Every year, volunteers and human-services teams in Pierce County step out into the cold, under bridges, along sidewalks, and into shelters to get a real look at homelessness in the area. This year, on Thursday and Friday morning, they took part in the national Point-in-Time Count, aiming to understand just how many people are living without a home.
Sharp Rise in Homelessness in 2025
In 2025, Pierce County recorded 2,955 people experiencing homelessness, an 11% jump from the previous year. Shockingly, nearly half of them had no shelter at all. Most were located in and around Tacoma, where rising rent and home prices are pushing more people onto the streets. Officials say more people are entering the homeless crisis-response system than there are homes available to place them in.
From Thursday morning to early Friday, teams moved across 12 key locations, handing out supply-filled backpacks and talking to people staying in tents, cars, and transitional shelters — even as rain poured down. At each spot, they asked individuals how long they’d been unhoused, where they had slept the night before, and whether they had children or had faced events like domestic violence or eviction.
Family Breakups, Evictions and Abuse Among Top Causes
Of the 1,777 people surveyed in 2025:
- 264 said a family breakup or crisis led to their homelessness
- 221 were evicted
- 209 reported domestic violence as the cause
While many spent the previous night in emergency shelters, others slept outside, in vehicles, or in temporary housing.
The full survey results will take time to release, likely by spring, as the data is reviewed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Veterans Hit Hard by the Housing Crisis
A special focus this year was on veterans, who are increasingly struggling to find stability after leaving military service. The nonprofit Nineline Veteran Services was at the Fife Community Center, offering sleeping bags, food, and care kits. Their teams were also out conducting surveys.
Nineline’s cofounder, Dave Konkler, highlighted what he calls “the deadly gap” — the tough period when service members leave the military and try to adjust to civilian life. Many experience mental health struggles, a loss of purpose, and a steep climb in living costs.
“We don’t have enough housing. We don’t have enough services,” Konkler said. “Unless we do more to support those in need, we’re not going to see the numbers go down.”
Families and Children Still Without Homes
Steve Decker, CEO of Family Promise of Pierce County, was on-site at the Parkland Community Center, working to connect families to support services. Although fewer families showed up than expected, the need remains huge.
As of Friday:
- 60 families and 125 children were on the emergency shelter waitlist
- Most of them are sleeping in vehicles
- About 85% of those families are in Tacoma
- 25 children are under 3 years old
- 16 are aged 3 to 5
- 73 are over 5
- One is an unaccompanied minor
Decker shared that landlords have become stricter, especially since the Tenant Bill of Rights was passed. Now, tenants often need to earn three times the rent, pass clean background checks, and have good credit — all difficult for struggling families.
“There are lots of empty units,” Decker said, “but no one qualifies to rent them. We need policies that allow landlords to take more chances on people rebuilding their lives.”
The Need for Empathy and Action
What stands out in this year’s count isn’t just the rising numbers, but the human stories behind them. Volunteers met parents with children, veterans without support, and people simply trying to survive in a system that’s left them behind.
As Konkler put it, “These people aren’t looking for pity. They just need help — and it could be any of us tomorrow.”
