Front Door Help for Families in Need
Front Door Help for Families in Need
One thing is clear: Families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless need housing and support services to stabilize their lives. It would be ideal if that help was one phone call away. That’s one of the new strategies we’re working on in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.
Currently, homeless families have to make the rounds to many different agencies to get the help they need. It’s a burdensome process for people whose lives are already strained. Work is under way in our region to centralize access to housing and services, which includes just one phone number to call and a common tool for assessing needs and matching a family with a provider who can best support them.
Simplifying the way families get help at the front end makes sense — for families, service providers, and taxpayers. Care that is better coordinated and more streamlined means that existing services and resources will be used more efficiently and effectively.
This idea is not a new one, but it takes work and funding to put it into practice. Beginning in 2011, Building Changes will work with public-sector partners and providers to put this and other innovative new strategies into action. Our goal is to help reinvent our region’s approach to combating family homelessness. We know we can’t do it alone, and we’re grateful for the partnerships and funders who are mapping the way with us.
