Pairing youth and young adult-centered housing diversion support with immediate, flexible funding has made housing solutions an enduring reality for hundreds of Washington young people facing homelessness, all for a low cost per household.
In August 2020, A Way Home Washington launched the HPDF (formerly the Centralized Diversion Fund) in four Anchor Communities — Walla Walla, Yakima, Spokane and Pierce counties — and has expanded to six in the second cohort. The HPDF is housing more young people than any other housing program in each county it is operational in.
HPDF has been used to:
- Provide rental assistance after an accident that resulted in injury. The client had returned to work but was behind on bills and facing eviction.
- Cover the costs of food and expenses during the transition period while a client was relocating to live with their mother to also provide care for her.
- Ensure a young person who was relocating to begin community college had rental assistance. The client was employed and had secured an apartment with a friend.
- Assist a young parent to move out of a toxic environment with their two children to safe and stable housing with rental and deposit assistance.
- Pay off a previous utility bill to allow the tenant to create a new account in their new apartment.
