Tacoma will lose 27 long-term youth psychiatric beds in November when Pearl Youth Residence shuts down.

The closure eliminates a quarter of Washington's capacity to treat children whose mental health conditions are too severe for them to live at home.

Pearl Youth at 1201 S. Proctor St. is one of four facilities in the state's Children's Long-term Inpatient Program (CLIP), which holds 109 beds total. Thirty-six children are currently awaiting a CLIP bed, the Seattle Times reported. The closure, first reported by the Tacoma News Tribune on Sept. 21, leaves those families with fewer options.

Comprehensive Life Resources (CLR), the Tacoma nonprofit that operates Pearl Youth, filed a layoff notice with the state on Friday, Sept. 18 affecting 92 workers. The expected layoff date is Nov. 21.

CLR CEO Kim Zacher told the Seattle Times the facility has lost $3 million since 2020 as care costs outpaced state reimbursement. Staff turnover hit 114% in 2024 and still sits at 70%. The 27-bed facility has operated well below capacity for several years.

Zacher called the accumulation of financial losses, staffing problems and discharge difficulties "death by a thousand paper cuts."

The 23,000-square-foot building opened in 2020 after a $10 million-plus investment, including a $1.95 million state Department of Commerce grant. CLR plans to sell it.

Sixteen youth currently live at Pearl Youth. The facility plans to discharge them to their homes or other programs. Kids in the program stay an average of seven to eight months and receive care from a team of medical and mental health providers. Students attend an onsite high school in two classrooms taught by Tacoma Public Schools teachers.

Statewide ripple effects

Jim Leighty, former program manager at Sunstone, a Burien CLIP facility that closed in 2021, warned the loss will push pressure elsewhere in an already strained system.

"I hate to say it, but some of them are going to end up in juvenile detention," Leighty told the Seattle Times.

Karen Brady, executive director of Ryther, a Seattle mental health provider, called the closure "a big loss," noting how difficult it already is for children to qualify for and receive a CLIP bed.

The Washington State Health Care Authority, which oversees CLIP, said it is seeking replacement capacity and is in discussions with potential providers in other regions of the state, according to spokesperson Katie Pope. The agency did not provide a timeline.

One potential addition: a 16-bed youth residential facility called Lake Burien is seeking CLIP certification and is scheduled for inspection in October. But the facility drew scrutiny after receiving critical findings in an Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds report, leading to a director change in April. Even with certification, Lake Burien's 16 beds would not fully replace Pearl Youth's 27.

Most patients came from outside Pierce County

Despite its Tacoma address, Pearl Youth primarily served children from outside the region. Just 2% of clients over the past two years came from Pierce County. CLR Chief Communications Officer Chris Gleason told the News Tribune on Sept. 21 that the geographic mismatch was a factor in the decision.

"One of the major factors in our decision to close PYR was to enable us to focus more on serving our own community," Gleason said in that statement.

The other CLIP facility in Pierce County, the state-operated Child Study and Treatment Center near Western State Hospital in Lakewood, sits just 11 miles from Pearl Youth.

The Health Care Authority has not announced when or where replacement beds might open.