed into shelter. 53% of all contacts expressed interest in services.
- Reasons for refusal: Among those declining services, 41% cited unwillingness to part with vehicles/RVs, 15% had exhausted shelter options or were banned, 8% cited shelter location, 5% cited shelter rules/curfews, 4% cited lack of mental health/drug support, 3% were already staying at a shelter, and 2% cited safety concerns.
- Storage process: Approximately 25 individuals store belongings at the Stability Site at any time. Items are held for a minimum of 60 days, often longer. HEAL receives 10–12 retrieval calls per year.
- Shelter transitions:
- Thames 4 (69th & Proctor): 66 micro-shelter units will move to the Forging Path Community (35th & Pacific) in June 2024. Intake stops in April; remaining residents will be helped to transition.
- Beacon Center (young adult shelter): Phase 2 renovation requires temporary relocation to Peace Community Center for April 2024. Seniors will access services at Lighthouse via transportation.
- Thames 3 (6th & Orchard): Decision on further extension pending a housing progress report due mid-March 2024. Serves families and single women (60 contracted capacity).
- Veterans Village (82nd & Pacific): Scheduled to stand down in August 2024, losing 35 beds. Provider, Ford Operating Base Hope, is transitioning to housing services. Countywide resources are expected to fill the gap.
- Racial equity: Data shows disproportionate representation of Black/African American individuals among unsheltered populations. The city's five-year strategy includes anti-racism, data collection, and targeted interventions.
- Detox and workforce: MDC expanded detox by 16 beds (city funded startup costs). The shelter training academy (Vallejo) completed three cohorts in 2023; three more planned in 2024.
- Budget gap: The city faces a $10.75–12 million shelter funding gap for 2025-2026. A $3 million state funding request is pending (House budget includes $3M, Senate $1M; conference committee ongoing).
- Data dashboard: Planned for Q2 2024 to include 311 requests, shelter bed availability, and HEAL metrics.
- Council discussion: Councilmembers expressed concerns about losing 35 veteran beds, the need for dignified storage, and collaboration with Pierce County. Councilmember Rumba highlighted new county shelters (medical respite, tiny home village, permanent supportive housing). Councilmember Hines asked about the safe parking site at Holy Rosary; staff promised a one-year outcomes report.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the study session.
Discussion Items
Council Consideration Request – Tacoma Refugee Choir’s First Annual Symposium Sponsorship
Councilmember Walker presented a request for $10,000 from council contingency funds to sponsor the symposium, titled "From Welcoming to Cooperation," to be held at Tacoma Community House. The event aims to create a welcoming environment and promote multicultural cooperation, culminating in a relationship-building toolkit. Co-sponsors included Mayor Woodards, Councilmember Bushnell, and Councilmember Ushka. Councilmember Bushnell praised the choir's unifying work. No opposition was expressed.
Council Consideration Request – Increasing Deconstruction and Salvage Efforts in Tacoma
Councilmember Walker introduced a resolution to explore alternatives to demolition. Deconstruction involves dismantling buildings piece by piece to reuse materials like lumber, fixtures, and roofing. The resolution directs the city manager to provide options by May 22, 2024, in five areas:
- Easier access to credible salvage assessments.
- Incentives for deconstruction and material reuse.
- Deconstruction of city-owned buildings (leading by example).
- Workforce development for deconstruction contractors.
- Storage for salvaged materials. The proposal aligns with the climate action plan and green economic development strategy. Co-sponsors included Councilmember Rumba and Councilmember Diaz. Councilmember Bushnell confirmed the timeline is feasible given preliminary research already completed.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken during the study session. The refugee choir sponsorship will be considered for approval at the regular council meeting later that evening. The deconstruction resolution directs city staff to report back with options by May 22, 2024. The homeless strategy update was received; council will continue to monitor progress and budget implications.
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to call the order. You're making it worse, not better. Sorry, hold on. I'd like to call the order of the city council study session of March 5th, 2024. Clerk, you'll please call the roll. Councilmember Bushnell. Present. Councilmember Daniels. Here. Councilmember Diaz. Absent. Deputy Mayor Hines. Here. Councilmember Rumba. Here. Councilmember Scott. Absent. Councilmember Eshka. Absent. Councilmember Walker. Here. Mayor Woodards. Absent. Deputy Mayor and Council members to study session materials sent to you at 11. All right. Thank you. Our first gender item is the homeless strategy quarterly update, and I'd like to call on neighborhood and community services director Allison Griffith to bring begin the presentation. Allison. Good afternoon, Deputy Mayor Hines and Council Allison Griffith, Director of Neighborhood and Community Services. Here with me today are Caleb Carbone and Javon Carlyle. They'll handle the majority of the update. But before they begin, I wanted to orient council to something we're doing slightly differently than our recent quarterly updates. We've moved some of the information that's more background to the items we're discussing today to a memo provided to you in your study session briefing materials. This includes things like the raw numbers for 311 requests as well as information on calls for service. We've made this change in an effort to streamline the information we present to you today. So we're definitely open to your feedback on whether this approach is helpful or not as we uh continue to provide these quarterly updates. Uh prior to handing the presentation to Caleb, I would also like to take a moment to pause and thank both our internal partners, uh, particularly public works and community economic development uh department who you'll hear have been critical in upcoming shelter transitions. And then I also really want to emphasize uh the work of our contracted partners who repeatedly and consistently step up and answer the call to assist. You'll hear about their work in shepherding a successful transition from one shelter location to another, as well as filling the gap to offer temporary space as we complete some needed renovations in another shelter location. None of the work that you will hear about today is accomplished in a silo, and our success depends on communication and collaboration as we work together to address this community-wide issue. With that, Deputy Mayor, I'll turn the presentation to Caleb, but I will remain available for questions that council may have. And D'Angelo, if you could move to the next slide. Thank you, Allison. Uh, good afternoon, uh, Deputy Mayor and Council. Um Caleb Carbone, Homeless Strategy Systems and Service Manager with Neighborhood and Community Services. Here is our outline for today's conversation. Uh, we'll begin this presentation with our regular update on the implementation of TMC 819. Uh, additionally, we'll be updating council on the shelter projects in the city of Tacoma, and that are coming up to a critical point. And then lastly, we'll finish the conversation with an update on the City of Tacoma's five-year homelessness strategy. As Allison discussed, you received a memo as accompany this presentation, and we'll be referencing figures and page numbers from that document during the presentation.
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