Becoming a national model

Posted on July 25, 2018 in Anchor Community Initiative, Washington Office of Homeless Youth

By Jim Theofelis Executive Director, A Way Home Washington Washington state is in a unique position to be the first state to reach functional zero toward ending youth and young adult homelessness. In Washington we call this “Yes to Yes.” When young people say “Yes, I want safe housing and a path forward,” local communities […]

When a plan comes together

Posted on July 12, 2018 in Anchor Community Initiative, Youth Homelessness

By Jim Theofelis Executive Director, A Way Home Washington July is shaping up to be one of the biggest months in A Way Home Washington’s brief history. Our team is coming together, and we are pleased to announce the hiring of Elysa Hovard, Anchor Community project director, and Megan Huckaby, communications manager. Elysa spent the […]

We have numbers: national estimates for youth homelessness in America

Posted on November 16, 2017 in Uncategorized

By Jim Theofelis, A Way Home Washington For years, youth homelessness advocacy has been held back by the lack of reliable data showing the true scope of the problem. Without actual numbers, it’s difficult to determine what we definitively need to solve youth homelessness – and it is solvable. This week, that changed. The University […]

Congratulations to the 100-Day Challenge Teams! Changing Lives and Systems

Posted on August 11, 2017 in 100-Day Challenges, Raikes Foundation, Schultz Family Foundation, Uncategorized, Youth Homelessness

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 […]