Pierce County has decided what it will do with $3.5 million in federal grant funding aimed at addressing homelessness among youth and young adults. Using input from young people who have been homeless, the county will allocate much of the funding towards transitional housing and rapid rehousing programs.
In October 2024, Pierce County was awarded $3.5 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for what is known as Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), which supports housing solutions such as rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing and host homes to mitigate youth homelessness.
At the beginning of 2025, Pierce County Human Services officials said the YHDP funding-award winners would be chosen with heavy input from the Youth Action Board (YAB), an advisory group composed of young people who have been homeless.
According to data from Pierce County’s annual one-night survey of those living unhoused in the region, 16% of those surveyed were under the age of 25.
According to a statement from Pierce County’s Human Services Department, homeless youth “are more likely to experience significant mental health issues, have an increased risk of substance abuse and be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.”
Tacoma Public Schools has been recognized to have one of the highest enrollments of housing unstable and homeless students in the state.
According to TPS spokesperson Kathryn McCarthy, the district recorded 2,389 students who were experiencing homelessness or considered “unaccompanied youth” during the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, she said there are 202 students in foster care.
Family Promise of Pierce County operates the county’s shelter hub program, which aims to connect anyone experiencing homelessness in Pierce County to shelter resources. According to data shared by Family Promise, as of Sept. 21 the shelter waiting list included 38 children under the age of 3, 158 children between the age of 3 and 5, and 158 children over the age of 5.
On Sept. 22, Pierce County Human Services spokesperson Kari Moore told The News Tribune the programs that would be funded through YHDP.
Shared housing model
Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County will be awarded $607,374 for a Youth Transitional to Rapid Rehousing Program for young people between the ages of 18 to 24 to move from transitional housing into safe, stable, long-term housing.
Michael Yoder is the executive director of Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County.
Yoder told The News Tribune the program will use a shared housing model while simultaneously preparing youth for independence with life-skills training, individualized case management and connections to education and employment opportunities. The shared housing model depends on “host homes” where home owners volunteer to host youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.
“All Host Home providers in the transitional program will complete specialized training to prepare them to live with and support youth who have experienced homelessness and trauma,” Yoder told The News Tribune in an email. “Because addressing youth homelessness requires community, [Associated Ministries] emphasizes shared responsibility by providing hosts with guidance, cultural humility, and conflict resolution tools to contribute to each youth’s stability.”
Transitional housing in Tacoma
Harbor Hope Center of Washington, a Gig Harbor-based organization which provides transitional housing and supportive services to young people experiencing homelessness, will receive $527,202 to help create additional transitional housing in Tacoma.
In an interview with The News Tribune, Daniel Johnson, executive director for Harbor Hope Center, said the funding would help with the acquisition of one house and a duplex in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood.
Johnson said the properties at 712 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 716 Martin Luther King Jr. Way will create 16 units of transitional housing for youth to stay for up to 24 months at a time.
Rapid rehousing
Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center will receive $657,426 for a transitional and rapid rehousing program. The organization did not respond to a request for details regarding the program.
Tacoma Community House will receive $837,703 for a transitional and rapid rehousing program. The organization did not respond to a request for details regarding the program.
Moore said the county is investing roughly $2.6 million of the YHDP funding for transitional and rapid-rehousing programs to serve about 174 youth at a time.
Coordinated Entry project
St. Vincent de Paul of Tacoma and Pierce County will receive $209,000 for a Coordinated Entry project aimed at youth serving youth and young adults. The Coordinated Entry system is the “front door” to homelessness services and housing in Pierce County.
Dionne Jacobson is the outreach director at St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Resource Center in Tacoma. Jacobson told The News Tribune about 15% of its clients are youth or young adults, and many of them have experienced multiple bouts of homelessness.
“This will be a great opportunity to find ways to engage [with] them more effectively, and quicker, using targeted outreach and youth-centered practices in our day center,” she told The News Tribune.
Outreach and case management
The Brotherhood RISE Center will receive $324,500 to help to expand its outreach and case-management services to youth experiencing homelessness across Pierce County.
“Through our Mobile Advocate program, we’ll connect youth with housing, healthcare, education, job training, and other vital resources, meeting them where they are and reducing barriers to stability,” Calvin Noel, outreach supervisor at the RISE Center told The News Tribune. “Our goal is to build trust, provide flexible support, and help young people move toward safe housing and long-term success.”