The Key Peninsula Community Services homeless outreach program received a second year of funding in June with a grant from Pierce County. The program opened the doors to its new office in July, providing a secure and private space to meet with clients, located next door to the KPCS main office and food bank in Home.
“The initial grant allowed KPCS to hire a full-time program manager and two outreach specialists,” Program Manager Delci Whited told KP News. The team offered hygiene kits and other supplies along with connections to state benefits, health care, mental health services, substance use treatment, and harm reduction. “We also distributed essential items like tents, tarps, blankets, water, coats, gloves, hand warmers, sunscreen, and cooling towels.”
The goal of the grant, said former KPCS Executive Director Willow Eaton, was to identify people experiencing homelessness, meet them where they are, and figure out what they need to prosper. “Our job is not to talk them into living the kind of life we feel they should have,” she said. “Do they want a home? How can we help them find one? If they don’t, how can we make them more comfortable where they are?”…