KP Community Services Receives Grant for Homeless Support

Key Peninsula Community Services, in Lakebay south of the Home bridge, received first-level approval for a $175,000 grant from Pierce County Human Services to develop a new and innovative approach to addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness on Key Peninsula.

The grant will allow KPCS to become the primary clearing house for the ever-growing number of people in the community who are either currently experiencing homelessness or at extreme risk of becoming homeless.

“The rates are escalating in a way the Key Peninsula has never seen before, with demographics changing to include more in the 19-54-year-old year range, when people are expected to be in their years of peak earning,” said Executive Director Willow Eaton.

“Last month KPCS provided nearly 40,000 pounds of food, helping 2,771 families with food insecurity,” Eaton said. “Of those, 17%, 471 individuals, self-report being homeless. Those numbers don’t include what is universally believed to be another 25-30% at extreme risk.”

USA Facts, a nonpartisan civic initiative that tracks and makes government data easily accessible, reported that “Washington is number four out of all 50 states, with 28,036 individuals experiencing homelessness in 2023.” Pierce County’s Point in Time homeless count from Jan. 26, 2024, showed a 23% increase over 2023, when 13% of the students attending Peninsula High School were homeless.

The Gig Harbor-Key Peninsula Homeless Coalition, a network of individuals, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, communities of faith and businesses is working toward a common goal of ending homelessness. At a recent meeting, conversations centered around changing public perception about the unhoused. Paramount to their concern was communicating that, “Not all homeless people are addicted to drugs. Not all homeless people are criminals. Not all homeless people have mental illness. And not all homeless people break into homes and cars.”

“A small number may be nomadic by choice but not the majority, and it could easily be any of us; most Americans are just one catastrophe away,” Eaton said. The homeless in the community can be neighbors, workmates, or a child sitting in a classroom.

The commonality among the homeless population is the need for all the things lost along with the roof over their heads. On the KP, finding local resources because of the lack of public transportation is hugely challenging.

Local efforts to create childcare options are one example. Susan Paganelli, co-executive director of the Key Peninsula Partnership for a Healthy Community, described her experience with getting county approval as “Run, run, run. Wait, wait, wait,” navigating a system where eight individuals at the county level can stop a request without a single entity available to guide vetted agencies (or individuals in need) through one of the homeless community’s most pressing needs. Without a safe place for their children, how can an unhoused person look for a job, go for an interview, and then show up to work on time?

The grant Eaton and KPCS continue working to secure represents the first time Pierce County is funding a homelessness mitigation program on the Key Peninsula. “If successful, it could affect the lives of almost everyone experiencing homelessness,” Eaton said, “along with anyone trying to navigate avenues for help before they also become a number to be tracked.”

The next step for Eaton is completing an intensive financial risk assessment before funds from Pierce County can be released to expand services for homelessness prevention. “This funding will enable us to create targeted solutions, working hand-in-hand with the community to ensure that those in need have access to safe and necessary support services.”

KPCS has recently partnered with Associated Ministries on the effort. This collaboration is designed to support those in the KP community who are at risk due to an inability to cover neces- sities. By joining forces with Associated Ministries, KPCS aims to provide financial assistance that will help individuals and families maintain stable housing and prevent homelessness before it occurs.

Eaton said one of the biggest challenges is finding space for the new team. The funding won’t cover the cost of a separate facility, so both personnel and walls are being moved within the KPCS facility to accommodate.

Judy Carter will transition from her role as food pantry assistant to coordinator for the homeless housing program. In her new shared office space, Carter will work with KPCS staff and community partners such as the Gig Harbor-Key Peninsula Housing and Homeless Coalition. Their goal is to create options for those experiencing homelessness to access resources, address barriers to housing, and find solutions for those in need.

For more information, go to yourkpcs.org, email at info@yourkpcs.org, or call 253-884-4440.