Click on any of the questions below to be taken directly to the answer.
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What is the goal of the Sound Families program?
The goal of the Sound Families program is to make a significant impact on the lives of families in crisis in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties helping them move toward self-sufficiency. The initiative will provide partial support for housing and housing-based supportive services for families in transition out of homelessness. Services will include on-site case management, job search and referral services and tenant education. The program will also serve as a catalyst for a new level of cooperation on homeless-related issues among the three counties. Back to Top ^
Who is eligible to apply for a Sound Families grant?
Our region is already home to many successful nonprofit, affordable housing and service providers. These are the organizations most likely to propose projects for the Sound Families program. Partnerships between housing developers and service providers will be encouraged, in order to maximize the strengths of each. Back to Top ^
How will the grantees be chosen?
Grantees will respond to Requests for Proposals, which will be issued bi-annually over several years and will be selected through a competitive process. Applicants will need to demonstrate experience and capacity for developing housing, property management and family service provision and coordination. Proposals will be subject to a technical review by staff, who will then present the proposals to a Review Committee. The Review Committee will include knowledgeable representatives from the City of Seattle, City of Tacoma, King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, lender representatives and nonprofit representatives. Back to Top ^
Who will staff Sound Families?
The Seattle Office of Housing will provide the staffing initially, organizing a Steering Committee which will include representatives of all six jurisdictions, the state, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, nonprofit developers and service providers, the University of Washington and a private lender. The Office of Housing will also organize a Review Committee that will review individual proposals and make funding recommendations. Back to Top ^
Why did the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation decide to fund this program?
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began exploring this area because of its interest in child and family health. The long-term benefits of stable, healthy living environments have been well documented. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was impressed by the continuum of care approach from shelter to permanent housing that is at work in our region and selected a portion of that continuum where they could make a significant regional impact. Back to Top ^
Will there be any additional funders?
Support from multiple sources will be critical to the success of the Sound Families program. Affordable housing and service projects already include a combination of funding sources, and the Sound Families program projects will be the same. Other sources are likely to be the State Housing Trust Fund, HUD programs, locally administered funds, conventional mortgages from private lenders, low income housing tax credits, Federal Home Loan Bank grants and other smaller sources including private donors. Back to Top ^
Will there be an evaluation process for the program? For grantees?
Evaluation and measuring program outcomes will be an important part of the Sound Families program. The University of Washington School of Social Work will study the impact of the program on homeless families, on the organizations that serve those families, and on the overall system of housing and service delivery in the three county regions. All Sound Families sponsors will assist the University of Washington’s staff in gathering data. Several projects have been chosen as special study sites in order to gather in-depth data about homeless families and the impact of housing with services on their lives. Back to Top ^
Who will set the policies for funding and operation?
A Steering Committee will be established to set policies for funding and operation, based on an agreement among the jurisdictions and other participants. This Steering Committee will include representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the City of Seattle, City of Tacoma, City of Everett, King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, the state, a lender, the University of Washington School of Social Work and the non-profit development and provider community. This Steering Committee will balance resources among jurisdictions and make recommendations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Back to Top ^
Who will make final determinations on grants and guide other decision making?
The Steering Committee will make recommendations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation regarding these decisions.
What is included in "support services"?
Housing-based supportive services must cover a wide and varied range of need because families may be experiencing crisis for numerous reasons. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation intends to provide partial support to encourage social service agencies to provide their services close to home and focused on the whole family. Social services to families in transition are often fragmented, if they are available at all. They may include regaining economic stability, child care, skills training, counseling and placement, budgeting assistance, assistance obtaining clothing appropriate for work, domestic violence counseling for adults and children, legal advocacy, life skills, mental health services, chemical dependency counseling, transportation and food programs. While Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funds are not sufficient to cover all of these needs, they can be used to help social service providers target these services to the families living in the new supported housing units. Back to Top ^
What role does the University of Washington School of Social Work play in the program?
The University of Washington School of Social Work studied family needs in our region. They concluded that it is important to consider housing and supportive services together. The Seattle Office of Housing developed the proposal for the Sound Families program in conjunction with the School of Social Work's research and other data from the region. As the initiative is implemented, the School of Social Work will participate on the Steering Committee and coordinate the evaluation effort. Back to Top ^
Will the funds provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also support emergency housing?
The funds provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be directed to housing for families in transition out of homelessness. While Sound Families sets no time limit on the duration of either the families’ length of stay in housing nor the duration of services they will receive, providers generally recommend these services last for some period between six months to two years, depending on the needs of the family. This is different from the mission of emergency housing or family shelters. By providing a significant increase in the amount of supportive housing available, the Sound Families program hopes to relieve much of the pent-up demand that is now overwhelming our emergency housing system. Emergency shelters now must allow longer maximum periods of stay than in the past, in recognition of the fact that it may take months for a family to access a more stable situation. Families staying longer in emergency shelter mean that fewer families can be served, and more must be turned away. By providing an opportunity for families to move on, this will make sure that our continuum of services functions more effectively to meet the needs of families. Back to Top ^
Will the funds provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also support regular low-income, permanent housing?
The funds provided through the Sound Families program are intended to add new units of supported housing (housing with specialized, on-site services) for families in transition out of homelessness. Sound Families sponsored projects are not intended for families that been affected solely by economic displacement. These families can be safely moved directly into regular low-income housing. However, many families suffer from the effects of disabilities, chronic illness, domestic violence, or addiction, in addition to economic hardship. Many of these families have troubled housing histories and require a period of tenancy where they receive extensive social services. It is these families that Sound Families’ projects will serve. Whenever practical, Sound Families encourages a transition-in-place strategy where a family can remain in their housing unit once they have graduated from the need to receive supportive services. Back to Top ^
Why is this program only funding three counties in a region with such great need?
King, Pierce and Snohomish counties include the most expensive housing markets in Washington, and have seen the most rapid increase in housing prices in the state. By focusing efforts in a defined geographic area, there is a greater opportunity to make a significant and measurable impact on family health and stability. Finally, the coordination of multiple jurisdictions in a region is an innovative approach to addressing homelessness and will be more feasible and effective at this scale. As the effort demonstrates success, it may spur other funders to pursue similar efforts in other counties and in other states. |
