2021 Community Needs Assessment Executive Summary

2021

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2021 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Community Needs Assessment (CNA) helps us better understand the needs of our communities and gaps in services.

The CNA gathers information from Pierce County residents and social service providers on topics ranging from social and economic issues, to health and transportation, and everything in between. The information gathered and analyzed will assist PCHS in making programmatic changes and improvements.

Our Community Action Programs division began in 1970 through the Community Services Block Grant, a national program fighting poverty by providing services and supports that address the root causes of poverty. PCHS CAP is one of 30 CSBG programs in the State of Washington and over 1,000 nationwide.

We provide the following services to support economic self-sufficiency: Energy Assistance Program (EAP) Assists low-income households by paying a portion of their energy bills and providing conservation education.

Low Income Households Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) Assists low-income households by paying a portion of their drinking and wastewater bills. This new program started serving clients in October 2021.

Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Assists low-income families in making their homes healthier, reducing their carbon footprint, reducing heat loss, and saving money on heating bills, through adding insulation, sealing cracks, and making other changes.

Minor Home Repair (MHR) Provides health and safety repairs (furnace, roof, plumbing, etc.) for income-eligible households that allow residences to stay in their homes.

Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) State-funded preschool that provides free comprehensive early learning programming to incomeeligible children three and four years of age.

Tribal ChildReach Partnership with the Puyallup Tribe to provide early childhood developmental screenings, referrals, and consultation for children age birth to six.

2021 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Key Findings

The PCHS Community Action Program

Residents identified needing help with transportation, housing and closing the information gap.

serves 300 children and their families

service area consists of all the areas outside of Tacoma City limits including unincorporated Pierce County. ECEAP through 9 classrooms at 7 schools. The sites are in Sumner, Bonney Lake, Buckley, Orting, Eatonville, South Hill, and University Place along with two dual language classes English/Spanish in South Hill and Sumner.

HOUSING With the high need of affordable housing options in our community, it was no surprise that housing ranked #1 on our surveys. Many residents and providers expressed confusion and frustration with eligibility requirements and service access. We have shared this information with our partners in Community Development and Homeless Programs, to aid in their affordable housing and ending street homelessness efforts.

TRANSPORTATION As more people move to Pierce County, vital resources like transportation will continue to be impacted. Residents in rural areas lack public transportation that supports activities like employment. Other needs identified include increasing bus service area, assistance with purchasing gasoline and making repairs on vehicles. The Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Coalition, which is supported by the Community Development Division of PCHS and Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), will use this data to inform their next 5-year strategic plan.

INFORMATION GAP A clear lack of awareness of available services was found across both surveys. For example, several people listed utility assistance as a top need, but we offer that in a number of our programs, as well as another service provider in Tacoma. We will be holding community focus groups this summer to better understand the lack of awareness of resources.

2021 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY