Housing Stability for Youth in Courts (H-SYNC)
Overview
The H-SYNC model was developed by the UW CoLab team in collaboration with Snohomish and Kitsap County workgroups and is intended to serve as a prevention tool for youth homelessness. Specifically, it’s designed to identify youth at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness within existing processes in juvenile court systems and refer youth and their families to appropriate prevention and housing services via a stepped-care navigation model. The court system serves as a pivotal resource for the identification of these populations in need due to the high frequency of police and court contact these populations experience.
Status
King, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Okanogan Counties implemented the H-SYNC pilot program in collaboration with the UW CoLab and community partners between 2019 and 2022.
As of 2022, H-SYNC prevention program is coordinated by the Y Social Impact Center at the YMCA of Greater Seattle. H-SYNC now represents a state-wide partnership between juvenile courts and local social service providers across counties including King, Snohomish, Peirce, Spokane, Okanagan and Kitsap.
Learn More
Contact the Housing Stability for Youth in Courts Director Sheala Anderson at shealaanderson@seattleymca.org, 206.687.0293.
H-SYNC Toolkit
Click through below to access HSYNC’s program startup toolkit, which includes documents needed to start up a Housing Stability for Youth in Courts (HSYNC) program.
Relevant Publications
Housing Stability for Youth in Courts: A “cash-plus” model for legally involved youth
Information sheet - Y Social Impact Center at the YMCA of Greater Seattle
H-SYNC Spring 2021 Update
H-SYNC Progress Report (October 2019)
Almquist, L. & Walker, S. (2019, September 20). Courts, Social Services Can Work Together on Housing Instability. Youth Today. Retrieved from https://youthtoday.org/2019/09/courts-social-services-can-work-together-on-housing-instability/
Overview of H-SYNC Model Components
Walker, S., Valencia, E., Bishop, A., Irons, M. & Gertseva, A. (2018). Developing a coordinated youth housing stability program for juvenile courts. Cityscape, 20(3), 117-137.
Walker, S., Valencia, E., & Vick, K. (2018). Report of a Research to Practice Partnership to Develop the Youth Housing Stability Model for Juvenile Courts. Seattle, WA: Center for the Study and Advancement of Justice Effectiveness (SAJE).