Building Changes

With a belief that everyone in Washington can be stably housed, Building Changes works to strengthen the leaders, organizations, and systems that are serving families experiencing homelessness. Building Changes is a leading partner in our long-term efforts to improve the crisis response systems in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, as well as in newer efforts to address student homelessness. Building Changes serves as an intermediary organization for the Gates Foundation; with our funding, they lead and oversee these regional initiatives to make homelessness brief and rare.

Together with Building Changes, our ultimate goal is to make homelessness unusual with an approach that recognizes families’ innate strengths, fosters collaboration, streamlines government systems, and uses resources more efficiently. These proven principles guide our partnership:

• Prevention and Diversion, including short-term flexible assistance tailored to each family’s needs, such as landlord mediation, help with overdue rent and utility bills, and emergency food, clothing, childcare, and transportation.
• Coordinated Entry, which allows families to make just one phone call to access housing and support services (Call 211 in King County).
• Rapid Re-Housing to place families in permanent housing as soon as possible—reducing the length of stay and higher costs of emergency and transitional shelter.

Through Schoolhouse Washington, Building Changes is also improving housing stability and advancing educational success for the more than 40,000 students in our state who experience homelessness.

Learn more: https://buildingchanges.org


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