• About the Pierce County Food System
  If you are not familiar with the food system in Pierce County, see documents at the end of this report.
  
   
• Register For the Weekly Food Providers Call
  Food providers call: If you would like to participate in the weekly convening and sharing of information for food provision in the county, call happens on Mondays at 11 a.m. Email Shawn at shawnp@uwpc.org.
  
  
   

• Author Nikole Hannah-Jones hosts Conversation on
  “Racial Equity and Housing Justice During and After COVID-19”
  Join Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator and Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of the New York Times Magazine’s “The 1619 Project,” and Marla Newman, NLIHC board chair, for a conversation on “Racial Equity and Housing Justice During and After COVID-19” on July 7 at 11a.m. Register today for this live-stream event.
  
   
• This Week in Homelessness
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Child Care Vouchers Available for Parents Impacted by COVID-19
  Pierce County allocated $1.5 million in CARES money towards vouchers for Pierce County families to access any 0-12 years old licensed child care program, or any school aged only program. The funding will support 300 children attending child care for 3 months. Child Care Resources (CCR) will administer this program. To qualify for financial assistance to pay for child care, applicants must be an essential worker or have their income, work or access to child care negatively impacted by COVID-19.
  
  Apply by calling or texting the Child Care Aware of Washington Family Center at 1-800-446-1114 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. View the program flyer.
  
   
• Relief Grants for Child Care Providers
  Pierce County Government allocated $500,000 in CARES money towards provider relief grants, with an emphasis on child care deserts.
  
  The COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge financial impact on things such as ability to maintain payroll, rent, and utilities; increased costs related to personal protection equipment and cleaning supplies; and increased staffing costs in order to meet the safe physical distancing classroom sizes.
  
  Grants will allow closed providers to re-open, and ensure providers have resources necessary to offer safe care that meets the safety guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control. There will be an upfront provider and community input process, facilitated by First 5 FUNdamentals (F5F). Child care providers will participate in both the input, criteria determination, and the grant award process. F5F and CCR will co-administer the program.
  
   
• PARTICIPATE: Pierce County Child Care Reform Conversations
  In the coming months, Child Care Resource and First 5 FUNdamentals will engage community partners, to identify reforms that will ensure child care is available to families not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but well into the future. If you would like to be part of the conversations, please sign up by completing this form.

• Week of June 15, 2020 Behavioral Health Impact Situation Report
  This situation report presents the potential behavioral health impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic for Washington State to inform planning efforts. The intended audience for this report is response planners and behavioral health agencies and organizations.
  
  This weekly report summarizes data analyses conducted by the COVID‐19 Behavioral Health Group’s Impact & Capacity Assessment Task Force. These analyses assess the likely current and future impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health and potential for substance use issues among Washingtonians.
  
  Editor’s note: Even if you only have time to skim this report, it’s important for us to know where we are as a community. Bottom line? Be kind. Give grace. This is not business as usual.
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
• More than Acceptance & Affirmation: Clinical & Medical Interventions for Transgender Clients with Eating Disorders
  Please join the Southwest Washington iaedp (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals) Chapter on Friday, August 7, 2020 for a complimentary 1 credit continuing education event. RSVP online.
  
   
• COVID-19 Impacts of Sexual Assault Victimization
  The Harborview Abuse and Trauma Center education forum webinar “COVID-19 IMPACTS ON SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMIZATION,” presented by the Sexual Violence Law Center, is happening Monday, June 29, 10 a.m. If you have not registered already, you can still register online. Attached please find the flyer with all the details. Please e-mail Pascale at pkelle@uw.edu with any questions.

 

• PARTICIPATE: Facebook Live City of Tacoma Biennial Budget
  Hosted by: Tacoma Central Neighborhood Council, NE Tacoma Neighborhood Council, South End Neighborhood Council
  TODAY: Thursday, June 25, 6 to 7 p.m.
  Facebook Event Page
  
  The City of Tacoma Government's Office of Management & Budget will walk us through the 2021-2022 budget development process, expected economic impacts due to the COVID-19 response, and identify ways in which Tacoma residents can participate.
  
  Please join the Facebook Livestream. We will convey your comments and suggestions directly to the presenters!
  Kathryn Johnson Kathryn.Johnston@cityoftacoma.org 
  Reid Bennion rbennion@cityoftacoma.org
  
   
• PARTICIPATE: City of Tacoma Needs Your Input on Safety & Funding
  “SAFETY & FUNDING – One of our priorities is that Tacoma residents feel safe. What do you think the City should do with our budget to accomplish this?” Take the five-minute survey.
  
   
• PARTICIPATE: Give City of Tacoma Feedback on the 2021-22 Budget
  Take the City of Tacoma surveys and tell your local government what you think. The City wants to know what services you value within each City Council priority area. There are seven different surveys online in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Khmer. Surveys include;
   
  • Safety
  • Jobs
  • Housing
  • Racial Equity & Anti-Racism
  • Access
  • Engagement
  • Health
    
    
    Fill out the surveys to let City leadership know what you think. Surveys will available until early July 2020.
    
     
• State Distributing Millions Of Free Face Coverings
  State officials launched a launched a program earlier this month to ensure access to free, reusable cloth face coverings for all low-income Washingtonians.
  
  The state’s Emergency Management Division in partnership with the Department of Enterprise Services purchased 3.6 million cloth facemasks with the goal of distributing two to every Washingtonian below 200% of the federal poverty level.
  
  The state has distributed nearly 2.8 million masks and is working with local emergency management offices to distribute the rest. People who would like to pick up a mask should contact their county’s local emergency manager. – Tacoma News Tribune
  
   
• Free Face Masks For Key Peninsula Seniors & Caregivers
  The Mustard Seed Project is offering complimentary fabric masks (varying options) and disposable non-surgical masks to Key Peninsula seniors in need and their family caregivers. Please call 253-884-9814 or email programs@themustardseedproject.org to learn more. Limited supply available!
  
   
• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Dashboard
  COVID-19 In Pierce County. Data updated daily.

Pierce County Emergency Food System Overview
The emergency food network in Pierce County consists of 82 food pantries, meal sites, and shelters partnered with Emergency Food Network (EFN). EFN’s partners served 1.3 visits in 2019, and average of 114,000 visits per month. EFN distributed 14 million pounds of food in 2019, more than 50% of food in the system. Some of EFN’s Partner Programs procure their own food through purchase or donations while others rely on EFN for 100% of their food.

EFN’s Role

• Collects food in bulk for region’s food pantries, meal sites, and shelters. EFN distributed 14 million pounds of food in 2019, more than 50% of the food that went out to the network.
  • Donated food comes from grocery stores, farmers, and food drives and nonprofit partners like Northwest Harvest
  • Purchases food by the semi-truckload
  • Brings in government food as the county contractor for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
  • Grows fruits and vegetables at Mother Earth Farm
• EFN has a larger storage capacity for food than food pantries. Instead of one semi-truck going to one program and overwhelming that site, the load goes to EFN and is divided throughout the region.
• EFN also provides equity across the county, ensuring that smaller, remote communities with limited resources, like Eatonville, have access to resources that may otherwise stay in Tacoma or Lakewood.
• EFN also provides Partner Programs with pass-through funding, best-practice guidance, and assistance with equipment resourcing.

Role of Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline

• Larger, state-wide entities that have a limited scope in Pierce County.
• Agencies provide some food to Pierce County either directly to sites or distributed through EFN

Covid-19 Response

• Washington State divided into 3 regions focusing on Covid-19 response
• Pierce County will fall under Northwest Harvest jurisdiction for response, but EFN will serve as primary resource for the county and will work with Northwest Harvest on a united response to the crisis.

EFN is currently making additional food purchase to increase the amount of food available in Pierce County’s emergency food system as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED

The Pierce County Connected Community Response Committee supports an aligned philanthropic response to COVID-19 in Pierce County.

Through coordinated contacts with organizations in key service sectors, referred to as ‘pods’, real-time on-the-ground information will be compiled and shared through this Daily Report.

The goal of this Daily Report is to provide information that can reduce unnecessary duplication of efforts and surface emerging and urgent needs for rapid response

Daily Report information is intended to support streamlined communications:

OVERVIEW:
As the public health response to COVID-19 in Pierce County escalated Friday, March 13, 2020, United Way of Pierce County and Greater Tacoma Community Foundation partnered for an aligned philanthropic response to emerging community needs.

Together, they launched the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund, seeded with $1,750,000 from GTCF. More than 275 individual donors and 50 philanthropic funding partners have joined the effort.

To support shared learning and aligned response efforts across community sectors, including funding partners to the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund, nonprofits, municipal agencies, and community donors and volunteers, the Community Response Committee was established to provide real-time, on-the-ground information from providers about impacts and needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Community Response Committee is informed by the structure and protocols of an Incident Command Structure (ICS). ICS is used across the country by fire, FEMA, and other governmental organizations to streamline resources and communication during emergencies.

The Community Response Committee is organized by priority operational areas – called pods. Starting with Food, Housing, and Child Care for Essential Workers, the pods have expanded to include Behavioral Health and Thriving Communities. Further pods may be added as needed to support the community response to COVID-19.

The PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response Committee will:

 
The PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response will not: