A longer version of this article appeared in The News Tribune.
After several months of delay, Pierce County’s annual survey of those experiencing homelessness counted an 11% increase over the previous year.
While the annual Point-In-Time count is nationally recognized as one of the best ways to quantify the extent of homelessness, outreach workers and other metrics suggest the survey severely undercounts the true scale of the crisis.
The PIT count is a one-night survey of everyone in Pierce County living either in shelters or outdoors. It occurs every January and relies on the efforts of volunteers.
According to the county’s 2025 PIT Count report, 2,955 were counted on Jan. 30, up from 2,661 the previous year. The survey counted 1,522 people in shelters and 1,422 people who were unsheltered at the time of the count.
The report was published Aug. 18. According to the county, the number of people counted in the PIT count has more than doubled since 2015, showing a 130% increase. The county, which maintains the homelessness crisis is directly related to the cost and availability of housing, pointed out that median home prices have seen a 125% increase during the same period.
“This crisis didn’t happen overnight — it’s the direct result of a housing market that has simply become unaffordable for too many of our neighbors,” Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello wrote in a statement regarding the PIT count data.
The most commonly reported reason for being homeless was “family crisis or breakup” at 9%, followed by “eviction,” “no affordable housing,” “loss of job” and “fleeing domestic violence,” cited by 7% of respondents each. Nearly 40% of survey respondents did not answer the question of how they became homeless.
The county’s report noted that count results are influenced by the weather, local encampment removal and relocation, availability of overflow shelter beds, the number of volunteers and the level of engagement of the people whom volunteers interview.
However, other numbers indicate the homelessness crisis is much larger than the PIT count would suggest.
According to the county, more than 17,500 people have entered the county’s homeless crisis response system in 2025 so far, with only 1,375 exiting into permanent housing. The Washington State Department of Commerce issued a report estimating that more than 39,000 people experienced homelessness in Pierce County during fiscal year 2024. To draw the estimates, the study used data from Medicaid, economic programs and the Homelessness Management Information System.
Cameron Sheppard is a WSU News Fellow based at The News Tribune, which published a longer version of this story on Aug. 19, 2025.
