The Washington State Department of Commerce is making up to $422,000 available to contract with a community-based organization(s) to support the involvement of young people and families, with lived experience of housing instability and/or systems involvement, in the interagency youth homelessness prevention workgroup. Applicants, applicant partners, and/or sub-grantee must serve and be substantially governed by marginalized populations.
Funding available through this grant is solely for the purpose of building capacity for collaboration between one or more organizations and the Office of Homeless Youth (OHY) to establish a permanent Youth Homelessness Prevention Steering Committee of lived experts. This committee will serve as an advisory body for the implementation of recommendations outlined in the WA State Strategic Plan on the Prevention of Youth & Young Adult Homelessness – Shifting Services and Systems to Prevent Youth Housing Instability alongside an interagency youth homelessness prevention workgroup.
OHY is seeking one or more partner organization(s) to re-establish the Steering Committee to act as an advisory body to our prevention work. The partner organization(s) ought to be aligned with the following values: transparency, inclusion, compassion, curiosity, accessibility, trauma informed, diversity, empathy and collaboration. The role of the partner organization(s) would be to nurture and support the Steering Committee to participate at a state level on policy decision making with OHY and state agency partners. Activities would include:
- Provide access to and/or develop customized trainings based on the Steering Committee’s needs, including but not limited to policy/advocacy, leadership development and civic engagement certification of co-design principles and methodologies; building the Steering Committee’s ability to self-organize; and optional training such as peer specialist training, social worker, and mental health first aid.
- Holistically support Steering Committee members to address life changes, whether housing instability or other barriers, that may impact full participation. These supports may include flexible funding, service navigation, referrals to providers, etc.
- On-going support to help Steering Committee members advocate and push for the recommendations put forward in the final strategic plan on youth homelessness prevention to be implemented.
- Support the integration of the Steering Committee into state agency advisory bodies across Washington.
- Facilitate collaboration with state agencies and other state-level stakeholders around prevention.
- Ensure Steering Committee members are appropriately compensated for their time in a timely and efficient manner.
Bidder’s conference
A bidder’s conference will be held April 15, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT. Attendance is encouraged but not required. A recording of the webinar will be posted in YHPSC RFA Materials.