Friends of Youth Launches Aggressive Campaign to Raise $1.5M to Fund Shelter and Support for Homeless Youth

Building Futures, One Life at a Time: Campaign gifts help young people and families across East King County find stability.  

Kirkland, WA — Nov. 13, 2026 — On a single night in January 2026, an estimated 18,365 people were experiencing homelessness in King County, up 9% from 2024, and 64% were living unsheltered, according to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. As winter settles in, Friends of Youth is asking neighbors across east King County to help keep its shelter, housing, counseling, and foster care services open for the young people and families who count on them.  

The organization's annual giving campaign opens on Sunday, November 15, the start of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 15–21) and includes  GivingTuesday on December 1. Year-end gifts are a key part of Friends of Youth's goal to raise $1.5 million, plus $350,000 in donated goods and services, from individuals, businesses, and community events in the fiscal year running July 2026 through June 2027.  

Hunger and homelessness don't pause for the holidays. In the 2026 fiscal year (July 2025 to June 2026), Friends of Youth served 3,220 youth, young adults, and families, and 408 youth and families moved on to permanent housing, 30% more than the year before. That work starts with the most basic things: a safe place to sleep, a hot meal, and a supportive, caring adult. 

• Emergency shelter: Youth Haven provides emergency shelter for youth ages 7 to 17. Willows Services Center offers shelter and daytime drop-in for young adults ages 18 to 24, 24 hours a day, including holidays, with meals, showers, and laundry. It serves 26 young adults a night and can expand to 35 in severe weather. 

• Housing: Short-term rental assistance, housing navigation, and transitional and affordable housing for young adults and families. Rapid Rehousing cut the time to stable housing by 40%, from 79 days to 48. 

• Counseling and support: Individual, family, and group counseling for ages 4 to 24, with support for parents and caregivers. Counselors provided 8,717 sessions to 567 young people. 

"A future starts somewhere stable," said Paul Lwali, President & Chief Executive Officer, Friends of Youth. "For a young person with nowhere to go tonight, that's a warm bed and a hot dinner. For a family, it helps keep their housing. Year-round gifts keep these doors open, and year-end giving is essential to helping those less fortunate build futures filled with hope.”  

What a gift can do: 

• $50 provides a warm meal and a safe place for a young person in crisis 

• $100 provides a week of stability support for a family facing housing or financial hardship 

• $250 provides mental health assessment for a young person who needs support now 

Community members can also join the Sparks of Change Network with a monthly gift, ask their employer about matching gifts, or donate items through the Giving Tree Gift Drive.  

To give or learn more, visit friendsofyouth.org/support-us or call 425.967.9923. 

About Friends of Youth | Friends of Youth is a nationally accredited nonprofit with 75 years of experience serving East King County. Friends of Youth provides shelter, housing, counseling, and foster care for children, youth, young adults, and families working toward stability, backed by a coordinated team at every step. Learn more at friendsofyouth.org. 

Media Contact: London Jones, london.johnsonjones@friendsofyouth.org | 843.814.3939 

Supervisor – Marketing and Communications