Last spring, as the homeless population swelled in the port city of Tacoma, Washington, it faced a problem: water everywhere, but almost none to drink.
Of the city’s more than 210,000 people, 1,231 were living unsheltered in January 2017, up from fewer than 500 in 2015. By this spring, many residents—both housed and unhoused—were voicing concerns about living conditions and safety in the city’s encampments.
In May, Marilyn Strickland, the city’s mayor, declared homelessness a public health emergency. She set out a three-phase plan, which began with sending social workers and public works employees to meet people in the encampments. The goal was to provide health services and work toward expanding residents’ housing options, whether through emergency pop-ups or transitional housing. (In a tougher vein, the city also banned public camping except in approved sites, a move that critics said may be unconstitutional.)
[For more on this story by HEATHER HANSMAN, go to https://www.citylab.com/life/2...homelessness/547505/]
Photo: A row of sinks at Tacoma's Stability Site City of Tacoma
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