Key Learnings from the Equitable Homeless System Design Project

Building off our learnings from the 10-year Family Homelessness Initiative and with additional funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Building Changes created the Equitable Homeless System Design project to focus on narrowing service gaps and addressing inequitable structures, policies, and processes in the homeless response system that prevent families of color from obtaining safe and stable housing. We supported four organizations, which serve geographically and population-diverse counties in Washington State, to address these inequities and provide collaboratively designed, culturally appropriate, tailored support for families of color in their communities. Through the Equitable Homeless System Design project and our partnerships with Helping Hands Project Organization, Port of Support, Share, and Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, we gained a better understanding of what it will take to continue building a more equitable homeless response in communities across the state. This brief summarizes overarching learnings in four key areas—Funding, Housing Strategies, Internal Racial Equity Work, and External Racial Equity Work—and highlights partner projects and key learnings.