Ninety-two workers at Tacoma's Pearl Youth Residence will lose their jobs by Nov. 21 when the children's psychiatric facility shuts down for good.

Comprehensive Life Resources, the Tacoma nonprofit that operates the facility at 1201 S. Proctor St., filed a layoff notice with the state on Sept. 18. The closure eliminates 27 inpatient beds for youth ages 12 to 17 in Washington's Children's Long-term Inpatient Program (CLIP), as the Tacoma News Tribune first reported on Sept. 21.

Pearl Youth is one of four CLIP sites statewide. After it closes, three will remain: the Child Study and Treatment Center at Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Two Rivers Landing in Yakima and Tamarack Center in Spokane.

The facility has 16 patients as of Oct. 3. Staff are working on transition plans but do not yet know whether enough beds exist at the remaining sites, KNKX Public Radio reported.

$3 million in losses, 114% turnover

The nonprofit has lost $3 million operating Pearl Youth since 2020, when it expanded the program from 13 beds to 27 and moved from a Pearl Street location to the Proctor Street building. That 23,000-square-foot facility cost nearly $10 million in agency funds plus a $1.95 million state Department of Commerce grant, the Seattle Times reported on Sept. 24.

Staffing has been a persistent crisis. Turnover hit 114% in 2024 and still sits at 70%, CEO Kim Zacher told the Seattle Times in that Sept. 24 report. The facility has had to pause admissions during periods of low staffing, particularly among behavioral health technicians who work directly with residents around the clock.

"It really just got to the point where we just realized operationally it wasn't feasible to run it anymore," Chris Gleason, chief communications and community affairs officer for Comprehensive Life Resources, told KNKX.

Few Pierce County patients

Geography also drove the decision. Only about 5% of Pearl Youth patients since 2024 came from Pierce County, according to KNKX. Slightly more than a third came from Pierce, King and Kitsap counties combined.

In a Sept. 21 email to the News Tribune, Gleason put the local share even lower, at 2% over two years. Gleason said the two largest CLIP facilities sit just 11 miles apart, calling that arrangement "a disservice to kids from other parts of the state."

Comprehensive Life Resources said it wants to shift resources toward community-based care in Pierce County, including rural parts of the county.

Layoff details

The WARN filing, signed by Zacher, lists 52 behavioral health technicians, 10 registered nurses, six unit supervisors, four therapists, four cooks, three case managers, three licensed practical nurses, a psychiatrist, a recreational therapist and other clinical and support staff among the 92 positions. SEIU 1199NW represents the majority of affected employees. The layoffs are permanent, and bumping rights do not apply.

Comprehensive Life Resources employs 311 workers total. The organization encouraged laid-off staff to pursue other positions within the agency, according to the filing.

Statewide wait grows

Thirty-six children were awaiting a CLIP bed statewide as of Sept. 24, the Seattle Times reported. The state Health Care Authority said it was seeking replacement capacity and talking with providers in other regions but offered no details.

A 16-bed facility called Lake Burien in King County is seeking CLIP certification, with a state inspection scheduled for October. If approved, it would partially offset the lost beds statewide but would not serve Pierce County directly.

Comprehensive Life Resources plans to sell the Proctor Street building. No public meeting or timeline for replacement youth psychiatric services in Pierce County has been announced.