The path to opportunity begins with a place to call home—especially for families with children.
In March 2009, we joined other public and private funders and government officials in announcing investments in a new strategy to reduce family homelessness in Washington state. Investments will be made through the Washington Families Fund, a public-private partnership managed by Seattle-based Building Changes 
. The fund provides support services statewide and runs three pilot programs in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.
In 2004, encouraged by progress made through the Sound Families initiative, the Washington legislature created the Washington Families Fund to provide service-enriched affordable housing for families throughout the state. By the end of 2009, the fund had awarded $16 million to 43 programs statewide, creating 618 service-enriched housing units supporting more than 1,000 families—including 3,000 children and their parents.
While the success of these programs is heartening, the trend of family homelessness continues to rise. Data shows that homeless families are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population, and experts estimate that more than 1.5 million children experience homelessness in the United States annually.
Washington state’s no exception. During the 2008–2009 school year, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction identified nearly 21,000 homeless children attending public schools—up more than 2,000 from the previous year. Approximately 47 percent of homeless people in Washington state are living in families.
“It saddens me that families with children make up nearly half of our state’s homeless population. And unfortunately, the economic crisis may push even more families with children into homelessness,” says Washington Governor Christine Gregoire. “We must do more as a community to help families achieve and maintain stability.”
Our strategy applies lessons learned from past investments. Principles guiding our current investments in family homelessness include early intervention and eviction prevention, coordinated access to housing support services, rapid re-housing for families in shelters, tailored support services that best address the unique needs of each family, and access to increased economic opportunity through education and workforce development programs.
“Today’s homeless children all too often become tomorrow’s homeless parents with children,” says David Bley, director of the foundation’s Pacific Northwest initiative. “We must do all we can to stop the cycle of family homelessness.”
With our partners in the Washington Families Fund, we aim to reduce the number of homeless families in our three target communities by 50 percent over the next decade. Working together, we can help forge tangible solutions to prevent and end family homelessness in Washington, creating a future where no child is without a safe place to call home.