We are moving in the right direction
Washington state has reduced youth homelessness by 40%. This means that, compared to a few years ago, 10,000 more young people are sleeping safely each night in our state.
Each one of these young people is now on a more stable path, and has a sense of safety and future opportunity back within reach.
This is really, really good news.
However, there are still thousands of young people between the ages of 12-24 still sleeping on couches, in cars, and in shelters.
This is why, together with the Raikes Foundation and The Schulz Family Foundation, the Campion Foundation established the WA Acceleration Fund to end youth homelessness in Washington state.
We believe we can get that 40% to a full 100%.
Real-time, relevant data
Another example of working together is philanthropy forming partnerships with government agencies to help local communities get real-time, relevant data on the young people in their community that need help with housing—and then tracking which solutions are working and why.
Collaboration also created the Office of Homeless Youth, one of the first state agencies focused entirely on youth homelessness. With OHY as a hub, we will leverage every established structure—juvenile justice, foster care, education, healthcare—to build a community-wide effort to identify and respond to every young person in crisis.
The typical HPDF grant is $1,683 and it works:
- 98% of participants exited into permanent housing
- 87% remained housed one year later
Innovative & proven solutions
What’s unique about Washington and the WA Acceleration Fund is our focus on public-private partnerships—philanthropy and government working together to scale data-driven solutions across the state and help more young people.
One such solution, the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF), is an excellent example of philanthropic investment and government leverage.
Traditional public support programs designed for adults are often too cumbersome, resulting in young people falling through the cracks. Youth know what they need to stay safely housed or secure safe housing, and when they told us, we listened. They need flexible and accessible funding at critical moments.
Accelerating the momentum
The WA Acceleration Fund is the force that builds on what’s already working—and accelerates it into transformative impact. Washington can be the first state to end youth homelessness.
Your support will accelerate the momentum and increase the impact. We invite you to learn more.
- WA Acceleration Fund website
- Read our Prospectus
- Take a quick look at our two-pager
- Read the HPDF press release
- “Seattle launches youth homelessness fund after success in other counties,” The Seattle Times, August 2026
- “WA’s ‘on of a kind’ youth homelessness response shows big results,” The Seattle Times, May 2024
Questions?
Please contact Sheila Babb Anderson, President, Housing & Homelessness, Campion Foundation or Jessica Ross, Director of Philanthropic Advising, Seattle Foundation.
The Seattle Foundation is partnering with us to provide administrative and fiscal stewardship for the WA Acceleration Fund.
