Every night, thousands of homeless youth in Washington go to sleep without the safety, stability, and support of a family or home. The Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs (OHY) leads statewide efforts to reduce and prevent homelessness for youth (ages 12-17) and young adults (ages 18-24) by partnering with community programs to establish ongoing and future funding, policy, and best practices.
Advocacy efforts led by young people helped pass the Homeless Youth Act in 2015 to create OHY and establish its five priority service areas:
- Stable Housing: Every youth has a safe and healthy place to sleep.
- Family Reconciliation: Families are reunited when safe and appropriate.
- Permanent Connections: Youth have opportunities to establish positive, healthy relationships with adults.
- Education and Employment: Youth have opportunities to advance their education or training and obtain employment.
- Social and Emotional Well-Being: Youth have access to behavioral and physical health care; services nurture each youth’s strengths and abilities.
OHY Program Grants
OHY funding is allocated to a range of services with specific goals that work together to address youth and young adult homelessness throughout the state. Find resources in your area on the OHY Funded Service Provider List (Excel) or OHY Resource Map (on Google Maps).
Services that address immediate needs by providing crisis intervention and emergency supplies, assessments of individual needs, connection with relevant resources (e.g., shelter, housing, medical care, counseling, etc.) and ongoing case management.
Street Outreach Services (ages 12-24)
Direct provision and referrals for basic needs resources and services, including providing problem solving conversations or advocacy to help identify practical solutions to resolving housing crises. Services are provided through street or community-based outreach or in drop-in centers.
Young Adult Shelters (ages 18-24)
Immediate, temporary emergency overnight shelter with assessment and service planning
Lifeline Support System
A pilot project to provide support and service connection to individuals that have experienced or are at risk of entering public systems of care, who require assistance to overcome a life challenge that could escalate into a crisis.
Temporary residence, basic needs and services such as assessment, referrals, family reconciliation, and behavioral health support while assisting youth in obtaining safe and stable housing. Residential programs serving youth under age 18 must be licensed by the Department of Children, Youth, & Families, except for unlicensed host homes operated through the Transitional Living Program.
HOPE Centers
Serve youth for up to 90 days who are living on the street or another unsafe location. Youth must voluntarily self-refer and may be assisted by family, friends, schools, law enforcement, tribes, social workers, or other community based organizations.
Crisis Residential Centers (CRC)
Serve youth for up to 15 days who have run away, are experiencing family conflict, or whose health and safety may be at risk. Youth may voluntarily self-refer, be referred by law enforcement due to circumstances which constitute a danger to the youth’s safety, or be referred by DCYF or the court when an out-of-home placement has been approved.
Secure Crisis Residential Centers (SCRC)
Provide CRC services for no longer than 5 days and are located within juvenile detention centers. Youth must be referred by law enforcement due to circumstances which constitute a danger to the youth’s safety or be court ordered for contempt in at-risk youth proceedings.
Transitional Living Programs (TLP)
Long-term housing for non-state dependent youth ages 16-17 who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Programs provide housing transition planning within 6 months of turning 18. TLPs may be operated within licensed facilities and/or host homes.
Provides transitional housing, rental assistance and case management to help individuals move towards independence and self-sufficiency. Serves young adults ages 18 through 24 who meet low income limits.
Young Adult Housing Programs
Serves young adults who are currently or at-risk of becoming homeless.
Independent Youth Housing Programs
Serves young adults who were dependent of Washington State or federally recognized tribal foster care prior to age 18, or who are enrolled in Extended Foster Care.
Diversion
Diversion is a person-centered and strength-based approach that uses creative, problem-solving conversations to generate housing solutions and includes flexible funding to implement those solutions when needed.
Homeless Student Stability Program (HSSP)
OHY partners with Building Changes to provide housing support services for students and their families experiencing homelessness with the goal to stabilize education, encourage collaborative strategies between housing and education partners, and to develop and implement evidence-informed strategies to address racial inequities. See Homeless Student Stability Program for more information.
Housing Stability for Youth in Courts (H-SYNC)
A prevention model developed by the University of Washington CoLab in collaboration with community and county partners, H-SYNC serves youth within the juvenile court system to identify needs and refer them and their families to needed prevention, intervention, and housing services.
System of Care (SOC)
Focused efforts to prevent youth and young adults in publicly funded systems of care from exiting into homelessness through a variety of service interventions. Systems of care include child welfare, behavioral health, juvenile justice, and OHY funded programs.
Ancillary Therapeutic Services
Provide a variety of behavioral health supports to youth and/or young adults who are engaged in OHY programs. Services may include screening and referral, diagnosis by a licensed mental health provider, brief behavioral health treatment, individual or group counseling, substance misuse prevention, harm reduction, care coordination, and other similar services. Services can be provided through a staff clinician, behavioral health professional providing case consultation and/or staff training, connection to online counselors, peer counselors, or other methods.
Community Support Teams
Convenes teams for youth accessing shelter for the purpose of identifying supports focused on resolving family conflict and obtaining and maintaining long-term stable housing.
Protected Health Care
Provides a broad range of support and services to youth seeking gender-affirming and/or reproductive health care.
Supporting selected communities in developing and implementing a local, coordinated approach to ending youth and young adult homelessness.
Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP)
A federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development seeking to end youth homelessness. The Washington Balance of State (WA-BoS) received awards in 2018 and 2022 to support innovative housing programs serving youth and young adults in a total of 34 counties. Programs include Rapid Re-Housing, Transitional Housing, Supportive Services, and the Youth Lead Project.
Doorway Project
Provides services in the University District neighborhood of Seattle with continuous collaboration with local providers and community members led by a partnership between YouthCare and the University of Washington.
Arlington Drive Youth Campus
The Tacoma Housing Authority, Community Youth Services, and the YMCA’s Y Social Impact Center partner together for this unique housing
Resources
OHY Technical Assistance
OHY’s work is guided by a 12-member advisory committee composed of advocates, legislators, law enforcement, service providers, and other stakeholders. Except for legislative members, advisory committee members are appointed by the Governor.