Human Services

Goals and Strategies

The goal of the Human Services program is to support, empower, uplift, and create opportunities for long-term success and a brighter future for unaccompanied youth and young adults (age 12-24) who are in crisis, have experienced trauma, or are aging out of the foster care system. We want to support these youth and young adults in their journey from surviving to thriving.

Approach

We will consider funding organizations or programs that provide support for youth/young adults suffering from trauma, mental illness, or addiction, with priority given to homeless youth and those impacted by the foster care system. While the full spectrum of services for youth in crisis is essential, we expect to do the bulk of our grantmaking in two areas:

Prevention and early intervention work to keep young people from sleeping in unsafe situations — or at a minimum make that a very brief and one-time occurrence, and
Support for long-term stability support services.

Why Take This Approach?

We believe treatment and support for mental health issues and trauma can help prevent homelessness and addiction later in life. We also believe supporting youth/young adults as they transition out of foster care and into independent living increases their odds for a positive future.

Guidelines

Our grantmaking is currently focused in King County, WA. Organizations must meet at least one of the following criteria in order to be considered:

Have leaders and/or staff that are representative of the community they serve. We believe that the best programs will have mentors and leaders that truly understand and can identify with those they serve (e.g., staff that have been homeless or in foster care or are open about their own mental health, trauma, or addiction struggles). We value organizations or programs that emphasize connection to and even emanate from the communities they seek to serve; those that embrace the mantra "nothing about us without us” in all aspects of their work.
Organizations or programs that include or connect to wrap-around services for youth/young adults. For example: organizations that identify and connect youth to community resources, offer job/skills training and/or provide case management. We value organizations that partner with others in the community to ensure all of a young person’s needs are met.

Priority Will Be Given to Programs and Organizations That:

Work to build strong community for participating youth/young adults in ways appropriate to the individual’s situation. Examples could include identifying opportunities for family unification, supporting youths’ families with counseling services, or encouraging active contribution to the success of peers and the program.
Provide a “safe space” offering love and encouragement, as well as the long-term support of peers and community, with the goal of moving youth/young adults permanently out of homelessness.
Use a strength-based approach that builds on and celebrates existing assets of youth and young adults.
View participants holistically, acknowledging and providing support to address potential barriers to success.
Support youth/young adults during the latter years of foster care and those who have recently aged out of foster care.
Emphasize and provide lasting recovery support for youth/young adults who have experienced trauma and struggle with mental health issues and/or addiction. We believe lasting recovery is a process that takes time and investment and we want to support programs that provide stability.

Finally, we recognize the significant over-representation of marginalized communities across all of these issues and are most interested in organizations that acknowledge and seek to address racial and social injustice in their work.

The Human Services Program Will Not Fund:

Organizations that focus only on short-term rehabilitation to mental health, addiction, and homelessness issues
Event sponsorships
Scholarships
Individuals
Capital campaigns

2020 Human Services Grants

After the first three years of LNFF engaging in this area of grantmaking, we continue to learn and expect that specific priorities and guidelines will continue to evolve as well. For these first three years, we focused our Human Services grantmaking in King County, Washington. In the future we hope to learn about aligned work in other communities of significance to the Laird Norton family and extend our geographic reach as appropriate.

Atlantic street center

Atlantic Street Center (ASC) (Seattle, WA) $27,500
For general operating support. ASC helps families and communities raise healthy, successful children and youth through direct services and advocacy for social justice and equity.

Choose 180

CHOOSE 180 (Burien, WA) $22,500
For general operating support. CHOOSE 180 envisions a future where youthful behavior is decriminalized and young people are offered restorative practices in lieu of traditional prosecution. In place of the school to prison pipeline, a community will exist to help young people realize their potential and provide them with the tools necessary to achieve their goals.

kent youth and family services

Kent Youth and Family Services (KYFS) (Kent, WA) $20,000
For general operating support. KYFS promotes healthy development of children, youth and families in South King County by providing professional counseling, education, and support services.

Legal Counsel for youth and children

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) (Seattle, WA) $25,000
General operating support for holistic legal advocacy for youth and young adults in King County, offered to clients free of charge. Nearly half of the youth they serve are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, a majority are youth of color, and more than 25% identify as LGBTQ+. LCYC improves the well-being of youth and children by advancing their legal rights.

Navos

Navos (Seattle, WA) $20,000
General support for Navos' Independence Bridge program, a community housing facility in South King County. Residents include youth and young adults who have been diagnosed with a mental health issue, many of whom have also experienced substance use, homelessness, transitioned out of foster care, and been at risk for sexual exploitation. Navos transforms the quality of life for people vulnerable to mental illness and substance use disorders by providing a broad continuum of care.

New horizons ministries

New Horizons Ministries (Seattle, WA) $25,000
For general operating support. Previous LNFF grants supported New Horizons' Cedar Street and The Nest enhanced shelters for young adults. Since its inception in 1978, New Horizons has connected youth experiencing homelessness to resources they need to exit street life through basic services and positive relationships.

nexus youth and families

Nexus Youth and Families (Auburn, WA) $20,000
For general operating support. Nexus Youth and Families works to empower youth, young adults, and families through comprehensive emergency services, case management, and behavioral healthcare.

powerful voices

Powerful Voices (Seattle, WA) $25,000
For general operating support. Previous LNFF grants supported Powerful Voices' Student Advocate program, which serves girls who are at risk of school drop-out, incarceration, those in the Juvenile Justice system, and those who are at risk of perpetuating violence or being victimized by violence. Powerful Voices creates brave spaces with girls of color to take charge of their own power as leaders, igniting their abilities to confidently express themselves, build community, and act against injustices affecting their lives.

Ryther

Ryther (Seattle, WA) $25,000
For general operating support. Previous LNFF grants supported Ryther's Transitional Youth Services program, which embeds therapists in youth drop-in shelters, day centers, and transitional living programs to eliminate the barrier of traveling for services. Ryther provides exceptional therapeutic services to young people who are struggling emotionally and behaviorally so they may find a path to healing and hope.

Teamchild

TeamChild (Seattle, WA) $15,000
For general operating support. TeamChild upholds the rights of youth involved, or at risk of being involved, in the juvenile justice system to help them secure the education, healthcare, housing and other supports they need to achieve positive outcomes in their lives.

the mockingbird society

The Mockingbird Society (Seattle, WA) $25,000
For general operating support. The Mockingbird Society works to transform foster care and end youth homelessness. They create, support, and advocate for racially equitable, healthy environments that develop and empower young people at risk of - or who are experiencing - foster care or homelessness. Working in partnership with young people with lived experience, they change policies and perceptions standing between any child and a safe, supportive, and stable home.

united indians of all tribes foundation

United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF)
(Seattle, WA) $25,000
For general operating support. Previous LNFF grants supported Native Family Foster Support Groups in Seattle and Tukwila, with the development of a new Outdoor Education Program. UIATF provides educational, cultural, and social services that reconnect Indigenous people in the Puget Sound region to their heritage by strengthening their sense of belonging and significance as Native people.

Wa State Student and Youth Homelessness COVID-19 Response Fund at Building Changes

WA State Student and Youth Homelessness COVID-19 Response Fund at Building Changes (Seattle, WA) $50,000
Support for the Washington State Student and Youth Homelessness COVID-19 Response Fund administered by Building Changes and created in partnership with the Raikes Foundation. The fund works with the state’s Office of Homeless Youth, youth and young adults with experience in homelessness, and their own network of school staff and housing providers to provide flexible funding to organizations, school districts, and local tribes.