Washingtoner - City of Tacoma Pilots Hygiene Station at South 8th and Yakima

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 5, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS
Tanisha Jumper, Media and Communications, tjumper@ci.tacoma.wa.us, (253) 591-5152
Megan Snow, Media and Communications, msnow@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5051

City of Tacoma Pilots Hygiene Station at South 8^th and Yakima

The City of Tacoma is partnering with a private property owner to establish a hygiene station at South 8th and Yakima Street as a 30 day pilot program from March 5 through April 7, 2021.

The pilot program services will include:

Portable toilet facilities
Handwashing stations
Dumpsters and supplies for collecting trash
On-site evening security from 6pm-6am daily
Routine day time monitoring

"The CDC recommendation to not disperse encampments means that the City must take measures to mitigate the health and safety concerns they create for people living in and around them," said Allyson Griffith, assistant director for Neighborhood and Community Services Department. "For this reason, the City is setting up a pilot program that will redirect funding from existing homeless services for a hygiene station pilot program. This step is needed as we are seeing the number of encampments increasing across Tacoma."

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This year, people experiencing homelessness have faced an additional barrier with the pandemic to accessing shelter, due to the capacity limitations created by physical distancing requirements, additional barriers to employment and changed the way the City responds to encampments, in accordance with COVID-19 recommendations by the CDC to not disperse existing encampments.

"The City continues to invest in creating additional sheltering capacity and working with community shelter providers to help them increase sheltering resources, yet we recognize that people are still living outside," Griffith said. "The Hygiene Station Pilot Program is intended to help address the health impacts of encampments to people living in and around them, while we pivot to address encampment during COVID-19 in a different way.

Concerns or misuse of the hygiene station can be reported to the contracted service provider, 1-800-Junk, at (253) 250-1766.

To get involved in supporting our unsheltered community members email shelters@cityoftacoma.org or call (253) 591-5000.

For more information about the City's Hygiene Station Pilot Program, visit cityoftacoma.org/hygienestations.

Filed Under: Government, City

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