Aug 11, 2026
First-of-its-kind public-private partnership brings proven youth homelessness prevention program to Seattle
City approves launching the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund to help more young people stay safely housed
SEATTLE, WA – The Washington Acceleration Fund today warmly welcomed Seattle’s approval of a new public-private partnership to bring the state’s nationally recognized Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) to Seattle, expanding access to a proven youth homelessness prevention model for the first time to King County. The partnership pairs city investment with dollar-for-dollar matching philanthropic support from the Washington Acceleration Fund to help young people remain in stable housing before crisis becomes homelessness.
Until now, young people in the state’s largest population center have not had access to one of Washington’s most effective homelessness prevention tools. By extending this proven model to Seattle, the partnership marks an important step in expanding early, flexible support for young people and strengthening a more coordinated response to homelessness prevention across the region. The Seattle pilot will be implemented in partnership with the Seattle Human Services Department, United Way of King County, and Building Changes.
Launched this year, the Washington Acceleration Fund is a new philanthropic initiative dedicated to working in partnership with the public sector to scale proven, data-driven solutions to youth homelessness across Washington state.
HPDF is Washington state’s first flexible fund designed specifically for young people ages 12 to 24 who are at immediate risk of losing their housing or are experiencing homelessness. It uses a no wrong door model that enables broad accessibility to young people facing housing instability. Since launching in 2020, the program has become an important tool for preventing youth homelessness, contributing to Washington’s 40% decrease in youth homelessness over six years.
HPDF is an important part of the regional Built for Zero approach, which launched earlier this year in King County to bring together youth, providers, government, and philanthropy around shared goals, accountability, and coordinated action. Through this public-private partnership, communities use real-time data, continuous improvement, and cross-sector collaboration to make youth homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.
Data shows that an integral part of solving homelessness is preventing it from occurring in the first place. Forty-eight percent of adults experiencing chronic homelessness first experienced homelessness as a young person. HPDF can break this cycle.
The HPDF model promotes stability by providing flexible and accessible funding tailored to young people’s unique needs. 98% of participants exited into permanent housing, 87% remained housed one year later, and the average intervention cost ($1,683 per household) is a fraction of the cost of emergency shelter. HPDF also consistently reaches young people who may not be served by traditional programs: 53% of households served identify as BIPOC, 18% as LGBQ+, and 26% as pregnant or parenting.
The Schultz Family Foundation, the Raikes Foundation, and the Campion Foundation supported HPDF's early development across Washington state. Now, through the new Washington Acceleration Fund, the funders are working with public and community partners to bring the program to Seattle .
“Youth homelessness rarely looks the way people expect. Often a young person is couch-surfing at a friend's one week and staying with a relative the next, while trying to stay in school,” said Tricia Raikes of the Raikes Foundation, on behalf of the Washington Acceleration Fund. “Every situation is different, which is why tailored support matters. HPDF is coming to Seattle with the city, community partners, and philanthropy all at the table. Together we can help more young people find a safe place to call home and keep building the future they want.”
“HPDF demonstrates the power of prevention and diversion: when we listen to young people and provide flexible support at the right moment, we can keep a housing challenge from becoming a life-altering crisis. We were proud to help catalyze HPDF’s launch in Washington six years ago and its success since then reflects the sustained commitment of young people, community organizations, philanthropy and public agencies across the state. That journey shows the unique power of multi-sector partnership. Philanthropy can help seed and test promising ideas, while public partners help shape, scale and sustain what works,” said Sheri Schultz, Co-Founder and Chair of the Schultz Family Foundation. “We are thrilled to bring this proven approach to Seattle and grateful to Councilmember Foster, the Seattle City Council for their leadership in helping more young people remain safely housed.”
“This public-private partnership brings a proven youth homelessness prevention model to Seattle and shows how we can use creative budget solutions to meet urgent needs,” said Seattle Councilmember Dionne Foster. “This investment will ensure fewer young people experience homelessness in the first place. I’m grateful to the Washington Acceleration Fund and our community partners for helping bring this effective approach to Seattle.”
About the Washington Acceleration Fund
The Washington Acceleration Fund is a philanthropic initiative working to end youth homelessness in Washington by accelerating proven, data-driven solutions. Building on the state’s significant progress in reducing youth homelessness, the Fund supports public-private partnerships, community-led strategies, and investments that help more young people stay safely housed and thrive. The Fund is supported by individuals and foundations including the Schultz Family Foundation, Raikes Foundation, and Campion Foundation.