Tacoma CARES

 NEW: Fight crime at home brochure (pdf)

The power of partnership. . .YOU and Tacoma CARES
A cleaner neighborhood is a safer neighborhood—that's the spirit behind Tacoma CARES (Cleanup And Revitalization EffortS.) Since 1995 Tacoma CARES has worked with people like you to strengthen and preserve the livability of the City of Tacoma. What does Tacoma CARES do for you?

Community Activities
Cleanup and beautification projects
Whether it's cleaning up litter from a gulch or helping to arrange a beautification project, Tacoma CARES can help you. Solid Waste Management's "Blight Mobile" can help you dispose of litter and debris on streets, alleys and other public right-of-ways.

Code enforcement
The Tacoma CARES program enforces the following:

• Nuisances (primarily litter and debris)
• Junk vehicles on private property
• Minimum Building and Structures Code (dealing with the condition or existing buildings)
• Graffiti
• Overgrown vegetation on private property
• Abandoned Autos

To report any violations please call Tacoma CARES at 591-5001. You can also review the Nuisance Code Fact Sheet.

Low-income assistance
Do you know someone who is low-income, elderly or living with a disability in your neighborhood that could use help with disposing of yard debris? If they qualify, Tacoma CARES can assist them with disposal of some types of yard debris. To request assistance please call Tacoma CARES at 591-5001.

Revitalization
Blighted Structures Program
This program assists low-income, elderly or those residents living with disabilities with the costs of repairing or replacing decayed fences and making minor repairs or demolition of garages and other outbuildings.

"Rebuilding Together"
Tacoma CARES partners with the national effort of "Rebuilding Together," joining businesses, community agencies, volunteers and local governments together to help revitalize and repair homes. The program makes repairs on more than forty homes per year. Applicants must be homeowners who are low-income and elderly, living with disabilities and/or families with children. For more information, call 253-722-5850 or visit www.rebuildingtogetherss.org.

Adopt-A-Spot Program
Be a partner in a greener and cleaner Tacoma. Adopt-A-Spot and put a shine on Tacoma. If you know of an area that needs a little elbow grease and you CARE enough to roll up your sleeves and get involved—we can help you!

Eligible Adopt-A-Spots include:

• Streets
• Gulches
• Traffic Circles
• Fields
• Parks & playgrounds (not maintained by Metro Parks)
• City entrances

Who can Adopt-A-Spot?

• Individuals
• Business groups
• Community/Civic groups
• Similar organizations
• Citizen/Neighborhood Groups
• Church groups
• Service clubs

Participants are asked to clean up and maintain selected areas for a minimum of 2 years.
Download Adopt-A-Spot brochure (PDF)

Planning your neighborhood's future
Join the process to redesign, build and/or preserve your neighborhood. A representative from CARES will help you or your group assess neighborhood needs and connect you with City resources.

Education
Code Enforcement Training
Get involved in the code enforcement process by educating yourself on the content and application of the enforcement codes. CARES will assist you in developing strategies for resolving local code issues. Training can also be provided to entire neighborhood groups upon request.

Crime Free Housing
Are you a landlord or property manager? This voluntary program teaches you how to deal with illegal activity on rental property. Learn how to develop a partnership for keeping your neighborhood safe against crime and violent criminals. There are three components to the Crime-Free Housing program: manager/landlord training, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design  and tenant education.

Special Projects
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
Proper design and the use of the environment can reduce crime. This program may be available to help you in neighborhood planning efforts and reviewing new and existing public and private properties (depending on your neighborhood). The concept of crime prevention through environmental design can range from security lighting and fence installation to landscape redesign, blight removal and street/alley improvements.

Tacoma CARES accomplishments
Each year in partnership with the community the following is accomplished:

• Removal of more than 500 tons of debris from over 50 area clean-ups
• Deal with more than 1200 nuisance cases
• Removal of more than 250 junk/abandoned vehicles
• More than 50 garage/debris clean-ups, 15 crime prevention improvements and fence repair projects
• Maintenance of more then 100 sites throughout Tacoma by Adopt A Spot volunteers
• Participation in home repair improvements to homes through volunteer effort
• Initiated the rehabilitation or removal of 300 buildings
• Removal of graffiti from over 50 sites

Contact us

Email TacomaCARES@cityoftacoma.org or call one of the program phone numbers below: