Washington was able to reduce youth homelessness by 40% over 6 years through measures such as direct cash transfers, a new report from the Washington State Department of Commerce and A Way Home Washington found. The report begins with an analysis of disproportional Youth Homelessness demographics concerning LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals and recommends greater community-based planning with youth to help tackle issues concerning homelessness and mental health. Importantly, this study on Young Adult Homelessness found that equitable one-time cash grants of about $1,900 have helped the number of homeless youth decrease from 24,000 to 14,000.
According to the report, direct cash transfers serve as a preventative mechanism for affected youth by minimizing the usage of inadequate transitionary housing. In Washington, these funds are typically used to meet apartment payments as minimum wage in the state requires 72 hours per week of work to afford fair market rent housing. Although the data presented suggests promising solutions, the authors note the value of this data is limited by the sample size and data sets present.