Clark County chosen as ‘anchor community’ in program that helps homeless youth

There are an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 homeless young people in Washington without a parent or guardian.

A Way Home Washington, a statewide movement advocating for homeless youth, announced Thursday that Clark County is one of its five new “anchor communities” created to address the problem. Council for the Homeless and Janus Youth Programs will lead the local effort.

Clark, Skagit, Whatcom, Thurston and Jefferson counties took a collective approach in the program’s application process in November and were selected. Involved counties emphasize supporting Black, Indigenous and people of color and LGBTQ youth, who typically experience houselessness at a higher rate.

Sunny Wonder, Council for the Homeless director of diversion, said the focus of the initiative is on unifying community partners to identify barriers and challenges as it relates to housing instability and homelessness. The organizations’ focus is specifically on people who are 12 to 24 years old.

“For us to have a coordinated approach and the support in place for youth speaks to how we are also recognizing that homelessness is often incredibly traumatizing,” she said.

Janus Youth Programs, a nonprofit, serves as a hub for incorporating youth perspectives in the discussion.

Pierce, Spokane, Walla Walla and Yakima counties use the model and have seen impressive results in reducing youth homelessness. Spokane is the largest community in America to reach a sustained reduction in young homelessness, and Walla Walla reduced its rates by 20 percent in six months.

The issue is not exclusive to youth homelessness. Establishing secure housing is a principal element for having a stable future. Younger people who experience housing instability are more likely to have reoccurring challenges in the future, Wonder said. A key to reducing homelessness as a whole is investing in early intervention and preventive measures.

“They will struggle to be able to receive employment if there is trauma with instability and housing,” she said.

The project, in partnership with the Office of Homeless Youth, uses a variety of approaches for ending youth homelessness, which also reflects the varied circumstances that lead to this situation. A youth action board, which consists of those with lived experiences, serves to uplift similar voices and identify areas where critical change can occur.

In Clark County, community leaders will use real-time data that reflects homelessness, collaborate between community systems and incorporate preventative resources into these areas. The initiative also helps provide quick access to funds for youth, including rental assistance, security deposits and application fees, to minimize the potential of someone slipping back into homelessness.

Each anchor community has a diverse coalition to connect systems within an area, which fosters a collective approach to reducing young homelessness. Preventive measures, emergency response, supportive resources, treatment services, and employment and education outreach vary depending on an area’s need. Recipients also have the opportunity to tap into the anchor community network to learn about other practices in addressing inequities.

“These intensive whole-community-driven, data- and solution-focused efforts are increasing our understanding of what works in preventing and ending homelessness for young people,” wrote A Way Home Washington’s executive director, Julie Patino, in a press release.