Case Study: Y4Y Assessment Tool, Washington State
August 8, 2026Washington Balance of State’s Y4Y Board’s Youth Coordinated Entry Assessment Tool
Y4Y Assessment Tool – publicly available on the WA Dept of Commerce Dropbox
Washington state’s Y4Y Board
Washington state’s Y4Y Board is part of the state government’s Office of Homeless Youth (known as OHY), which is housed within the Department of Commerce. This unique structure provides young people with lived experience of homelessness even greater opportunities to influence decision-making and structural change within the state. OHY is a leader in co-creating priorities and solutions with young people in a way that is rarely seen in state government. In particular, OHY has prioritized the role of young people with lived experience in setting funding priorities and informing grant award decisions. Young people with lived experience take a lead role in shaping funding opportunities, developing application scoring criteria, and analyzing funding requests through the lens of their own personal experience. Another impactful project of the Y4Y Board has been the creation and implementation of a custom Coordinated Entry Assessment Tool used in most Balance of State communities.
Developed by young people, for young people
The development of the assessment tool was deeply collaborative and grounded in youth voice. Young people who were part of the Y4Y Board received extensive training in Coordinated Entry before conducting focus groups with other young people across the state to develop the tool. Many of the questions in the tool were directly informed by youth who had previously experienced the VI-SPDAT, including feedback on which questions felt uncomfortable, which risk factors were missing, and how questions could be asked in more inclusive and relevant ways. Other changes included more inclusive language around caregiving roles (beyond traditional definitions of parenthood), broader recognition of diverse living situations, and the removal of assumptions about sexual orientation and gender identity that were embedded in earlier tools.
Recommendations for other communities wanting to create a youth-centered assessment tool
Currently in Washington state, any Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project grantee through the state’s Office of Homeless Youth must use the tool for youth and young adults up to age 25. Most of the state’s Balance of State communities are using the assessment tool. Washington state has 34 Balance of State counties.
For communities looking to replicate this work, the most important recommendation is to center youth voices throughout the process. This includes engaging young people in reviewing existing tools, identifying what feels uncomfortable or irrelevant, and reimagining how questions can be asked to better capture their realities.
The tool was intentionally designed to be trauma-informed, which has required case managers to engage more thoughtfully and carefully with youth. While this approach is meant to reduce harm, it can demand more time and emotional labor from staff, which can create pushback. Involving youth not only in design but also in implementation and training is especially valuable, as they can articulate the intent behind questions and help providers better understand the purpose of questions. Ultimately, when case managers understand the reasoning behind the tool, they are better equipped to use it effectively and compassionately.
