Pierce County awarded $4M in homeless funding through HUD. Others got more, but why?

Nearly $4.3 million in federal funding is expected to come into Pierce County for service and housing programs intended to help people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced this week.

The funding is part of a $2.8 billion package of grants awarded nationwide through the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. As the largest source of federal dollars for homeless aid, according to HUD, it is a critical revenue stream.

“Today’s award funding will help communities across the Northwest get people indoors and into homes,” HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Margaret Salazar said in a statement Wednesday as part of HUD’s announcement.

Overall, Washington received close to $97 million, which was ninth among all states and 8.6% more than it got in fiscal year 2021. The vast majority went to Seattle/King County, Everett/Snohomish County and 34 small- and medium-sized counties (known as the Washington Balance of State CoC).

The Pierce County CoC’s award represented 4.4% of funding to the state, according to a News Tribune analysis of HUD data.

It’s the second-smallest share among the six CoCs in Washington, even tinier than others who last year reported fewer people experiencing homelessness than Pierce County did during the annual Point-In-Time Count, a one-day inexact measurement that relies on volunteers to tally individuals. Preliminary data for this year’s count in Pierce County is expected to be released in April.

In an email, HUD spokeswoman Vanessa Krueger said the primary reason why Pierce County receives less funds than other CoCs hinges on how the allocation is formulated, including elements such as population and people in poverty.

The Pierce County COC’s total award is roughly on par, however, with what it received last fiscal year, according to John Barbee, a CoC member who is the community services division manager for the county, which administers the funds.

“Obviously, we’re always going to try to leverage more money and, you know, use those resources. But I’m really, really happy with the amount we got,” Barbee said in an interview. “The great thing about it is a lot of our projects that were renewed — there’s no lapse in services. We can continue to do the great work that our agencies our doing.”

All CoCs were awarded more funding this year. The Pierce County CoC’s growth (2.9%) was among the smallest, only larger than Spokane (0.59%). Seattle/King County (9.6%), Washington Balance of State (9.2%) and Everett/Snohomish County (8.9%) CoCs saw the largest year-over-year changes.

Fourteen of the 201 federally awarded projects in Washington were from the Pierce County CoC, tied for lowest among CoCs in the state. Barbee said that all but one of the projects that had been requested on behalf of the CoC were funded.

“I don’t know that fewer is better or more is better, either way you want to look at it,” he said. “I think it’s about what aligns with what the CoC and our county goals are around prioritizing needs of the community.”

The local projects — with a median award amount of $221,000 — will benefit housing expansion, rental assistance and homeless services, according to HUD data.

The CoC in Pierce County holds seats for representatives from Pierce County, the cities of Tacoma and Lakewood, and individuals from public housing, schools, health care and other sectors. It makes policy and funding recommendations for the federal dollars provided by HUD.

The CoC, which is currently looking for members, refers projects to Pierce County — the collaborative applicant — which then turns those over to HUD. The federal agency determines which projects to award and how much of the funding request to fulfill.

Barbee said Wednesday that HUD weighs performance and spending in making its decisions and acknowledged that the CoC in the past has not spent all the dollars it has been allocated, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as a particularly challenging time.

“I think what we will continue to do is, figure out ways in which we can get larger amounts. And we’re going to continue to do that with all of our funding streams, just want to maximize that,” Barbee said. “That’ll be something that we’ll work with the CoC very closely (on) to figure out ways we can improve. Whether it’s improving our scores, ratings, (whatever) we need to do to leverage more dollars in the future.”

Krueger, the HUD spokeswoman, did not address questions about performance in her emailed response.

Gerald Daniels, executive director of the R.I.S.E. Center nonprofit in Tacoma, told The News Tribune on Thursday that he was preparing to leave the CoC, in part due to frustrations over the county’s policy and procedures in administering funds. He said that too often, money has been held up, leaving nonprofits with a shortened timeline to try to use those dollars.

Daniels, who joined the CoC post-pandemic as a representative of the Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness, said he felt the recent award amount was proper.

“In my opinion, I think it’s appropriate until Pierce County can prove it can change its underlying policies that are affecting the ability of organizations to spend,” he said.

The goal of the CoC program is to end homelessness, aligning with the ultimate aim of the Biden Administration, which first hopes to reduce it by 25% by 2025, according to HUD.

“Working with our local partners, these Continuum of Care program grants deliver communities the resources they need,” HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said in the statement announcing HUD’s awards.

In January, HUD gave $315 million to states for housing and support for people who weren’t sheltered and those experiencing homelessness in rural areas. Washington received nearly $9.2 million.