The Stability Site was launched in 2017 as an emergency response to the growing health and safety concerns created by homeless encampments in Tacoma for those living in and around them. The Stability Site accepts men, women and couples, and allows participants to keep their pets with them on site. Individuals are referred from encampments to the Stability Site by The Rescue Mission’s outreach team and the Tacoma Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team.

The Stability Site has proven to be a successful model with 39 percent of its
participants transitioning to housing. The City and its operator believe that success can be contributed to the 24-hours-7-day-a-week model and having partner organizations provide resources and service at the site.

The City of Tacoma is working with Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI) to relocate and expand the Tacoma Emergency Micro Shelter Site to a THA owned property located at 60th and McKinley through 2021.

The site will provide:

• Up to 50 Shelter Units, serving 65 individuals
• Basic human amenities including restrooms, garbage services, handwashing stations and drinking water. 
• The property will be fenced and have 24-hour security with on-site management provided by the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI)

TEMS T-Town Hall Meeting 

The City hosted a virtual town hall on June 4, 2020 to provide residents with more details about the project and hear questions and concerns. View the full town hall below in English or Spanish.

Due to the volume of questions, staff consolidated questions that were similar and provided answers.  To view questions and answers from the Town Hall, please click here.

To see the questions and comments as submitted by meeting attendees, please click here.

More information about LIHI micro-shelter operations can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions. 

TEMS Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

Community members are invited to join the Community Advisory Committee, which meets monthly to review operations and progress of the site, address questions, concerns and ideas from the public, and provide advisory input. All interested are welcome to apply.

Application review for the site CAC will begin on July 15, 2020. Monthly meetings are expected to begin in August 2020. 

Click here to view and complete an application. Completed applications or questions can be emailed to josh.castle@lihi.org. 

The City of Tacoma established an emergency micro-shelter (TEMS) site at 802 Martin Luther King Junior Way from December 2019 through July 2020 in response to the health and safety concerns caused by the growing encampment at People's Park.

The site provided:

• 22 Emergency Micro Shelters, serving up to 35 individuals
• Basic human amenities including portable toilets, garbage services, hand washing stations and drinking water
• Perimeter fencing and 24-hour security with on-site management provided by the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI)

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

The TEMS site established a CAC to support site operations and troubleshoot any issues in the surrounding neighborhood while the site operated. Committee members included neighbors, service providers, and other community stakeholders. Learn more about how the CAC supported the site in the meeting details below:

• February 18, 2020 Meeting Minutes 
• March 2020 Meeting Minutes
• April 2020 Meeting- Cancelled
• May 2020 Meeting- Cancelled
• June 2, 2020 Meeting Minutes

Community Meeting Information

Prior to launching, a public meeting on December 4, 2019 was hosted by the City and its partners. Below are materials and resources shared at the meeting:

• Presentation Slides
• Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI) Sample Code of Conduct
• LIHI Frequently Asked Questions
• City resources available to help mitigate the impacts of homelessness on the community
• Homeless Outreach Resources