(The Center Square) – The Pierce County Council approved this year’s supplemental budget with changes to a proposed shift of $2.5 million in homeless funding that still needs the go-ahead from the county executive.
The Pierce County Council and Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier have disagreed over $2.5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars that would go toward a homeless stability site outside Tacoma.
A low-barrier homeless stability site is a shelter that provides basic amenities and services to help people experiencing homelessness get into permanent housing.
The Pierce County Human Services Department has struggled to find a low-barrier homeless stability site outside Tacoma despite the $2.5 million as part of the 2024-2025 biennial budget.
Dammeier’s office originally proposed shifting the allocated funding for the proposed site as part of its proposed supplemental budget changes. The shifted funds would have included $1.85 million to the Aviva Crossing Project, $635,000 to homeless and housing services, and $140,000 to youth diversion programs.
Instead, the county council approved the $2.5 million to be used for up to three temporary tiny home villages and homeless stability sites.
The Pierce County Facilities Management Department previously noted that purchasing property could easily eat up most or all the $2.5 million appropriation.
Revelations of contracting issues with Pierce County Human Services led to Pierce County Council Vice Chair Marty Campbell to motion a reconsideration of the supplemental budget.
The ongoing contracting mishaps in Human Services resulted in Dammeier declaring a state of emergency on Sept. 3 to prevent the collapse of the county’s coordinated entry system. A contract between the county and coordinated entry system partners was set to expire at the end of August with no planned renewal. This was blamed on the Pierce County Human Services Department.
The county will now dedicate $150,000 from the general fund to a performance audit on the efficiency and effectiveness of Pierce County’s procurement and contract approval process in the Human Services department in response to the contracting issues.
The council adopted amendments to the supplemental budget on Aug. 27 that prohibit the pulled funding from being used for individual tents for sleeping shelters, limit shelter occupancy to 60, limit the number of non-congregate shelters to be funded to no more than three, and require residents to adhere to a code of conduct that prohibits on-site use of drugs.
“We need temporary shelter, affordable housing, and permanent supportive housing,” Pierce County Councilmember Ryan Mello said in a news release. “It is not an either/or decision we can afford to make, because history shows that people will die if we wait two or more years for affordable and permanent supportive housing options to come online.”
This goes against Dammeier’s opinion. The Center Square previously reported on Dammeier saying that the $2.5 million would be better utilized in going to a higher priority: stable housing.
Pierce County Councilmembers Dave Morell, Paul Herrera and Amy Cruver voted in opposition of the budget, aligning with the county executive’s position that the temporary federal funding should go to affordable housing and permanent supportive housing rather than temporary shelter.
Dammeier can veto the council-approved supplemental budget, which would require five county councilmembers to overturn.
