City, philanthropy, and community partners unite to keep young people safely housed

Today Councilmember Dionne Foster (Position 9) announced a proven public-private partnership that will bring Washington state’s nationally recognized Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) to Seattle, helping young people remain safely housed and preventing youth homelessness.  

Enabled through the City’s 2026 Mid-Year Supplemental Budget, the partnership leverages City investment and philanthropic funding from the Washington Acceleration Fund, which is matching the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) investment at least dollar-for-dollar. The partnership brings together HSD, United Way of King County, and Building Changes to expand one of Washington’s most successful youth homelessness prevention models into Seattle. The program is designed for young people ages 12-24 who are experiencing housing instability, including those facing eviction, couch surfing, or living in other unstable situations.  

“The Homelessness Prevention Diversion Fund approach is proven to prevent youth homelessness in communities across our state, and I’m excited to start this pilot here in Seattle and King County with the partnership of the Washington Acceleration Fund,” said Councilmember Foster. “Part of solving homelessness is preventing it from occurring in the first place — young people who experience homelessness are at least 2.5 times more likely to experience homelessness again as adults. This model prevents homelessness and promotes stability through providing flexible and accessible funding. I’m grateful to the Raikes Foundation, Campion Advocacy Fund, and the Schultz Foundation — the philanthropic partners of the Washington Accelerator Fund, as well as the community partners at Building Changes and United Way of King County.” 

Background  

HPDF launched in 2020 as a public-private partnership with Building Changes, the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Office of Homeless Youth, and other regional partners. HPDF is in its sixth year, in ten communities across the state, and is currently expanding, with nearly 600 certified providers trained to connect young people to funds. HPDF will be a valuable tool in King County’s Built for Zero approach, a true regional effort launched last year with cross-system partners, young people with lived experience, advocates, and philanthropy working together to make youth homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.  

HPDF places flexible dollars at the community level through a “no wrong door” model: any certified provider from schools to tribal centers to youth-serving nonprofits can access rapid, flexible financial assistance on behalf of a young person within 72 hours. The speed of deploying resources is critical and is proven to drive results. 

Since 2020, HPDF has served more than 2,700 households across Washington, becoming one of the state’s most promising youth homelessness prevention strategies. Ninety-eight percent of participants exited into permanent housing, 87% remained stably housed one year later, and the average intervention cost ($1,683 per household) is a fraction of the cost of emergency shelter. 

Rather than fitting young people into rigid eligibility criteria, HPDF supports tailored, youth-led solutions: a security deposit, rental arrears, a utility payment, or even transportation to reach family safely. The model often keeps young people out of the emergency shelter system entirely — preventing trauma and reducing long-term costs to the community. 

Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) administers City investments that help prevent and respond to youth homelessness, working through community-based organizations that provide outreach, housing stability, and other services for young people. In 2026, HSD is also providing targeted funding to help sustain runaway and youth homelessness programs facing rising costs or funding reductions. The HPDF partnership builds on this work by expanding early, flexible assistance that can help young people avoid homelessness. 

What’s next 

Councilmember Foster’s amendment passed out of the Finance, Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee on Aug.4 with a 5-0 vote. Council Bill 121252 (Mid-Year Supplemental Budget) will be taken up by the full City Council on Aug. 11.   
 

Additional quotes  

“Preventing youth homelessness requires early support that responds to each young person’s circumstances. These combined resources from the City of Seattle and philanthropic partners help youth access and retain stable housing. Early intervention reduces the risk of future homelessness and gives young people the foundation they need to thrive.”   

-Tanya Kim, Director of the Seattle Human Services Department 

“The Washington Acceleration Fund applauds the City of Seattle for applying the innovation our region is known for to the challenge of solving youth homelessness. We know that nearly 50% of adults experiencing homelessness started on this trajectory as young people. Young people told us what they need — flexible funding rather than programs and services designed for adults. The Homeless Prevention and Diversion Fund can reduce the inflow into homelessness. We are excited to launch this public-private partnership with community partners, youth, philanthropy, and now our local public partners to scale what is working. We thank Councilmember Foster for her leadership in bringing the HPDF to Seattle and helping stop the cycle of homelessness.”  
-Sonya Campion, President and Trustee of the Campion Advocacy Fund, on behalf of the Washington Acceleration Fund 

“Our collective goal should be that no young person ever experiences being unhoused. This collaborative investment of expertise and resources is a research-based model that can be replicated. And it represents real youth in our community who can stay housed, which means they have a pathway to safety, stability, hope, and opportunity.”  
-Blair Hamilton Taylor, CEO of United Way of King County 

“Homelessness is not inevitable, it is preventable. For more than six years, Building Changes has proven that we can prevent youth homelessness with our partners across Washington. With HPDF, we can house people at a fraction of the cost of other approaches like rapid rehousing, transitional housing, and shelters. Bringing HPDF to Seattle is an important milestone, and we’re grateful to our local partners for making it possible to give more young people the support they need before a crisis becomes homelessness.” 

-Mehret Tekle-Awarun, Executive Director of Building Changes. 

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