Helping Young People Find Solutions That Work for Them: The Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund
The path to stable housing is multi-faceted and varies for each young person. Recognizing this A Way Home Washington (AWHWA) has created a transformational model to tackle youth homelessness.
When a young person faces a crisis, they likely have trusted relationships within their community they can turn to. The Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) harnesses the power of these relationships, arming mentors and advocates with the tools and resources needed to successfully assist young people on their journey to stable housing.
Launched in 2020 by AWHWA, the HPDF has housed more young people than any other program in each of the four anchor communities where the model is used: Walla Walla, Yakima, Spokane, and Pierce counties.
The HPDF provides low-barrier access to flexible funds that can be used for anything resulting in a young person being housed outside of the homelessness system. To accomplish this, a broad group of community members is trained to access the fund on behalf of the young people they serve, including not only youth homeless providers, but dispute resolution centers, tenant advocates, youth advisory board members, Tribal centers and more. This creates a “no wrong door” culture where young people get the support they need from the people and places they already know and trust, which is essential for their continued stability.
The HPDF has proven to be both cost effective and successful. Since its launch, 661 young people – 55% of whom are young people of color - have found stable housing. 93% remain stably housed. On average, the HPDF costs 78% less than other housing services, less than $2000 to house a young person in just two days.
The HPDF is a model that provides young people with the opportunity to have a brighter and more equitable future.
