We encourage people to report encampment concerns through Tacoma FIRST 311 to ensure that we are aware and have record of activities. All requests are investigated by the City's Homeless Engagement Alternatives Liaison (HEAL) Team who determine the appropriate priority for removing active sites.

Report an Encampment in Tacoma

The City is operating under a 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals decision mandating we must provide shelter to individuals in encampments prior to performing a removal. While complying with court mandates and laws, we assign available staff and contracted resources to provide effective outreach to prioritize the removal of encampments throughout our community.  We prioritize based on:

• Public safety calls for service
• Requests through Tacoma FIRST 311 system
• Accumulation of litter and debris
• Size of the encampment
• Overall community impact
• Impact to any environmentally sensitive or critical areas
• Any public work need that may be impacted by the existence of the encampment 

Outreach Services We Provide

The HEAL Team responds to community needs including:

• Homelessness concerns
• Building and supporting solutions that achieve a reduction in homelessness 
• Increasing the sense of personal and neighborhood safety

This team is designed cross-functionally and engages staff from Neighborhood and Community Services, the Tacoma Police Department, Environmental Services and contracted mental health providers.

The team’s daily work consists of:

• Conducting outreach to unauthorized encampments in the City of Tacoma. Outreach includes referrals to supportive services and shelters in Tacoma.
•  Triaging homeless related service requests through 311; Tracking and recording all homeless related responses in 311 system.
•  Monitoring cleanups of homeless encampments in collaboration with other City departments and contracted vendors.
• Collecting and reporting data on cleanups and providing updated information on all personal belongings that have been collected and stored from encampment cleanups.
• Serving as liaison to homeless service providers in the City.
  
  

2023 City Authorized Encampment Cleanups – Posted and In-Progress 

The City is consistently evaluating encampment locations throughout our community for removal.  We will be or are performing encampment removals in the following locations:

Planned Schedule for Posting of Areas where Camping and Storage of Personal Property are Prohibited Under Chapter 8.19 of the Tacoma Municipal Code

This schedule reflects a plan to visit and post notice of Chapter 8.19 of the Tacoma Municipal Code where camping and storage of personal property is prohibited. Staff will post all encampments in a prohibited area and allow two weeks to elapse prior to commencing any enforcement. Encampments in prohibited waterways outside of otherwise prohibited zones will be addressed on a complaint basis.

This schedule will receive continued staff evaluation and may be updated and changed depending on factors including, but not limited to, resource allocation, changing environmental conditions, and emergent community needs.

Emergent Postings and Removals

If the City conducts an emergent removal in a camping ban area, it will be listed in the table below:

2023 City Authorized Encampment Cleanups – Completed