A Way Home America

What A Way Home America does

A Way Home America (AWHA) is a Seattle-headquartered nonprofit organization founded in 2016 that transforms public policy and community systems to prevent and end homelessness among Black, Indigenous, youth of color, and LGBTQIA+ youth on a path to housing justice for all. Its core offerings are not commercial products but a portfolio of policy and organizing programs: the New Deal to End Youth Homelessness (a five-pillar federal policy framework covering Housing Justice, Child and Family Well-Being Justice, Transformative Justice, Immigration Justice, and Economic Justice), the Grand Challenge (a national community-organizing program assisting US communities in ending homelessness for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth), the Youth Policy Team (seven policy-minded young people with lived experience), and educational webinar series including Trash and Treasure (state legislation review against the 119th Congressional Policy Agenda) and the Tax Webinar for gig economy workers. The organization is governed by a Leadership Body whose majority is composed of youth and young adults with lived expertise of homelessness (YYALE), replacing the traditional Board of Trustees structure AWHA originally used at founding.

The underlying technology footprint is a data collection and policy analysis platform for tracking youth homelessness, with multi-pronged qualitative and quantitative data collection on legislative policy, healthcare, workforce, and institutional roadblocks contributing to youth homelessness, gathered from Grand Challenge programming and redistributed to researchers, advocates, and service providers. AWHA distributes its work through a Squarespace-hosted website (awayhomeamerica.org), email newsletter, Instagram, YouTube-recorded webinars, an Annual Report, and a PayPal donation flow (hosted_button_id 67XB53BN2947U). The revenue model is exclusively donations and philanthropic contributions; AWHA is supported by the Melville Charitable Trust as a founding and ongoing supporter, alongside a coalition of national partners including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Funders Together to End Homelessness, True Colors United, Youth Collaboratory, and others. Demonstrated policy influence includes budget advocacy credited with a $116 million increase in HUD homeless assistance (to $3.6 billion), coalition support for the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and a 47-member Congressional letter to HUD led by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.

Name

A Way Home America

Legal name

A Way Home America

Website

https://awayhomeamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A Way Home America is a US nonprofit, founded in 2016, that uses public policy advocacy and national coalition organizing to prevent and end homelessness among Black, Indigenous, youth of color, and LGBTQIA+ youth, governed by a Leadership Body majority composed of youth with lived experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homelessness Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Youth homelessness policy
• Housing justice advocacy
• Nonprofit coalition building
• Community organizing programs
• Federal policy framework

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: AWHA receives donations through PayPal (hosted_button_id: 67XB53BN2947U) and relies on financial supporters including foundations and individual donors. The Melville Charitable Trust is described as a 'founding and ongoing supporter.' The organization has a leadership body for governance and receives contributions from various supporters shown in the logos section.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

A Way Home America is a national nonprofit policy advocacy organization that transforms systems through public policy to prevent and end homelessness for Black, Indigenous, youth of color, and LGBTQIA+ youth. It operates a comprehensive federal policy framework (New Deal to End Youth Homelessness), a community organizing program (Grand Challenge), leadership and youth policy bodies, and educational webinar series to advance housing justice.

Product overview

A Way Home America is a nonprofit policy advocacy organization offering a portfolio of programs and initiatives rather than a technology product. The core offerings include the New Deal to End Youth Homelessness (a comprehensive federal policy framework), the Grand Challenge (a community organizing program), the Youth Policy Team and Leadership Body (leadership programs centering lived expertise), and educational webinar series like Trash and Treasure and Tax Webinars. The organization also publishes policy agendas and provides newsletter subscriptions for stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Deal to End Youth Homelessness

Quantifiable outcome

• Grand Challenge communities developed methodology and structure to collect data that secured funding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnn Oliva, Vice President of the Housing team, provided a testimonial noting that 'Every single person involved with A Way Home America lives their values in explicit ways that support the mission. The team always approaches their work from an across system perspective and thinks through how young people move through those systems.' The partnership involves collaboration on housing policy and budget advocacy.
• Funders Together to End HomelessnesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmanda Andere, CEO, stated 'Watching the evolution of A Way Home America since its founding has been eye opening. Their innovative balance between policy and engagement on the ground in the movement beacon that others can learn a lot from.' The organization collaborates on movement building and ending homelessness efforts.
• True Colors UnitedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsed the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act. AWHA staff (Emily Worsham) attended the True Colors United (TCU) Youth Summit in Washington, DC, describing it as a powerful catalyst for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and inspiration. The summit brought together community leaders, advocates, and youth with homelessness experience.
• Youth CollaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the letter to HUD to protect funds for youth homelessness programs within the 2023 Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). AWHA signed on to this letter, demonstrating partnership in advocacy efforts for federal funding protection.
• Detroit Justice CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsed the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act. Nancy Parker, Executive Director, stated 'The Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act is a welcomed first step towards addressing the ongoing issue of homelessness and the manner in which unhoused residents are disproportionately impacted by the criminal system.'
• National Homelessness Law CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsed the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act alongside AWHA and other national organizations.
• Corporation for Supportive HousingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsed the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act as part of a coalition of national organizations working to address youth homelessness through policy solutions.
• Point Source YouthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsed the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act, supporting direct cash transfer as a policy solution for youth homelessness.
• Mason PersonsminorOthersCommunity Organizer and Facilitator who provided a testimonial: 'A Way Home America truly values bringing youth advocates together in one place. They are a team of people who are passionate and uniquely equipped to dismantle the systems that cause youth homelessness.'
• Lauren LongminorOthersIndianapolis Youth Action Board Member and Facilitator who stated 'Youth homelessness is a global problem. A Way Home America allows youth advocates like me to connect with more people to find creative solutions. They are focused on helping get young people back on their feet and stay on their feet independently.'

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Covenant House: Large national nonprofit providing direct shelter, housing, and supportive services to youth experiencing homelessness; broader incumbent in the youth homelessness space, overlaps with AWHA on policy advocacy and beneficiary population.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: Long-established national advocacy organization focused on federal housing policy and affordable housing for extremely low-income households; a broader incumbent that overlaps with AWHA on federal budget advocacy (HUD funding) and youth-serving coalition members.
• Corporation for Supportive Housing: National nonprofit advancing supportive housing solutions for vulnerable populations including youth; endorsed AWHA-led legislation and operates at the intersection of housing policy and direct service delivery, broader in scope than AWHA.
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Major national policy think tank working on budget and anti-poverty policy including housing and homelessness; direct AWHA partner and significantly larger and broader in scope, but works the same federal budget and HUD advocacy lanes.

Direct peers

• True Colors United: National nonprofit focused on preventing and ending homelessness among LGBTQ youth; directly collaborates with AWHA on policy advocacy and endorsed the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act, operating in the same federal policy lane for the same beneficiary population.
• National Homelessness Law Center: National advocacy organization using impact litigation and policy to prevent and end homelessness; directly partners with AWHA on legislative campaigns and operates in the same federal advocacy lane with overlapping coalition partners.
• Funders Together to End Homelessness: National membership organization of philanthropies committed to ending homelessness; directly partners with AWHA on movement building, occupies the funder-engagement and policy space adjacent to AWHA's coalition work.
• Point Source Youth: National initiative advancing direct cash transfer and host home models as solutions to youth homelessness; closely comparable to AWHA in mission, target population, and federal advocacy posture, and explicitly endorsed AWHA-aligned legislation.
• National Network for Youth: National advocacy organization for youth experiencing homelessness and exploitation; comparable to AWHA in federal policy focus, youth-centered governance, and coalition building with Continuums of Care and youth providers.
• Youth Collaboratory: National nonprofit strengthening organizations serving youth experiencing homelessness; directly partners with AWHA on federal funding advocacy (CoC NOFO) and serves a near-identical provider and youth population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLlmnvH4XWOEyfNUjoF-dNVcauaO-thkWS
• Xx.com/awayhomeamerica
• Facebookfacebook.com/awayhomeamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awayhomeamerica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about A Way Home America