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State Office of Homeless Youth outlines progress, gaps and rural challenges
Summary
The Office of Homeless Youth (OHY) told the Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning committee it has expanded since 2015 to roughly $90 million in managed funds across six program types but still sees gaps in age-appropriate housing, data and services for rural and BIPOC youth.
Eija Araya, interim director of the Office of Homeless Youth, told the Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning committee that the office tracks a decade of growth while pointing to remaining service gaps.
OHY was created by the Homeless Youth Act (2SSB 5404) in 2015, Araya said; the office began with an initial allocation of $14,431,000 and now manages roughly $90,000,000 across about 190 contracts and 21 programs. OHY’s work covers six program categories the office described as: prevention, support services, community-based initiatives, youth residential programs (for ages 12–17), young-adult housing programs (ages 18–24), and crisis response.
Araya summarized the office’s goals as improving access to stable housing, family reconciliation, permanent connections, education and employment, and social and emotional well-being. She told lawmakers OHY measures grantee performance through the statewide Homelessness Management Information System and…
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