OLYMPIA, Wash.- The Washington Department of Commerce has announced over $40 million in grant funding to increase support and services to homeless youth in the state.
The grants awarded through Commerce’s Office of Homeless Youth (OHY) were awarded based on applications reviewed with the assistance of 60 youths with lived homelessness experience from across Washington.
“Hearing from those we serve, particularly those with lived experience of the challenges we are addressing, is core to Commerce’s commitment to equity and transparency in our program design and funding decisions,” said Commerce Director Mike Fong.
According to the Department of Commerce funding will support interventions to prevent and address housing instability among young people ages 12 through 24, including emergency housing and rental assistance, crisis intervention, outreach to connect homeless youth with resources, mental health services, and flexible funding to divert young people from the homeless crisis response system.
“We are grateful for the time, passion and invaluable insights these young people contributed to make this a better and more inclusive process,” Fong said.
Funding for the grants is provided by $37.7 million in state funds and $5 million in US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds according to Commerce’s press release.
