Gig Harbor moved closer to joining a county effort to tackle homelessness in the region after the city council approved a resolution of intent at its July 13 meeting.
If it joins the Pierce County-led Unified Regional Approach to Homelessness, Gig Harbor would commit to a coordinated homelessness response among different jurisdictions in Pierce County and to addressing homelessness and housing instability throughout the region. Mayor Mary Barber and Shealynn Smiley, the city’s housing, health and human services program manager, participated in the plan’s creation.
“We have spent about two years or more, depending on which group you’re talking about, working together with other jurisdictions to figure out a way to begin solving the homelessness crisis in our county,” Barber said at the July 13 meeting. “After learning and listening to each other, I believe we’ve created a program that will help move the needle and improve the work that all Pierce County cities are doing in this critical area. We are working together toward the same end goal, which is dignity and help for those who need it.”…