Statewide Fund Announces New 10-Year Grants to Help Reduce Family Homeless

TACOMA, Wash. -- Today, the Washington Families Fund, a one-of-a-kind public-private partnership created to expand the availability of service-enriched housing for the state’s homeless families, announced its second round of grant awards to agencies across the state. Grants totaling more than $1.4 million will go to organizations working to move families from homelessness to stable homes and self-sufficiency in Yakima, Tacoma and rural Pierce County, Forks and Port Angeles in Clallam County, and Lynnwood in Snohomish County.

To date, the fund has awarded $4.1 million to a total 15 innovative housing partnerships statewide, bolstering services for 174 units of supportive housing for homeless families in Washington state. Its commitments to agencies and partnerships have already reached 11 counties, where programs will serve 1,000-1,600 homeless families over 10 years.

“Every night in our state, thousands of individuals are without a place to call home,” said Rep. Fred Jarrett (R – 41st District). “County-wide counts of homeless individuals in Washington estimate that more than 25,000 people are homeless on any given night, of which almost 9,000 are people in families with children. The resources awarded to the Washington Families Fund grantees today will help move hundreds of families toward self-sufficiency and make long-term, stable housing a reality for them.”     
       
Launched in February of 2005, the Washington Families Fund is the first in the nation to create a reliable, long-term source of funding for supportive services to homeless children and their families. With $2 million in seed money from the Legislature and $2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the fund has grown with additional public investments and other private matching funds from thirteen corporations, foundations, and individuals throughout the state.  

In March 2006, at the close of this year’s legislative session, House Bill 2418, the Home Security Fund, was passed giving $4 million to the Washington Families Fund. Just this week, the Meyer Memorial Trust, based in Portland, Oregon, committed $200,000 to Washington Families Fund. The fund now totals more than $9 million and is expected to double its grant award payout during the next three years. Local Tacoma community funders, including the Ben B. Cheney Foundation and the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, have contributed generously to the Washington Families Fund.

“It has been a true pleasure to work with my colleagues in the legislature this year to reinvest in the Washington Families Fund,” said Representative Jeannie Darneille (D – 27th District). “Today’s announcement of new grants to agencies across our state working to reduce homelessness is a renewed endorsement of this investment that is already paying off, demonstrated by each family that graduates successfully from the supportive housing programs within the Washington Families Fund network.”

Washington Families Fund grantees work directly with families to address the causes of homelessness and help build self-sufficiency. By providing comprehensive case management such as job training, parenting skills, and substance abuse and domestic violence counseling, combined with affordable housing, families are able to receive the key services that they need to achieve long-term housing stability.

“Housing plus services – the cornerstone of the Washington Families Fund – is working in Washington state,” said Katie Hong, director of the Pacific Northwest program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Based on results we’ve seen from the Sound Families Initiative, we’ve learned that supportive services tied to housing are helping families stay housed, retain employment, and provide more stable environments for their children. This approach is changing the impact of homelessness in our state.”

Still the needs for serving homeless families are great. The Washington Families Fund has received more than 75 applications from social service providers, housing developers, and public housing authorities representing 20 of Washington’s 39 counties for a total funding request of $18.5 million. It is estimated that in Washington state, up to 26,500 people are without a home on any given night. Families with children are among the fastest growing segment of the homeless population nationwide; in Washington, nearly half of persons staying at homeless shelters are families with young children.  

“Support from both private and public partners for the Washington Families Fund over the last 18 months has been an incredible sign of momentum and a strong signal that stable, long-term funding for social services, linked to affordable housing for homeless families, remains a priority in Washington State,” said Betsy Lieberman, executive director of AIDS Housing of Washington, which administers the fund. “We are excited to witness the results of this innovative fund continue to change the lives of families and children across our state.”