Helping Hand House is the primary provider of emergency housing for homeless families in East Pierce County. Without our program, families would have no choice but to seek shelter in Tacoma or Lakewood, places already unable to meet the demand. We know that families recover faster when they are able to remain in their home community.

We currently offer twelve emergency residences in Puyallup and Sumner. They are not the typical dormitory-style shelters. These two or three-bedroom apartments and single-family homes are located in residential neighborhoods. The residences are fully furnished and every bed has a homemade quilt donated by volunteer quilters. The shame of being homeless quickly lifts. Children can bring friends over to play. Adults can have privacy. The family can begin to heal.

Families begin working with their case manager the day they enter the housing program and meet for a minimum of two hours each week. At first meeting, they talk about the causes of their homelessness, look at their strengths as a family, and go over the requirements of the program. After they move in, the case manager works with them to develop a family stability plan that outlines the specific goals and steps the family will take to become independent. The children's needs are discussed and they create their own goals. As the children see their parents succeed, they learn that overwhelming obstacles can be overcome.

Families stay in the program for up to 90 days and are not charged any fees for our services during their stay. As families near the end of their stay with us, their case manager works with them to locate housing and works with landlords to place families who might otherwise be rejected because of poor credit or prior evictions. When a family requires more than 90 days to stabilize and improve their economic situation, we refer them to transitional housing programs in the area.

Our program design focuses on economic stability and family health. We provide for all the family's basic needs so they can focus all their attention on stable employment, meeting a budget, saving money, and learning new skills and habits.