KP Homeless Outreach Program Gets Second Year of Funding

The Key Peninsula Community Services homeless outreach program received a second year of funding in June with a grant from Pierce County. The program opened the doors to its new office in July, providing a secure and private space to meet with clients, located next door to the KPCS main office and food bank in Home.

“The initial grant allowed KPCS to hire a full-time program manager and two outreach specialists,” Program Manager Delci Whited told KP News. The team offered hygiene kits and other supplies along with connections to state benefits, health care, mental health services, substance use treatment, and harm reduction. “We also distributed essential items like tents, tarps, blankets, water, coats, gloves, hand warmers, sunscreen, and cooling towels.”

The goal of the grant, said former KPCS Executive Director Willow Eaton, was to identify people experiencing homelessness, meet them where they are, and figure out what they need to prosper. “Our job is not to talk them into living the kind of life we feel they should have,” she said. “Do they want a home? How can we help them find one? If they don’t, how can we make them more comfortable where they are?”

“Outreach staff emphasize that each client has their own skills and talents, even when systemic barriers prevent them from contributing in traditional ways,” Whited said. “We want to support people in finding solutions that work for them and their abilities, rather than asking them to conform to standards they may not be able to meet.”

The grant limits outreach to those who meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development's definition of homelessness, including those sleeping in vehicles, tents, abandoned buildings, or shelters, and people exiting institutions without a place to go.

The program tracks its success through measures including monthly client interactions, new enrollments in the state’s homeless services tracking system, and support such as transportation and laundry assistance.

“During the first year, two individuals were housed through Pierce County’s Coordinated Entry system, which prioritizes people for housing based on need and vulnerability,” Whited said. KPCS partnered with St. Vincent de Paul and Tacoma Rescue Mission to help make those placements possible. They recently averaged over 70 interactions with clients per month.

“Our program has also laid the groundwork for sustained community support,” she said. “More than 55 individuals have been enrolled in HMIS (Homeless Management Information System). The team has distributed hundreds of survival items, supported transportation and medical needs, and built long-term trust with people who often feel overlooked or dismissed.”

For many on the KP, homelessness is the result of a combination of rising living costs, physical and mental health challenges, substance abuse, or fixed incomes that don’t stretch far enough, Whited said. “In some cases, people have lived quietly for decades on someone else’s property, only to be displaced when the owner passes away and the land is sold.”

“Homelessness on the Key Peninsula doesn’t always look like it does in Tacoma or other urban areas,” she said. “It can be hidden — tucked away in cars, sheds, tents in wooded areas, campgrounds, or people staying temporarily with friends until the hospitality runs out.”

Most of those experiencing homelessness are not outsiders.

“National data from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness shows that over 70% of people experiencing homelessness remain in or near the same communities where they were last housed,” Whited said. “That’s certainly true here. Many of the individuals we work with have deep local roots — family ties, school history — or decades of connection to the area.”

Growing up, Whited spent weekends and summers on the Key Peninsula and said finding the job as program manager was serendipitous. While her formal training is not in social work, Whited’s previous work experience in scheduling and coordination provided her with the skills she needed. “I love the people at KPCS and each and every client,” she said. “To be paid to help people is a privilege.”