Building Changes

08/18/2026

WEBINAR 8/26/26

Join the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Project Education Impact (PEI) Data Review Session to explore academic outcomes for students experiencing homelessness, students in foster care, and students involved in Juvenile Rehabilitation.

Wednesday, August 26 | 10–11:30 a.m. PT

The session will be led by Heather McCabe, Research Scientist with the Education Research & Data Center (ERDC). This is an opportunity to look at the PEI data and ask questions. Your participation and perspective are valuable.

➡️ Register via Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/286588547919885?p=j4ArofHKMVOfA2nZ0V

📊 Help prioritize the measures for the session by completing the Data Survey: https://forms.office.com/g/aVU8bfmYUj

We encourage our education partners and others working to advance educational equity to join the conversation!

08/17/2026

“It’s really effective because each community can use the program in a way that serves them the best and what works for them.”

Our Director of Measurement, Learning, Evaluation (MLE) Devin Noel-Endres recently spoke with The Seattle Times about the expansion of the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) to Seattle and what makes the model work.

HPDF works through trusted providers who already know and support young people in their communities.

Thanks to the Seattle Human Services, United Way of King County, Washington Acceleration Fund, including Raikes Foundation, Campion Advocacy Fund, and Schultz Family Foundation, for your partnership in bringing HPDF to Seattle!

The need could be great: A 2024 count of homelessness in King County found more than 800 young people under the age of 25 living in shelters or outside.

08/11/2026

Last week, Building Changes was honored to be part of the National Funder Summit on Youth Housing Stability in Seattle, hosted by Funders Together for Housing Justice and the Raikes Foundation.

Our Director of Policy & External Affairs Aaron Yared joined leaders in this space to dig into what’s working in Washington and what others can learn from it. Strong coalitions like the WA Coalition for Homeless Youth Advocacy (WACHYA), cross-sector partnerships, and a willingness to try new approaches are driving real progress: from the Homeless Student Stability Program (HSSP) and Upstream to our recent coalition victory securing McKinney-Vento protections for Washington students.

We're thankful for the opportunity to learn and share alongside our peers, spotlighting Washington as a model for communities across the country.

📷 Kristen Ellingboe, Raikes Foundation

08/07/2026

"Originally launched in 2020 through a partnership between Building Changes, the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Office of Homeless Youth and regional partners, HPDF has expanded to 10 communities across Washington and has become one of the state’s most successful youth homelessness prevention programs."

Thanks to The Seattle Medium for highlighting the Homelessness Prevention & Diversion Fund's expansion to Seattle! We’re excited for this partnership to help more young people stay safely housed and achieve lasting stability.

READ:

Seattle is set to launch a proven youth homelessness prevention program via a 2026 mid-year supplemental budget proposal.

08/04/2026

NEWS: The Homelessness Prevention & Diversion Fund (HPDF) is expanding to Seattle!

Building Changes is thrilled to partner with Seattle Human Services, United Way of King County, and the Washington Acceleration Fund to bring HPDF to Seattle.

Homelessness is not inevitable. It is preventable. For more than six years, Building Changes has led this proven prevention model across Washington, helping young people resolve housing crises before they become homelessness through flexible, community-based support. This partnership will help ensure more young people get the support they need before a crisis becomes homelessness.

Thank you to Councilmember Dionne Foster for championing this partnership, and to our philanthropic partners of the Washington Accelerator Fund: Raikes Foundation, Campion Advocacy Fund, and Schultz Family Foundation.

READ MORE:

City, philanthropy, and community partners unite to keep young people safely housed Today Councilmember Dionne Foster (Position 9) announced a proven public-private partnership that will bring Washington state’s nationally recognized Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) to S...

07/30/2026

Summer is in full swing!

Take a look at our July e-newsletter for team updates, what we're reading, and the latest from our work across Washington. Check it out, and sign up to receive our monthly updates: https://buildingchanges.cmail20.com/t/j-e-yduudjz-hkydjttjly-z/

07/27/2026

Our BC crew recently gathered for a summer picnic, celebrating colleagues embarking on new adventures, welcoming new teammates, and spending time together as a community. Here's to sunny Seattle summer days and the people who make this work possible!

07/22/2026

Are you a board member or staff member of a community foundation concerned about the growing challenges facing immigrant and refugee families and communities?

Join Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees and Philanthropy Northwest for the Community Foundations Network Huddle on Wednesday, July 29, from 10–11 a.m. PT.

This virtual gathering will bring together community foundation peers from across the country to discuss how philanthropy can better support immigrant and refugee communities through stronger coordination, partnership, advocacy, and strategic investment.

This event is open to staff and board members of community foundations. Register and learn more here: https://philanthropynw.org/events/grantmakers-concerned-immigrants-and-refugees-network-huddle-community-foundations

07/16/2026

"Here’s what a coordinated system looks like. Start with a shared map of where people are and where they fit. Where is someone in terms of housing stability? A tent, a car, a shelter, a group home, a tiny home, an apartment? Each step comes with different supports, different costs and different next steps."

Coordinated systems house people and prevent homelessness. In this new op-ed for The Seattle Times, Jeremy Wolff shares a lived-experience perspective on why stronger coordination across housing, services, and community partners is essential to helping more people achieve long-term stability.

Seattle is good at effort. We’re less good at coordination. The mayor’s 1,000 beds for unsheltered people should be the beginning, not the plan itself.

07/14/2026

🎉 WELCOME to our new staff!

Building Changes is thrilled to welcome Leah Alvarado as our new Director of Organizational Effectiveness & Engagement and Darlene Weigle as our Interim Director of Programs & Strategic Initiatives.

We're also excited to congratulate Devin Noel-Endres on his new role as Director of Measurement, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) after serving in an interim capacity.

Please join us in welcoming Leah and Darlene and congratulating Devin as they help advance our mission to prevent youth and family homelessness across Washington!

https://buildingchanges.org/about-us/meet-our-people/