By Jim Theofelis, Executive Director This week, I had the honor of joining teams from Spokane, Pierce, and King counties to celebrate the conclusion of the 100-Day Challenges – a collaborative effort to connect youth and young adults with stable housing over a period of 100 days. We launched these Challenges in April because we […]
2017 Legislative Session Outcomes
Posted on July 12, 2017 in legislative advocacy, Youth Homelessness
Washington state’s 2017 legislative session was complicated by challenging political and fiscal dynamics. Governor Inslee called the Legislature back for three special sessions before members agreed on a state budget, which the Governor signed on June 30th, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. Lawmakers were required to adopt a budget that would provide adequate funding […]
New 100-Day Challenge Dashboards Provide a First Look at Progress
Posted on June 23, 2017 in Uncategorized
By Jim Theofelis, Executive Director A young woman living on the streets in Spokane shared with me recently that most young people experiencing homelessness are trying hard to find stability and safety in their lives. They are not choosing to be homeless, but rather are searching for resources. Over the course of 100 days, three […]
Challenge Accepted: 100-Day Challenges to Tackle Youth and Young Adult Homelessness
Posted on April 27, 2017 in 100-Day Challenges, Raikes Foundation, Schultz Family Foundation, Youth Homelessness
By Jim Theofelis, Executive Director You may know Washington as the Evergreen state, but when it comes to spirit, entrepreneurship, and dedication to preventing and ending youth and young adult homelessness, I say we are the “CAN DO!” state! On April 18 and 19, A Way Home Washington (AWHWA) was thrilled to convene teams from […]
2017 Legislative Agenda
Posted on March 7, 2017 in Washington Office of Homeless Youth, Youth Homelessness
One of A Way Home Washington’s key strategies to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness is to advocate for reforms and public funding at the state level. We see this as an important way to make sure that Washington state has the programs, services, and resources it needs to help all of our […]
Three Steps to Help End Youth Homelessness
Posted on February 2, 2017 in Washington Office of Homeless Youth, Youth Homelessness
(The following Op-Ed was authored by Kim Justice and Jim Theofelis and originally published in the Seattle Times February 1, 2017) On any given night, in every county of our state, many youth and young adults have no family to eat dinner with, no safe place in which to do homework or no bed to […]
A Way Home Washington’s Executive Director Speaks with KOMO News Radio
Posted on January 26, 2017 in Youth Homelessness
KOMO News Radio spoke with A Way Home Washington’s Executive Director, Jim Theofelis, following Governor Jay Inslee’s directive to create an interagency work group on youth homelessness and release of the Office of Homeless Youth’s 2016 report. “I think that Washington state is positioned to be a national model in really tackling the issue of […]
A Roadmap to Prevent & End Youth Homelessness in Washington State
Posted on January 26, 2017 in Campion Foundation, Raikes Foundation, Washington Office of Homeless Youth
Washington’s youth have limitless potential. They’re the future of this state and the heartbeat of our communities. And when they succeed, we all succeed. Unfortunately, due to circumstances often beyond their control, too many young people have fallen into homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless. In Washington state alone, 13,000 unaccompanied youth experience […]
Ending Youth Homelessness through Cross-Sector Partnerships
Posted on January 17, 2017 in Raikes Foundation, Youth Homelessness
By Sarah Hunter and Katie Hong and re-published from The HUDdle, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Official Blog. A stable home is critical to the development of children and young adults. When they spend their energy wondering where they’ll sleep and what to eat, it’s nearly impossible for them to focus on doing well in school and preparing […]
A Way Home Washington Listening Tour—What We Heard
Posted on November 4, 2016 in Campion Foundation, Raikes Foundation, Washington Office of Homeless Youth, Youth Homelessness
By Sheila Babb Anderson A Way Home Washington recently embarked on a listening tour around Washington state to hear from local leaders about the state of youth and young adult homelessness in their communities. Each conversation was led by our honorary co-chair, First Lady Trudi Inslee, and Kim Justice, Executive Director of the Office of […]