Success Story

Anika is studying to be a speech therapist and has two young girls—both under the age of 6. Her husband—a man with a fiery temper and struggling with addiction—began acting unpredictably, sometimes disappearing for days on end, sometimes blowing up at his daughters. One night, Anika confronted her husband and he went off the rails. When he put his fist through the wall she knew, for her own safety and the safety of her girls, she had to get out.

She talked to shelters, she mined the Internet for resources and direction, but she kept hitting dead ends. After spending hours on the phone, talking to shelters and attempting to meet conflicting requirements in the system that was intending to help her, Anika realized, "Finding housing is hugely time consuming - it's like a full time job."

Building Changes ensures communities around Washington State are creating solutions to homelessness for individuals and families like Anika and her children. We're helping local communities implement a coordinated entry system, which allows families and individuals in housing crisis to make a single call and be matched with available resources to meet their specific needs. This system helped Anika find housing that kept her family safe and together, and will help connect people to services quicker across Washington State.