The Homeless Prevention Project is a community partnership to serve families of color to prevent homelessness and increase housing stability through personal goal setting and peer navigation.

Homelessness prevention activities that use a navigation and creative conversation approach, leveraging a family’s own resources and resiliency as well as accessing available mainstream resources to secure housing arrangements that end the household’s housing instability. Peer navigators will partner with families to develop a viable plan to stabilize their current housing situation or move to stable, safe housing. Services are voluntary and determined through collaboration between staff and client, and may include:

• Assessment of immediate housing barriers and identification of options for alternate housing arrangements; initiate with family the steps needed to secure stable housing.
• Advocacy, mediation and dispute resolution with landlords, family, and friends to re-establish lease terms with recent rental, identify a safe and viable doubled-up option, or other secure stable housing option.
• Navigation to other services and resources including but not limited to Dept. of Social and Health Services (DSHS), civil legal assistance, financial counseling, employment and education services, and community resources such as food and clothing banks.
• One-time financial assistance to families including:
  • Landlord fees, including application fees, holding fees, damage/security deposits, background checks and credit check fees
  • Moving cost assistance, including moving vehicle rental; temporary storage rental; moving supplies
  • Other costs related to accessing or maintaining housing, such as legal fees, interpreter/translation fees, etc.
  • Rental assistance and rental arrearages
  • Transportation, include car repairs; bus passes; gas cards; bus tickets, or other reasonable transportation fees to relocate participants if their primary housing solutions are out of County or State
  • Utility payments and arrearages, including one-time utility subsidy payment to family/friends to support safe, doubled up situation; utility payment or debt that prevents family from securing housing
  • Work or education related materials, including necessary equipment, supplies, clothing; certification, licensing, or documentation fees