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6 <br /> Washington Youth & Families Fund <br /> Memorandum of Understanding <br /> We come together in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Washington Families Fund and of the <br /> substantial collective progress we have made preventing and ending family homelessness in Washington <br /> State.This Memorandum of Understanding(MOU)signifies both new and renewed commitments to <br /> work together on a complex issue that requires collaborative,multi-system solutions.Through <br /> continuous shared learning,testing promising new ideas,and focusing our collective resources on what <br /> works,we can make youth,young adult and family homelessness a rare event.And we can ensure that <br /> when it does happen, it is a brief and one-time occurrence: - • <br /> This MO. articulates our intention to continue and expand the public-private partnership,as further <br /> described below.This MOU replaces the Washington Families Fund MOUs executed in 2004 and 2009 <br /> and changes the name to the Washington Youth and Families Fund. <br /> RECITALS <br /> The Washington Families Fund(WFF)was created in 2004 as a public-private partnership focused on <br /> providing services for homeless families across the state. Building Changes was selected to administer <br /> the Fund. <br /> • <br /> A new MOU was signed in 2009 to.expand WFF,adding a cross-systems approach and launching pilots to <br /> test innovative new strategies in King,Pierce,and Snohomish Counties. <br /> Much has been accomplished since 2004: <br /> • We have, by one measure,achieved a 35% reduction in family homelessness in Washington <br /> State.' <br /> • The State has allocated$17 million to the Washington Families Fund,which has leveraged$38.5 <br /> million in investments from 25 different private funders. <br /> • Mainstream systems—such as public housing authorities,workforce development, K-12 <br /> education,community colleges and primary and-behavioral healthcare—are now working <br /> together to create housing stability for homeless families. <br /> • WFF has supported 80 organizations in 21 counties across the state and has: <br /> o Developed and funded a new model of supportive housing for families with multiple barriers to <br /> stability,which is generating significant!earnings about what works to support high-needs <br /> families. <br /> o Advanced the implementation of Rapid Re-Housing strategies in communities across <br /> Washington State. <br /> o Focused on employment as a key strategy for ending family homelessness. <br /> o Piloted new approaches to improving the way families are served, by focusing on the <br /> performance of the entire system, not just individual programs. <br /> ' Family homelessness was reduced by 35%in Washington between 2006 and 2014,according to the annual point <br /> in time counts as reported to the Washington State Department of Commerce.The more robust data source of <br /> Homeless Management Information Systems(HMIS)will be used going forward. <br /> Pagei1 <br /> 20 <br />