From: Duke Paulson <>
Sent: Wednesday, November 3, 2021 2:58 PM
To: Amelia Kaiser <>
Subject: Community Request for Signatures

Hello Community Friends,

I need your help. Please don’t print and sign this, but if you want to support it, read how to respond at the end of the email.

I am writing to ask permission to add your name as a signer on the attached letter, which will be sent to Pierce County Council Chair Derek Young at the end of this week. This letter is to express support for a Community First! Village in Pierce County.

I hope you have recently heard about the Community First! Village (CF!V) model in  Austin, Texas, that we are looking to as a long-term solution for our neighbors experiencing chronic homelessness (at CF!V in Austin, their average resident at time of entry is 58 years old and has been homeless for 8+ years). Allow me to offer a brief recap of this approach:

Community First! Village is a relationally-focused setting that provides low-barrier permanent housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness. In the current model they have a mix of formerly homeless (80%) as well as people who choose to live in the community that have not been homeless (20%), along with wrap-around supports including on-site employment opportunities, medical and mental health care, and social services, to create a village centered on healthy, inter-dependent relationships. Persons experiencing chronic homelessness are usually the hardest individuals to serve either on the streets or in our shelter system. This approach does not simply move our hardest people to serve into housing – it helps them to truly thrive and move closer to their full potential.

www.mlf.org will take you to the “Mobile Loaves and Fishes” website.  A video of their Community First Village concept, finished phase 1 and proposed phase 2 is highly informational and we recommend you take a few minutes to watch it.

Executive Dammeier has proposed $25 million toward land acquisition and development for this project in Pierce County’s upcoming budget. The County Council will vote on this budget in the coming weeks. By authorizing your signature to be added as a sign of support to the attached letter, you will encourage the county council to reserve $25 million for creating a Community First Village in the budget. Most importantly, you will be helping support the creation of a lasting solution for those experiencing chronic homelessness in Pierce County.

Sincerely,

Tacoma Rescue Mission
425 S Tacoma Way • Tacoma WA, 98402   
www.TRM.org

Click here to view the letter: