Office of Homeless Youth (OHY)

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 Commerce- 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

OHY provides technical assistance support to grantees to effectively utilize awarded funding by providing resources and case consultation, developing best practices, and collaborating with community partners. Grantees are encouraged to contact their OHY program managers for individualized technical assistance with their grant. 

OHY Program Guidelines

General Sections for all OHY Grants

1. OHY Guidelines – Contracting Overview (PDF)
2. OHY Guidelines – Required Policies (PDF)
3. OHY Guidelines – Data and Performance (PDF)
4. OHY Guidelines – Fiscal Administration (PDF)
5. OHY Guidelines – Personnel (PDF)
6. OHY Guidelines – Services (PDF)
7. OHY Guidelines – Rental Assistance (PDF)

Complete Guidelines by Grant

• Ancillary Therapeutic Services (ATS)
• Community Support Teams
• Homeless Student Stability Program (HSSP)
• Homelessness Prevention & Diversion Fund (HPDF)
• HOPE, Crisis Residential Center (CRC) & Secure CRC
• Housing Stability for Youth in Courts (H-SYNC)
• Independent Youth Housing Program (IYHP)
• Protected Healthcare Services
• Street Outreach Services (SOS)
• System of Care (SOC & Behavioral Health SOC)
• Transitional Living Program (TLP)
• Young Adult Housing Program (YAHP)
• Young Adult Shelter (YAS)
• Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP)

Related Forms

• Budget Proposal & Revision Request Form (Excel)
• Certification of Payment Obligation-Family and Friends (Word)
• Consent for Youth in Shelter flowchart (PDF)
• Data Collection Requirements (Excel) 
• DCYF ROI Consent Form (PDF)
• Flexible Funds – Allowable Expenses (PDF)
• Housing Habitability Standards – CHG (Word)
• Income and Rental Assistance Calculation (Excel)
• IYHP Eligibility Verification (Word)
• Landlord Habitability Certification (Word)
• Lead Based Paint Visual Assessment Requirements (PDF)
• Maintenance vs Building Expenses (PDF)
• Monthly Voucher Detail (Excel)
• Performance Progress Report Template (Word)
• Performance Risk Assessment and Monitoring Guide (PDF)
• Participant File Checklist (Word)
• Participant File Checklist – Rental Assistance (Word)
• Rental Assistance – Allowable Expenses (PDF)
• Rental Assistance Flowchart (PDF)
• YAHP Eligibility Verification (Word)

Additional resources

• Consent for Youth in Shelter – 2023 Legislative Changes for Licensed Shelters (PDF)
• Independent Living Skills Program (dcyf.wa.gov)
• SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) samhsa.gov
• When can a minor access health care without parental consent? WashingtonLawHelp.org
• Youth and Young Adult Housing Response Team

Training

• OHY webinar recordings and slides (Box)
• Resources for OHY Required Training
• Commerce Housing Division Grantee Training webpage

General information on contracting with OHY

• FAQ: Applying for OHY Funding Opportunities (PDF)
• Introduction for New Grantees (PDF)
• Grant Format with General Terms and Conditions (PDF)
• Past OHY Competitive Funding Materials (Box)
• Glossary of Acronyms and Terms (PDF)

The Office of Homeless Youth works with various stakeholders across the state to address youth homelessness. The workgroup and committee listed encompass agencies and key stakeholders that are charged with reducing and end youth homelessness. 

Office of Youth Homelessness Advisory Committee

The office’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.

• Advisory Committee Meeting documents and schedules (on Box)

Interagency Workgroup on Youth Homelessness​

Gov. Inslee established the Interagency Work Group on Youth Homelessness (IAWG) with directive 17-01 (PDF), signed on Jan. 24, 2017. The workgroup convenes state agency partners to develop shared goals, outcomes, and action plans to prevent and design a system response to youth homelessness in Washington.