Campion Advocacy Fund
We believe in the power of people and place
Studies report that 48% of adults who experience chronic homelessness were homeless for the first time before age 25. We must systematically address youth homelessness to preclude adult homelessness.
Early intervention will have lasting impacts. When every community has enough housing and services for anyone experiencing homelessness, our work will be done.
Campion works at the federal, state, and local levels, which is rare and also effective. With a 501(c)(3) foundation, we can make targeted grants to stimulate action. With the 501(c)(4) advocacy fund, we directly advocate for principled policies and develop partnerships to leverage community strength.
In some places in Washington State, homelessness is about to become history. We’re all in for making that possibility a reality.
Focus on Youth
Getting youth safely housed is non-negotiable. In Washington State, our collaborative approach between government and community leaders has resulted in a 40% decrease in youth homelessness.
This collaboration created tailored interventions that are quick, direct, and effective. The Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund specifically addresses what youth need to stave off homelessness: small, flexible cash grants and access to stable, affordable housing.
We are working with federal partners to scale this successful model across the country. With compassionate and focused national and local efforts, we can prevent and end homelessness among young people.
Racism is an effective tool that divides our movements and communities, and undoing racism will create an environment where all forms of inequity can be more effectively disrupted.”
Build Equitable Policies
We must continue to eliminate any and all barriers and put in place permanent protections against discrimination. In King County, Black residents people make up 7% of the overall population, but 25% of those experiencing homelessness. The Covenant Homeownership Program, enacted in 2024, aims to help residents who have been generationally affected by historical redlining and exclusionary practices by offering help with downpayments for first-time homebuyers.
Increase and Leverage Government’s Role
The scale of the homelessness crisis requires everyone to be all in for solving it.
To be successful, we need business, philanthropy, people with lived experience, and government to work in concert as a regional team—and with an equity and social justice focus—to coalesce policy, funding, resources, and services.
Locally, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and King County Executive Dow Constantine are leading a coordinated regional approach with conviction and compassion. The King County Regional Homeless Authority is a radical departure from previous models—and we will continue to learn and innovate with the optimistic belief that we will achieve regional success for this regional problem. At the state level, the Office of Homeless Youth leads the collaborative effort to reduce and prevent youth homelessness in every county.
Together with the National Low Income Housing Coalition, we are pushing to increase the federal role in closing the gap of housing needs throughout the country. The NLIHC continues to encourage Congress to provide federal leadership and invest in improving housing access across the United States—Their “The Gap” report shows that our country is short 7.3M affordable rental homes.
These types of courageous vision, government leadership, and innovative plans are promising and will lead us to bold, collaborative change.
We simply would not have the level of homelessness we have today if it weren’t for two things: 1) the federal government walking away from building housing 40+ years ago and 2) racism.
As a result, a tangle of systems emerged which often left out the people they were intended to serve, especially when it comes to our youth. Our challenge today, and I believe we can overcome it, is to increase effective government support, create effective systems, and most importantly to build public will that believes we can end homelessness and will hold our public sector accountable until we do.”
