Ending Family Homelessness

Homelessness is commonly thought of as a problem primarily facing single men, but according to a report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, half of people who become homeless live in families. Homeless families tend to have young children. Nationally, 42 percent of the children in homeless families are aged 5 and under.

The social services system for families before and after they become homeless is highly compartmentalized and individual agencies don't adequately coordinate with each other. When families become homeless they face a sea of confusion and once they get services, they have no guarantees on the quality of care.

Family homelessness is a complicated problem, but there are solutions. A close partner in our work to end family homelessness is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has developed a five-pronged approach for helping families avoid or recover from homelessness: early intervention and prevention, coordination of support services, rapid re-housing, tailoring of services to each family's individual needs and help in becoming employed and managing money.

In line with this approach, United Way of King County works first to prevent families from falling into homelessness. We fund job and financial skills training and asset-building programs that can shore up a family's economic stability. Programs include the Free Tax Preparation Campaign, a program that allows working families to keep more of what they earn.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY

• The 2010 One Night Count reported that 3,388 people in King County were members of homeless families with children.
• Homeless children are twice as likely to repeat a grade, and nearly 30 percent go to three or more schools a year.