Ending Youth Homelessness: The Walla Walla Way!

Preventing homelessness through training and a flex fund, with Kiki Serantes & Anjali Riddick

One of A Way Home Washington’s most impactful programs is our Homelessness Prevention & Diversion Fund (HPDF). We recently launched a new department that the HPDF is now integrated with called Training & Engagement (T&E). So not only can we share the success of the HPDF, but we can teach and train others on what we have found to work best when implementing flexible funds to prevent and end homelessness among young people. In this interview with Kiki Serantes, T&E Director, and Anjali Riddick, Prevention & Diversion Training Manager, they detail facts about the HPDF, highlight the successes we’ve seen with it, and explain why it’s critical to the effort to prevent and end homelessness. Time Stamps  * 01:11 Training and diversion history with A Way Home Washington * 04:00 What is the Training & Engagement (T&E) Department? * 07:10 The role of the Homelessness Prevention & Diversion Fund (HPDF) * 08:28 Accessing the HPDF through our four pilot Anchor Communities and expansion to six more counties * 09:30 The impact of the HPDF * 10:51 Youth and young adults who are pregnant and/or parenting * 11:42 Housing young people of color * 12:14 What is diversion? * 15:07 What is a “housing first” approach? * 16:47 What is appropriate housing and how can we / how are we redefining it? * 19:39 How does the HPDF compare to other vital housing programs? * 23:40 How is the HPDF tailored to individual needs? * 25:24 Why is the HPDF tied to the Anchor Community Initiative? * 28:28 What will happen with the HPDF and T&E within the next year? * 32:30 How can folks learn more about the HPDF and/or get in contact with T&E staff? * 34:04 Shout-outs!

Our holiday surge campaign, with Ashley Barnes-Cocke

Join our Anchor Communities Initiative Project Director Ashley Barnes-Cocke as they unveil our 2022 holiday surge campaign, Housed By the Holidays: 25 Days of Yes! We've dared our Cohort 1 Anchor Communities and partners to house 25 young people in 25 days. Ashley discusses how Housed By the Holidays is working to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness by prompting our communities to experiment with new methods. What can we learn from this that will make it easier for every community to end unsheltered homelessness? Timestamps * 00:30 Introductions * 01:23 What is the Anchor Community Initiative (ACI)? * 03:02 What attracts you to the work you do at A Way Home Washington? * 05:00 Who and how are Anchor Communities coached and guided? * 06:11 What is the 2022 Housed By the Holidays challenge? * 09:04 How A Way Home WA and the ACI partner with the Washington State Office of Homeless Youth * 10:25 Partnering with communities at the local level and why that works best * 11:33 Ways young people have been housed through the Homelessness Prevention & Diversion Fund * 11:47 What is Case Conferencing? * 13:20 “Cold call” young people for housing support? What does that look like? * 14:25 How the challenge is progressing * 15:41 Campaign data highlights to date * 17:55 Special shout-outs!

Ending Youth Homelessness: The Walla Walla Way!

A Way Home Washington is working with counties like Walla Walla to end homelessness for youth and young adults using data, technology, and specialized community coaching. Hear directly from experts in Walla Walla about what has worked for them and how they were able to reduce youth and young adult homelessness by 60% within one year! ➡️ A Way Home Washington website: https://awayhomewa.org/ Join us on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-way-home-wa Join us on Instagram ➡️ https://www.instagram.com/awayhomewa/ Join us on Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/awayhomewa Join us on Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/AWayHomeWA Join us on Spotify ➡️ https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/T1urKYOoLsb #EndHomelessness #YouthHomelessness #NonProfit #AnchorCommunityInniative #Coaching #Strategy #WallaWalla #Washington

Sealing the Cracks in the System, with Isaac Sanders

As part of our Pride Month series, we feature Isaac Sanders, A Way Home Washington's ACI Coaching & Improvement Manager, as they explore how communities are addressing disproportionality, and what strategies they are using to prevent and end homelessness. We also discuss why it’s vital to center the voices of young people who are LGBTQ+ or Trans & Queer Black Indigenous People of Color (QTBIPOC), and how Anchor Communities are ensuring that they are included in decision making conversations.

Young People, Lived Experience, and Disproportionality, with Azia Ruff

As part of our Pride Month series, we feature Azia Ruff, A Way Home Washington's ACI Coaching & Improvement Manager, as they explore why youth voice is an important part of change work. We also discuss why it’s vital to center the voices of young people who are LGBTQ+ or Trans & Queer Black Indigenous People of Color (QTBIPOC), as they are disproportionality impacted by homelessness in Washington.