Diversion in a small county, students and families of color help shape our strategies What's NewA small county goes big on Diversion Isolated in the far southeastern corner of Washington state, Asotin County had been addressing homelessness mostly on its own. Building Changes answered its call for outside assistance last year and Asotin County now is on the verge of revolutionizing the way it serves families experiencing homelessness. The tiny county, with a population of 22,500 people and limited housing resources, is embracing Diversion as a solution to help families get housed quickly and safely. We are getting Asotin County prepared for the culture change, training several community providers on the techniques and skills of Diversion. Our Diversion training helps caseworkers move away from the conventional mindset that it is their job to “fix” families with top-down strategies. Diversion gives families the power to determine their own housing solutions. Learn more. Students and families of color help shape our student homelessness strategies As part of our Schoolhouse Washington project, we are developing a menu of effective strategies that schools, school districts, and others can adopt to improve educational and housing outcomes for students experiencing homelessness. Wanting to ensure the project is shaped by community expertise, we conducted interviews with the people most impacted by student homelessness—students of color experiencing homelessness and their families. Six in 10 students experiencing homelessness in the state of Washington are students of color. Their perspectives and insights—and those of their families—are critical as we advance solutions to student homelessness that reflect and respect the successes and challenges they face every day, in and out of school. Learn more. Powerful voices propel legislative win for Homeless Student Stability Program Success in Olympia on legislation often requires a coalition of supporters behind a bill to educate lawmakers about why it is so important. This past session, we worked with many stakeholders on a bill that helps improve academic outcomes and housing stability for students experiencing homelessness through the state’s Homeless Student Stability Program (HSSP). Our work on the bill began in 2017 when we started assembling a team of HSSP advocates made up of students, parents, school district officials, nonprofit providers, and state agency officials. We listened to—and learned from—our advocacy team members, incorporating their ideas and recommendations to strengthen the legislation, from drafting to final passage. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the HSSP bill into law last month, marking a huge victory for the 40,000-plus students experiencing homelessness in our state and their families—as well as for Building Changes and our Schoolhouse Washington project. Learn more. Understanding family homelessness data—beyond the Point-in-Time count When we talk about how many people are experiencing homelessness in our communities, the conversation often centers on the Point-in-Time (PIT) count. But there are other data sources that give us a fuller picture of the scale of homelessness—particularly family homelessness—in our region. Our director of research and evaluation, Annie Pennucci, breaks down the data for King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. Learn more. In Case You Missed It: Meet our new executive director, D'Artagnan Caliman Bringing personal experience with homelessness and foster care, Caliman is perfectly positioned for the role. Learn more. Worth a Glance (or Listen)
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