The Youth Diversion Infrastructure Project (YDIP) is a joint project of Building Changes and A Way Home Washington that aims to reduce homelessness for young people exiting the child welfare system, juvenile detention and rehabilitation centers, behavioral health facilities, and other publicly funded systems of care in Washington State. YDIP utilizes flexible funding and the strengths-based, person-centered approach of Diversion to help youth and young adults secure safe and stable housing, as defined by the young person. Funding for the project comes through a grant from the state Office of Homeless Youth made possible by House Bill 1905 and through private funding from the Raikes Foundation and the Schultz Family Foundation.
This four-page brief provides an overview of YDIP, how it works, and preliminary findings from the project’s first six months of operation in five communities across Washington State: Pierce, Clark, Yakima, Walla Walla, and Spokane counties. Key learnings identified speak to the strengths of YDIP: there is no minimum age for young people served by the project; strategies are focused on systems of care; and it employs a community-based approach.
