Our Theory of Change
The Regional Homelessness Authority has a human-centered theory of change that guides our work: If we create a homeless response system that centers people with lived experience, then we will be able to meet needs and eliminate inequities, in order to end homelessness for all.
Unified & Coordinated
The Regional Homelessness Authority, which started up operations in mid-2021, is unifying and coordinating what was previously a fragmented approach—there were many programs, but they weren’t connected or coordinated towards consistent goals. We heard from people with personal experience that the old system’s services were geographically and administratively disconnected, data collection was duplicative, burdensome, or not useful, and people sometimes faced dead ends rather than meaningful support.
The RHA is transforming a fragmented series of programs and departments into a unified, streamlined and coordinated system, built on equity and social justice principles, centering the voices of those most affected. With the creation of the RHA for Seattle and King County, and as more cities in our region sign on to this approach, we are consolidating policy-making and funding, coordinating service delivery, and adopting common performance measures to ensure accountability.
Centering Lived Experience
The RHA is explicit about centering the perspectives of people who have personal, lived experience with homelessness. Personal experience with homelessness provides insights into how the system works (or doesn’t work) that are based in real life. Centering lived experience follows the social justice maxim of “nothing about us without us,” and recognizes that people have specific needs based on individual circumstances. The addition of an Ombuds Office also gives people experiencing homelessness a central point-of-contact for seeking service improvements.
Centering lived experience also recognizes the structural racism that has perpetuated the racially disparate impacts of homelessness. The RHA uses an equity-based decision-making framework in all our efforts, which means identifying existing inequities and power dynamics, acting with transparency and accountability, and proactively working to dismantle structural racism and advance equity.