Count Us In 2018 - Press Release
Last updated: March 22, 2023, at 5:03 a.m. PT
Originally published: May 31, 2018, at 4:06 p.m. PT
Mark Putnam, Accelerator YMCA Executive Director Responds to King County’s Annual Homelessness Data Count
Seattle, May 31, 2018 - The data for Count Us In, All Home’s annual Point In Time homelessness count, has been released. Last year in my role as Executive Director for All Home, I led the count effort and have seen the importance of this data in driving awareness and action.
The number of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness increased from 1,498 in 2017 to 1,518 in 2018, and while it is clear there is much more work to do, the Y has implemented several innovative programs that are disrupting this trend in big ways.
We know that systemic failures have led to the high rates of youth homelessness, not individual failures. Take Eric* for example, who was removed from his home after experiencing domestic violence, only to be placed in twenty foster homes by the time he turned eighteen. Eric’s story is not uncommon, as 1 in 3 youth experiences homelessness within a year of aging out of foster care. In response, the Y partnered with Youth Villages (a national organization) to replicate an evidence-based program called YV LifeSet. This program offers intensive case management that supports youth aging out of foster care as they transition into adulthood. In 2017, 86% of young people served through YV LifeSet were stably housed one year post services...