Senate Bill 6560 required the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the Office of Homeless Youth (OHY) to develop a plan that ensures no young person will be discharged into homelessness from a system of care. This bill required multiple agencies to do things very differently, which was a new approach to our work.
We recently developed an Improving Stability for Youth Exiting Care fact sheet showing our joint progress toward moving the needle on this important work. The fact sheet provides a high-level overview of steps taken to improve housing access, provide mental health support, and expand programming to support youth exiting care. It also explains needed legislative action and investments to fully implement the bill.
If you have any questions about this work, please contact DCYF’s Adolescent Programs team at dcyf.adolescentprograms@dcyf.wa.gov.