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. Engaging volunteers, interns, and community members to support providers by creating structured opportunities, pathways for involvement, and training to strengthen long-term workforce capacity. This goal focuses on strengthening the professional workforce engaged in the local homelessness response system. Shared learning also contributes to broader collaboration and communication across the system, reinforcing efforts outlined in Goal 1. Goa[ 3: Prevent episodes of hometessness whenever possibte. Preventing homelessness is both humane and financially responsible. Studiesl,2 show it is less costly to prevent a housing crisis through diversion and/or eviction prevention, than to assist individuals and families after they become homeless. ln addition to the financial benefit, keeping individuals and families stably housed avoids the trauma of homelessness and reduces the demand on emergency services and housing programs. Kittitas County already supports prevention through diversion, and eviction prevention efforts, but coordination and communication can be strengthened. Kitlitas County's approach to achieving this goal focuses on improving coordination and early intervention through community partnerships. Prevention must be seen as a shared responsibility across the system, including non-profit providers, public agencies, private organizations, and landlords. Partnerships with the private sector, particularly property owners and managers, are an important part of this effort, and creating opportunities to engage landlords as active participants in prevention is a priority. The county will pursue this goal through the following strategies: lmprove coordination of existing prevention resources across the community, with an emphasis on aligning diversion funds, strengthening data coordination, and supporting shared evaluation of outcomes. Strengthen partnerships with private organizations and landlords to increase early identification of households at risk of homelessness and promote collaborative prevention efforts. Expand and support diversion practices that resolve housing crises without system entry, including consistent referral pathways and cross-sector col laboration. lncrease public awareness of available prevention resources and promote early help-seeking by individuals and families at risk of homelessness. Goat 4: Prioritize assistance based on the greatest barriers to housing stabitity and the greatest risk of harm. lndividuals with the greatest barriers to housing stability and the highest risk of harm often face the most complex challenges, chronic health conditions, severe behavioral health needs, generational poverty, or histories of trauma. Many are also the least well served by traditional systems and may not consistently engage with available services. Ensuring thdt the community prioritizes assistance for these individuals requires clear definitions, strong partnerships, and shared understanding across sectors. Kitlitas County recognizes that refining prioritization practices and defining "high risk" will require further community discussion and collaboration. This work must balance equity, safety, and system capacity, while responding flexibly 1 National League of Cities: Eviction Prevention as a Tool for Citles 2 Urban lnstitute: Cost Effectiveness of Eviction Prevention Programs a a a Page | 14