Orting nonprofit presents data showing high housing stability at veterans village amid county homelessness rise

At the July 9 Orting City Council meeting, Hailey Saxton, finance and data specialist for New Horizon Communities, told the council that Orting Veterans Village reported high housing-stability outcomes for program participants while Pierce County's overall homelessness figures rose in 2024.

Saxton said 2024 county data showed homelessness increased 18 percent statewide (noted as HUD-collected data) and Pierce County saw a 23 percent increase in its point-in-time count. She said Orting Veterans Village outcomes included 98 percent of residents achieving or maintaining sobriety and 84 percent program satisfaction as of December 2024; the survey response rate for those figures was 81 percent. A project scorecard reported to the agency by Pierce County showed 97 percent data quality, 100 percent exits to permanent housing and 0 percent returns to homelessness among residents who left the program, Saxton said.

Saxton urged continued council support for addressing homelessness needs and shared a work phone number for follow-up contact. The council had received one written public comment about fireworks and did not read it aloud because it exceeded the council's time limits for public-comment reading, the clerk said.

No council action followed these public comments; the remarks were recorded as part of the public-comment period and staff did not announce any immediate policy response.