Two years ago, Tacoma, Washington, declared a state of emergency over homelessness. With 1,300 people experiencing homelessness in the surrounding Pierce County, and hundreds of them living on Tacoma’s streets, officials kicked off a three-phase plan to address the issue. They deployed rapid resource pop-ups, such as hand-washing stations and portables, and worked to expand overall homelessness services throughout the county. They also set up temporary shelters, including a large tent over dozens of individual tents to help protect the tent dwellers from inclement weather.