Addressing the Youth Homelessness Crisis
Youth homelessness is an urgent crisis. But it is a solvable problem.?A new report shows significant strides to reduce youth and young adult (YYA) homelessness in Washington state, thanks in part to a collaborative multi-sector statewide effort launched in 2016.
Since the state assembled a broad coalition of community leaders and youth with lived experience to develop an integrated, consistent statewide approach, much has been learned about promising solutions. By putting young people at the center, focusing on prevention, collecting better data, investing in creative solutions such as cash assistance, working with schools, and intervening earlier to meet young people’s and families' needs, positive progress is being made. Likewise, the state has made significant strides disrupting the pipeline of youth exiting the foster care, behavioral health, and juvenile justice systems subsequently experiencing homelessness over the past four years.
The report, released by the?Office of Homeless Youth ?and A Way Home WA ?was?funded by the Raikes Foundation ?and the Schultz Family Foundation. It?presents a?roadmap?and vision for Washington state to provide unstably housed young people the help they?need quickly where they already live.?The report delves into the authentic experiences of affected young people and reveals a narrative often overshadowed by numbers alone. As communities across the country adopt new approaches to deal with the crisis, the report can serve as a vital resource for policymakers, advocates, and individuals dedicated to addressing youth and young adult homelessness.?
Key findings include:
A 40% reduction in unaccompanied YYA?homelessness from 2016-2022.
75% of YYAs permanently housed in 2020 retained stable housing two years later.??
Even when faced with a problem as complex and dynamic as YYA homelessness, these data shows?progress can be made with focused funding, sustained attention, and public-private partnerships that provide capacity for innovation.?
Read the report:
Helping Young People Find Solutions that Work for Them: The Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund
Launched in 2020 by A Way Home Washington , with $1.1 million in?support from the Schultz Family Foundation over the past four years,?the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) is the first?centralized diversion fund in Washington to serve unaccompanied minors as well as young adults. In 2023, HPDF expanded to an additional community and is now implemented in Clark, Pierce, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties.?
The program is showing incredible early success. To date, it has helped over 1,500 young people access stable housing. After receiving one-time payments averaging $2,419 – an amount significantly less than other housing interventions – 92% of these young people remained stably housed after 12 months.
A Way Home Washington just released their third annual report.?
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Scaling Cash Assistance Nationally
In a groundbreaking national effort, the Schultz Family Foundation is scaling direct cash transfers as a tool for youth homelessness prevention and diversion to eight additional communities in partnership with Point Source Youth and six other philanthropic organizations.
According to research by Chapin Hall , an estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness, 700,000 of whom are unaccompanied minors. At the same time, few, if any, interventions exist in most communities to prevent youth and young adult homelessness.
As part of this innovative initiative, The Door ?(NYC), Henry Street Settlement ?(NYC),?Lifeworks ?(Texas), Youth On Their Own ?(Arizona), A.Y.A. Youth Collective (Michigan),?Youth Empowerment Success Services ?(Georgia),?RYSE Youth Center ?(Contra Costa County, California), and Connected Lane County ?(Oregon) will provide over $1.36 million in cash assistance to more than 450 young people experiencing housing instability to prevent youth homelessness.This intervention, known as Direct Cash Transfers as Prevention (DCT-P), builds on the success of the Homeless Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) model we pioneered with A Way Home Washington.
What Others are Saying about the "Yes-to-Yes" Report
Read more about the progress in the news: