Seattle is poised to launch a nationally recognized youth homelessness prevention program designed to help young people remain safely housed before they ever enter the shelter system, following approval of funding through the city’s 2026 Mid-Year Supplemental Budget.
Championed by Councilmember Dionne Foster, the initiative brings Washington state’s Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) to Seattle through a public-private partnership involving the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD), United Way of King County, Building Changes and the Washington Acceleration Fund.
The program serves young people ages 12 to 24 who are experiencing housing instability, including those facing eviction, couch surfing or other situations that place them at risk of becoming homeless. Rather than waiting until young people enter the homelessness system, HPDF provides rapid, flexible financial assistance to help them remain safely housed.
“Part of solving homelessness is preventing it from occurring in the first place,” said Foster. “Young people who experience homelessness are at least 2.5 times more likely to experience homelessness again as adults. This model prevents homelessness and promotes stability through providing flexible and accessible funding.”
Originally launched in 2020 through a partnership between Building Changes, the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Office of Homeless Youth and regional partners, HPDF has expanded to 10 communities across Washington and has become one of the state’s most successful youth homelessness prevention programs.
Since its launch, the program has served more than 2,700 households statewide. According to program data, 98% of participants secured permanent housing after receiving assistance, while 87% remained stably housed one year later. The average intervention cost is approximately $1,683 per household, a fraction of the cost of emergency shelter and other crisis-response services.
The partnership combines City funding with a dollar-for-dollar match from the Washington Acceleration Fund, a philanthropic initiative supported by the Raikes Foundation, Campion Advocacy Fund and the Schultz Foundation. Officials say the collaborative investment will expand the program’s reach while maximizing public resources.
One of HPDF’s distinguishing features is its “no wrong door” approach, allowing nearly 600 certified providers across Washington, including schools, tribal organizations and youth-serving nonprofits, to quickly access financial assistance on behalf of young people in crisis. Eligible expenses may include security deposits, overdue rent, utility payments or transportation to reconnect youth safely with family or other stable housing.
Funds can often be approved within 72 hours, allowing providers to intervene before a housing crisis escalates into homelessness.
Rather than relying on rigid eligibility requirements, the program focuses on youth-led solutions that address each young person’s immediate needs while helping them avoid the trauma and long-term consequences often associated with homelessness.
Officials also say HPDF will strengthen King County’s Built for Zero initiative, a regional effort launched last year to make youth homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring. The initiative brings together government agencies, community-based organizations, philanthropy, advocates and young people with lived experience to improve regional responses to youth homelessness.
The Seattle Human Services Department will administer the City’s investment alongside its existing youth homelessness programs, which provide outreach, housing stability and supportive services through community-based organizations. Officials say the new partnership builds on those efforts by adding flexible financial assistance that can intervene earlier and prevent homelessness before it begins.
“I’m grateful to the Raikes Foundation, Campion Advocacy Fund and the Schultz Foundation, the philanthropic partners of the Washington Acceleration Fund, as well as our community partners at Building Changes and United Way of King County,” Foster said.
“Our collective goal should be that no young person ever experiences being unhoused,” said Blair Hamilton Taylor, CEO of United Way of King County. “This collaborative investment of expertise and resources is a research-based model that can be replicated. And it represents real youth in our community who can stay housed, which means they have a pathway to safety, stability, hope and opportunity.”
The funding proposal was approved unanimously by the City Council’s Finance, Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee on Aug. 4 and now advances to the full Seattle City Council for consideration as part of the 2026 Mid-Year Supplemental Budget on Aug. 11.
