Pierce County presents regional homelessness plan to Fife; county staff seek local resolution of intent

Pierce County staff on Monday briefed the Fife City Council on the Unified Regional Approach (URA), a voluntary interlocal partnership intended to improve coordination of homelessness response and prevention across Pierce County.

Mary Connolly, a policy analyst with the Pierce County Council, told council members that Pierce County's homeless crisis response system served more than 8,700 individuals in 2025 and that 175 people reported they last slept in Fife. "In 2025, Pierce County's homeless crisis response system served over 8,700 homeless individuals," Connolly said, and she pointed to McKinney-Vento school program counts (153 Fife students; 665 in Puyallup) as an additional measure of housing instability.

The URA design presented would be established through an interlocal agreement (ILA) without creating a separate legal entity, with Pierce County serving as the administering organization and employing the URA's small staff. Connolly said the URA would focus on three near-term collaborative activities: common data-collection expectations for providers, a procedure to connect residents to resources, and an aligned inclement-weather policy and list of shelter locations. "The vision of the URA is to substantially reduce homelessness so that it is rare, brief, and nonrecurring," Connolly said.

Estimated first-year costs range from roughly $400,000 to $600,000 to fund two to three full-time staff; Connolly provided a preliminary estimate that Fife's share in the first few years could be about $5,000 to $8,000 annually, depending on which jurisdictions join. When asked whether that figure was annual, Connolly said, "That was per year," and emphasized the estimate is subject to change.

Council members pressed presenters on data sharing and intake duplication. Councilmember Dominique asked whether the URA would reduce repeated intakes for people seeking help. Connolly said that a primary goal is to reduce retraumatizing repetitions and explained that the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is the data platform most commonly discussed, while noting privacy and data-protection rules would govern access: "We are required depending on the funding source to collect specific data," she said, adding that shared training and consistent use would reduce burdens on both clients and providers.

Councilmember Gathers and others asked how the URA differs from SHAPE (South Sound Housing Affordability Partners). Presenters said SHAPE focuses on housing production and preservation while URA centers on coordinating services and operations, training, and shared data to better connect people to supports. Brian Yambay, Pierce County councilmember for District 5, described Fife's programs as a model and urged participation: "Fife is a leader... this is a great opportunity for a relatively small investment," he said.

Staff recommended that interested governments adopt a resolution of intent to (1) express commitment to launch the URA, (2) direct staff to negotiate an ILA, and (3) begin selected coordinated activities while the ILA is drafted. Connolly said Pierce County is the first jurisdiction to consider adopting its version of such a resolution and that county action was scheduled to continue through the county's committee process.

The presentation concluded with staff offering follow-up support and materials, including a two-page packet and a website at unifiedregionalapproach.com where meeting materials are posted. Council members did not vote on a resolution at the meeting; presenters encouraged councils to direct staff to draft the resolution language and return with a formal proposal.