Pierce County Continuum of Care seeks broader participation after charter revamp, eyes $3.5 million youth homelessness award

Cynthia Stewart, co-chair of the Greater Pierce County Continuum of Care, told the Lakewood City Council on March 10 that homelessness in Pierce County is not diminishing and the CoC has reorganized to broaden jurisdictional and community participation.

The CoC has “officially renamed our continuum of care to the greater Pierce County continuum,” co-chair Michael Yoder said, and leaders have adopted a new charter, a smaller governing board and a larger general membership model intended to drive communitywide solutions and strengthen HUD funding applications.

The change matters because the CoC is the local entity HUD expects to set homeless response policies, manage the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and coordinate federal CoC program funds. Stewart said HUD’s technical assistance informed the charter changes and that one goal is to be more competitive for federal awards.

County staff member Devon Isaacson, serving as the CoC collaborative applicant, explained the CoC will work with the county on grant applications and HMIS operations. She and presenters emphasized a two-track planning process: the county’s comprehensive plan update for homelessness and the CoC’s strategic plan (now overdue for a 2024–29 update) that the group intends to align for consistent countywide policy and performance metrics.

A cent…