Our Street Outreach connects people experiencing homelessness with the resources and support they identify as most helpful, working to build stability and improve overall well-being.
Our team meets people where they are—whether in the woods, in vehicles, on the street, or at KPCS—to offer practical assistance and meaningful connections to services. We focus on trust, dignity, and meeting immediate needs while supporting long-term goals.
Key Peninsula Community Services (KPCS) Homeless Outreach Program
The Homeless Outreach Program at Key Peninsula Community Services provides direct, compassionate support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness throughout the Key Peninsula and surrounding Gig Harbor area. The program focuses on meeting people where they are—both geographically and personally—by building trust, offering immediate assistance, and connecting individuals to long-term resources that can help them move toward stability and housing.
Outreach staff regularly travel throughout the peninsula to connect with people living in vehicles, tents, wooded areas, or other unstable situations. During these visits, the team distributes essential supplies such as food, water, clothing, hygiene kits, tents, sleeping bags, and harm-reduction resources like Narcan. These efforts help ensure that individuals living outside have access to basic necessities while longer-term solutions are pursued.
Beyond immediate aid, the outreach team works to build relationships with people who may feel disconnected from traditional services. By developing trust over time, staff can help individuals access housing resources, medical and mental health care, substance-use treatment, transportation, and other supportive services. This relationship-centered approach recognizes that many people facing homelessness may not be ready to accept formal assistance immediately, but consistent outreach can open the door to future support and opportunities for stability.
The program was launched with funding from Pierce County to address the growing need for homelessness services on the rural Key Peninsula, where resources and transportation options are limited. Outreach staff also serve as a bridge between local residents, community organizations, and service providers in Tacoma and across Pierce County, helping ensure that people living on the peninsula can access the broader network of housing and social services.
Through outreach, advocacy, and partnership with other community organizations, the program helps ensure that people experiencing homelessness are not invisible or isolated. Instead, they are met with dignity, compassion, and practical support as they work toward safer living conditions and long-term stability.
Support may include:
- Basic Needs Assistance: Food, water, hygiene supplies, clothing, tents, and propane
- Laundry Services: Helping individuals maintain dignity, health, and well-being
- Housing & Case Management: Assistance with Coordinated Entry, locating shelter, and working toward stable housing
- Resource Connections: Support obtaining IDs, accessing healthcare, securing employment, applying for benefits, and connecting to other community resources