Elizabeth Whitman

Now 30, Janell Braxton says she continues to reckon with the separations and instability stemming from her time in the foster system.

H-SYNC — Housing Stability for Youth in Courts — has piloted using evidence-based surveys to identify teenagers in need of support services.

The $750,000 pilot program has struggled to meet promises after state officials chose a lobbying firm to build the hotline service from scratch.

Though the funds helped dozens of young people secure housing, delays and slow spending stalled some programs in their first year.

A Way Home Washington launched an internal investigation after health and safety information on hundreds of young clients was made public.