Pierce County Human Services awarded $3.5M to end youth homelessness

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Pierce County Human Services was provided with a multi-million-dollar award that would help several young people who are experiencing homelessness.

According to a press release from the Pierce County Human Services (PCHS), the agency received a $3.5 million award to fund services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The agency partnered with the Pierce County Youth Action Board (YAB) to complete the application, “leaning on the young people’s lived experience and expertise to guide the work. The YAB is comprised of advocates and youth and young adults with lived experience of homelessness and provides oversight on community projects that impact youth and young adults in Pierce County,” according to the press release.

“Our partnership with the Youth Action Board brought lived experience and great creativity to our application,” Heather Moss, Pierce County Human Services director, said. “I’m grateful for their hard work and dedication in applying for these dollars. This funding will bring more services to more young people and allow us to address disparities among youth. We look forward to working with the CoC and other local partners to write the community plan, develop services and invest the grant into the county.”

Pierce County is 1 of 14 communities across the country to receive funding from HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), which supports housing solutions such as:

• rapid re-housing
• permanent supportive housing
• transitional housing
• host homes

Pierce County’s Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness identified youth and young adults as a targeted population with unique needs, who are shown locally or nationally to have poor outcomes in the homeless system. To learn more about homelessness in Pierce County, visit www.piercecountywa.gov/homelessplan.

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