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 […]
A Way Home Washington Announces Jim Theofelis as Executive Director
Posted on October 11, 2016 in Campion Foundation, Raikes Foundation, Washington Office of Homeless Youth, Youth Homelessness
A Way Home Washington (AWHWA)—a movement to prevent and end youth homelessness in Washington state—today announced the hiring of Jim Theofelis as founding executive director. Theofelis brings nearly 40 years of experience serving children, youth and families, including 15 years as the founding director of the Mockingbird Society. “This is a very special and unique […]
What we know—and don’t know—about youth homelessness in Washington state
Posted on September 23, 2016 in Raikes Foundation, Washington Office of Homeless Youth, Youth Homelessness
If you are like many of us here at A Way Home Washington, you spent July and August soaking up as much of the Rio Olympics as possible. As you were watching, you might have asked yourself, What makes Simone Biles so dominant in gymnastics? Turns out, one reason is that Simone has such a powerful […]
Partners in Pierce County
Posted on September 10, 2016 in Washington Office of Homeless Youth, Youth Homelessness
By Trudi Inslee As a lifelong Washingtonian, I’ve seen time and time again that people in this state come together to solve problems and lend a hand when someone is in need. I am witnessing this commitment first-hand on a Listening & Learning Tour for A Way Home Washington. We are traveling to communities across […]