Pierce County Leads Nation in Youth Homelessness Prevention Challenge, Surpassing Goal by 51 Percent

TACOMA, Wash. — May 19, 2026

Pierce County Human Services has emerged as the top-performing community in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 100-Day Challenge, preventing 171 young people from experiencing homelessness, a result that exceeded the county’s own goal of 113 and surpassed the combined totals of the other two participating communities: New York City and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Together, the three programs prevented 225 youth and young adults from becoming homeless, with Pierce County accounting for more than three-quarters of that total.

The 100-Day Challenge is a federally backed initiative designed to catalyze bold, creative, and innovative community action on youth homelessness. HUD selects a small number of communities nationwide and provides direct technical assistance through third-party consultants. The challenge places a deliberate 100-day timeline on the planning and implementation process, an intentional design choice meant to create urgency, accelerate decision-making, and drive measurable results before momentum can stall. Pierce County was one of only three communities selected for this cohort of the challenge.

The 171 young people served in Pierce County accessed a range of prevention services during the challenge period. The Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund served 67 individuals, while Coordinated Entry Prevention supported 32. The Homeless Student Stability Program helped stabilize 23 youth, and both the Family Unification Program with Foster Youth to Independence Vouchers and Eviction Prevention each served 21 individuals. An additional 7 young people received assistance through Flood Response services.

“This plan is a roadmap for our community’s response to homelessness, and public feedback is the most critical tool we have to ensure it is effective, equitable, and community driven.”

— Devon Isakson, Social Services Supervisor for Homeless Programs, Pierce County Human Services

Emil Floresca, a social services program specialist with Pierce County Human Services, credited the outcome to deep, sustained collaboration among service providers, system partners, and community stakeholders. “The biggest factor in us exceeding our goal during the 100 Day Challenge was strong collaboration across partners,” Floresca said. “We brought together providers, system partners, and community stakeholders around one shared goal. Everyone was fully bought in.”

Floresca noted that alignment among partners enabled faster response times, more open information sharing, and real-time problem solving, conditions that allowed the team to try new ideas and adapt quickly. Critically, the impact has outlasted the challenge itself. The partnerships built during the challenge period have continued, with partners still collaborating on youth and young adult efforts as Pierce County moves closer to functional zero youth homelessness.

The result positions Pierce County as a national model for what coordinated, community-driven prevention can achieve when partners rally around a shared goal with accountability and urgency. For the region’s youth service providers, advocates, and donors, the outcome reflects not only a strong showing in a federal competition, it signals that the infrastructure, relationships, and will to end youth homelessness in Pierce County are already in place.