United Way of King County

Ensuring people have both stable housing and income is necessary in the fight against homelessness.

We know that the sooner people move off the streets, the less likely they are to fall back into homelessness. And, once off the streets, a stable income is just as necessary to maintain stable housing.

Streets to Home is a program that works with people experiencing homelessness to set them on a path of upward mobility by quickly getting them into housing and connecting them with employment so they can afford to stay there.

A key component of this work is recognizing and addressing racial inequities. People of color—especially Black, Indigenous and Latino people—are disproportionately experiencing homelessness at higher rates than white people in King County. Even before the pandemic, in Seattle, more than half the tenants in eviction filings are people of color. Black tenants are 4.5 times more likely to be evicted based on their share of the population. This is because of historical and current structural racism that creates barriers to generational wealth building, employment, housing and more.

Even without a 2021 Point-in-Time Count (canceled due to the pandemic), we know that homelessness is more visible than ever in our community. Since the pandemic, our investments have focused on prevention, particularly within communities of color.

Keeping people housed throughout this crisis positions our region to come out the other side much stronger.

We are focusing our efforts to combat these inequities by partnering with 12 agencies. These provider partners have a track record of working with Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) individuals and families and refugee communities experiencing homelessness and joblessness and connecting them to housing and jobs.

Thanks to our Street to Home partners, Cares of Washington, FareStart, Interaction Transition, Mary’s Place, Trac Associates and Muslim Housing Services (in partnership), Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), Urban League, Vine Maple Place, YouthCare, YWCA, Chief Seattle Club and REACH: Evergreen Treatment Services, roughly 70% of those helped were people of color.

How It Works

Everyone’s circumstances are different. That’s why flexibility is a big piece of the support that Streets to Home provides. Outreach workers from homeless and mental health organizations connect and partner with people experiencing homelessness to understand their unique needs. Flexible dollars are available to break down barriers toward stable housing and income. 

Success to Date

Since the start of the pandemic we have helped over 17,000 households stay in their homes and distributed over $80 million. With the pandemic, the flexibility of funds available through Streets to Home has become even more critical. In addition to housing and job support, through this program, we were also able to offer additional assistance for things like healthy food, reliable transportation and other basic needs.
Since July 1, 2021:

• 450 people connected to housing & employment.
• 95% of people are still housed after 6 months.
• Roughly 76% of people accessing the program were people of color.

Our Goal

Reduce the number of unsheltered people by 50%

By quickly connecting people with housing and income, we can reduce homelessness in King County. 

Streets to Home Honor Roll

With support from these generous donors, we are helping people off the streets and into a stable home.

More programs related to fighting homelessness:

• Housing Stability Support

• Eviction Prevention