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Foundational Community Supports (FCS) is an initiative of Medicaid Transformation. It allows qualified providers to receive Medicaid reimbursement for delivering supportive housing and supported employment services for people with the greatest and most immediate social and health needs.
June marks Pride Month: a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, honor the history of advocacy and resilience, and recognize the importance of inclusion, dignity, and belonging for all. Pride Month also commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Throughout the month, communities across the country come together to celebrate diversity, amplify voices, and continue the work toward equity and acceptance.
June is also recognized as PTSD Awareness Month: a time dedicated to increasing understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder, reducing stigma surrounding mental health, and supporting those impacted by trauma. PTSD can affect individuals from all walks of life, including veterans, first responders, survivors of violence, and people who have experienced significant life events or ongoing stress.
This month serves as an opportunity to promote awareness, encourage compassion, and highlight the importance of access to support, treatment, and community connection.
Featured FCS leader: MCFC's Roxy Magno
I am honored to nominate Roxy Magno, Outreach Director at the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center and Tacoma Recovery Center, for her extraordinary leadership and impact on youth safety, housing stability, and systems change within Pierce County.
Roxy’s work goes far beyond traditional outreach. She leads with unwavering integrity, compassion, and strategic vision to ensure that vulnerable youth and families are not only connected to immediate safety and shelter, but supported toward long-term stability and healing. Through her leadership, countless young people have been safely housed, stabilized during crisis, and connected to wraparound behavioral health, educational, and family supports. For many of these youth, Roxy has been the consistent and trusted adult who refused to let them fall through the cracks.
What truly distinguishes Roxy is her ability to create meaningful change at both the individual and systems level. She actively collaborates with schools, behavioral health providers, housing partners, county agencies, and grassroots organizations to strengthen coordination of care and close service gaps. Her advocacy has contributed to improved cross-agency responsiveness, stronger referral pipelines, and more trauma-informed approaches to serving homeless and at-risk youth across Pierce County. Roxy consistently pushes our community to do better — not just to manage homelessness, but to truly work toward ending it.
As a leader, Roxy models accountability, empathy, and excellence. She mentors staff, empowers community partners, and leads with a calm, solutions-focused presence even in high-stress environments. Her commitment to ethical service delivery, cultural humility, and youth-centered decision making sets a standard for outreach leadership in our region.
Roxy Magno’s impact is measurable in safer youth, stabilized families, strengthened community partnerships, and tangible progress toward housing equity. Her dedication reflects the very heart of what the HCA Foundation seeks to uplift — leadership that improves health, dignity, and opportunity for our most vulnerable neighbors.
Thank you for considering this nomination. It is a privilege to recommend Roxy Magno for this recognition.
Submitted and written anonymously
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team invites you to join us for our monthly office hours, the last Tuesday of each month.
Virtual office hours: the last Tuesday of each month, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Drop in to join the HCA trainers to learn about Medicaid documentation requirements to support FCS service activities. Our goal is to support staff in weaving in the 'Golden Thread' process to develop a seamless record that connects goals, life events, staff support, interventions and next steps that support Medicaid billing.
Let's create quality service plans and progress notes that support necessary services and activities that move program participants to achieve their goal of housing and employment.
Office hours will be held on Teams, the last Tuesday of each month from 3 to 4 p.m. (Previously held on the last Friday. Please update your calendar holds.) The next scheduled office hours will occur Tuesday, June 30.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) invite you to join us in learning about updates to HRSN
Webinar: Monday, June 1, from 4 to 5 p.m. (every other Monday thereafter)
Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team are excited to announce that the Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) rental arrears funding launched April 1, 2026!
Join us every other Monday for an informal conversation via Teams where you can ask questions and learn more about this funding and program reach.
Resources
Please contact Anessa Williams (anessa.williams@hca.wa.gov) with any additional questions in the interim.
Call for HRSN success stories
Have you recently helped a participant access rent assistance through HRSN? We would love to hear your success stories! Your stories are extremely important to us to demonstrate the ongoing need for programs like this.
If having arrears paid helped someone prevent eviction, stabilize, improve mental health and stress levels, etc., please submit these anecdotes to anessa.williams@hca.wa.gov.
The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team and Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) are hosting the June Medicaid documentation training
Webinar: Tuesday, June 2, 2026, from 10:50 to 11:30 a.m.
Washington State Medicaid documentation requirements for behavioral health and homeless service providers are centered on demonstrating medical necessity, ensuring compliance, and supporting reimbursement.
Providers must clearly document the service delivered, why it was clinically needed, and how it connects to a client’s diagnosis and treatment plan. Accurate, timely, and detailed documentation—especially progress notes—is essential to align with billing requirements, reduce audit risk, and sustain funding. For homeless service providers, the key challenge is translating housing-related activities into clinically necessary, billable services that improve behavioral health outcomes.
Objectives
- How to connect documentation to diagnosis, impairment and intervention
- Documentation alignment to billing codes and treatment plans
- Writing proper progress notes
- Importance of focusing on clinical outcomes
The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team and Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions are presenting the June Washington State supervisory support training
Webinar: Wednesday, June 3, 2026, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Supervisors in FCS programs play a critical role in supporting staff to respond effectively when individuals experience crises. This 90-minute webinar prepares FCS supervisors to guide staff in effective suicide risk assessment and follow-up care in community settings. Participants will review the use of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and the Stanley & Brown Safety Planning Intervention to support accurate assessment and collaborative safety planning.
The session emphasizes connecting individuals to community-specific resources, examining program policies and procedures, and promoting continuity of care through coordinated follow-up and supervision.
Objectives
- Describe the supervisor's role in guiding suicide risk assessment using tools such as C-SSRS
- Apply the Stanley & Brown Safety Planning Intervention to support community-based care
- Identify community-specific resources to support follow-up after risk is identified
- Review program policies and procedures related to risk assessment and follow-up care
- Promote continuity of care through supervision, coordination and ongoing support
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) trainers are inviting you to join them in a six-part training series for The Golden Thread documentation training
Next training: Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Join us for a six-session training series that provides a comprehensive overview, with practical applications FCS documentation. Each webinar covers a specific type of documentation and addresses Medicaid requirements and the importance of the connection between assessments, service plans, and progress notes, known as the Golden Thread. The series will be presented with the newly developed Golden Thread Toolkit, a valuable new resource for FCS staff. It is recommended that participants attend all sessions in the series, as the information presented is cumulative.
This training is recommended for those who:
- Are new to providing supportive housing and supported employment services
- Are interested in improving the standards of personnel or agency documentation standards
- Are considering participating in a fidelity review and would like more information on how to prepare for it
Objectives
- Become comfortable with using Medicaid-compliant documentation of Foundational Community Support services, specifically the assessments, service plan, and progress notes
- Learn what the Golden Thread is and its importance in providing quality services to participants.
- Receive guidance on writing documentation in a way that accurately and completely reflects a participant’s story in a person-centered way
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team and Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions invite you to join them for an in-person training opportunity in June
In-person session I: FULL
Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Richland Library Conference rooms A and B, 955 Northgate Drive Richland, WA 99352
In-person session II: Register hereRegister here
Monday, June 8, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Orion Conference Room, 1590 A Street NE Auburn, WA 98002
During this full day in-person training, we will provide an overview of Motivational Interviewing (MI), when and where MI can be used, how to embody the spirit of MI, applying the foundational skills of MI, and how to use MI skills wherever an individual is in their change process. Participants will have an opportunity to observe and practice MI skills and techniques.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based practice used in a variety of settings to help individuals make behavior changes and achieve goals. It focuses on exploring and resolving ambivalence and is geared toward understanding and enhancing internal motivations that facilitate change.
Motivational interviewing is practiced in many behavioral healthcare settings and offers an effective framework for behavioral health services that help individuals achieve goals and make changes. MI works because it is goal-directed, person-centered, and incorporates many of the values that promote recovery and wellness for individuals participating in Washington’s Foundational Community Supports!
FCS and Rutgers are hosting two in-person training events, both events are limited to 50 participants each. Please register for the training you would like to attend at the link above.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team are excited to invite you to an eight-part learning community hosted by Advocates for Human Potential (AHP)
Webinar: Friday, June 5, from 10 to 11 a.m.
FCS is convening a Learning Collaborative on Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) to strengthen the capacity of providers, community partners, and stakeholders in delivering high-quality housing and supportive services.
This collaborative will offer a structured forum for sharing best practices, addressing implementation challenges, and fostering innovation in PSH models. Through facilitated discussions, peer learning, and expert-led sessions, participants will gain practical tools to improve housing stability, health outcomes, and service coordination for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness and behavioral health challenges across Washington State.
Topics
- Long-term solutions, not quick fixes: Supportive housing focuses on permanent stability, moving beyond temporary shelter to lasting change for individuals and communities
- Partnerships are essential: Successful supportive housing depends on collaboration between housing providers, health care systems, behavioral health services, and community organizations
- Community strengthening: Beyond ending individual homelessness, supportive housing builds healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities
- Housing is healthcare: Stable housing is foundational to improving health, recovery, and overall well-being
This is an eight-part series, occurring from 10 to 11 a.m. the first Friday of each month.
In-person session I: Register here
Friday, June 5,2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Richland Library Conference Room A and B 955 Northgate Drive Richland, WA 99352
In-person session II: Register here
Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Orion 1590 A Street NE Auburn, WA 98002
Many people living with serious mental health conditions have experienced trauma, even if it is not diagnosed or documented in their clinical records. About one-third of these people meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and some studies report rates close to 50 percent.
Those with both severe mental illness and PTSD often face extra challenges. They may have trouble keeping a job and are less likely to succeed in supported employment programs. Housing can be unstable, with repeated moves or even homelessness. These difficulties can make it harder to trust providers, maintain employment and stable housing.
Trauma-informed care is more than just diagnosing PTSD. It looks at the whole person and how past experiences affect current challenges, behaviors and emotions. Providers are trained to notice trauma, respond without judgment, involve clients in decisions, and create safe, supportive environments. Programs are designed to reduce triggers and build trust. When trauma-informed care works well, it can help people keep housing, succeed at work, and achieve stability. It also strengthens resilience, teaches ways to handle stress, and lowers the chance of being retraumatized. Overall, trauma-informed care changes the way services are provided. It helps people with severe mental illness feel respected, understood, and supported in meaningful and lasting ways.
Spots are still available! Please register via the links above.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) and Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Individual Placement and Support (IPS) present this virtual training series
Webinar: Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
These virtual trainings cover the eight practice principles of IPS Supported Employment. New staff in IPS programs, case managers, and clinicians are welcome to join.
The trainings are available at no cost. Each training covers the same material.
IPS is a multidisciplinary team of researchers and trainers who conduct research studies, disseminate findings, prepare training and educational materials, and provide training and consultation services. The center’s activities focus on employment for people with serious mental illnesses. Learn more about IPS.
Upcoming 2026 IPS webinars: June 23.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions present this June webinar
Webinar: Wednesday, June 10, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This focused 90-minute training is designed to strengthen your ability to effectively support individuals with serious mental health conditions during high-risk behavioral health crises. This practical session will equip you with concrete strategies to anticipate and reduce crisis escalation, apply evidence-based de-escalation approaches, improve collaboration with law enforcement, and use proactive housing and service interventions to decrease unnecessary police involvement.
Participants will leave with stronger skills to enhance client safety, advocate more effectively during law enforcement interactions, prevent avoidable crises, and confidently promote stability-centered outcomes that protect both clients and communities.
Objectives
- Analyze how law enforcement involvement and use-of-force risks impact individuals with serious mental health conditions during behavioral health crises
- Assess Washington State crisis response trends, systemic barriers, and available community resources to strengthen intervention planning
- Demonstrate evidence-based de-escalation, engagement, and prevention strategies that promote client safety, stability, and improved crisis outcomes
- Develop proactive FCS housing and service interventions that reduce crisis escalation and minimize unnecessary law enforcement involvement
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions invite you to this two-part Supported Employment series
(Webinar (part 1): Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 9 to 10 a.m.)
Webinar (part 2): Thursday, June 11, 2026, from 9 to 10 a.m.
Often, job seekers are unsure about returning to work because they are concerned about how work might affect their Social Security. This two-part webinar provides an overview of the types of work incentives available to SSI and SSDI recipients.
Part one will review specific work-related information relevant to Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and part two will cover Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Additionally, local benefits planning resources will be reviewed.
Objectives
- Understand work incentives available to SSI and SSDI recipients
- Describe the impact of work on each of the SSI and SSDI entitlement programs
- Identify resources and supports to assist with benefit planning
The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team and The Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) are hosting in- person listening sessions and asking for your input! TAC, on behalf of FCS, will host four in-person listening sessions to gather provider feedback.
FCS provides supportive housing and supported employment services to Apple Health (Medicaid) members who face significant barriers, including chronic homelessness, behavioral health conditions, co-occurring substance use disorders, disabilities, and long-term care needs. FCS is seeking input from providers on the implementation and impact of the program across Washington State. Feedback will focus on key areas such as:
- Access and eligibility
- Program strengths and gaps
- Coordination and systems
- Outcomes
- Provider recommendations
Please note: Agencies are asked to send up to two participants and registration will be limited to 30 participants per session.
For questions, please reach out to FCS team.
Sessions
Everett register to for Everett session
Tuesday, June 16, from 9:30 a.m. to noon: Snohomish County Health Department, 3020 Rucker Ave., Everett 98201
Tacoma register for Tacoma session
Tuesday, June 16, from 2:30 to 5 p.m.: TACID (Room 6), 6315 19th Street, Tacoma 98466
Yakima register for Yakima session
Wednesday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Yakima DSHS (Conference room 171), 1002 N 16th Ave., Yakima 98902
Spokane register for Spokane session
Thursday, June 18, from 9:30 a.m. to noon: Peer Spokane, 1222 N. Post Street, Spokane 99201
The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team invites you to join them for the monthly Supported Employment Coordinating Committee (SECC) meeting.
Webinar: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, from 9 to 10 a.m.
SECC's goal is to improve the employment rate for people with behavioral health and other challenges.
The current SECC was originally the Olmstead Policy Academy, which launched in 2013 to create a strategic plan for improving the employment rate of those experiencing mental health and/or substance use issues.
The SECC carries on with the same intent with a wider audience. We still have much to do to improve employment rates and support Medicaid recipients’ return to work.
In each meeting we will discuss new ideas and strategies as well as receive training on various programs and projects.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions eagerly invite you to join our upcoming 4-part Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) guided employment series
Webinar: Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 8:30 to 10 a.m.
This four-part series launches with Part one: Introduction to DBT and Mindfulness Strategies for Career Readiness. In this webinar, we will explore core Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) mindfulness skills and how they help individuals stay focused, reduce job-related anxiety, and make intentional choices throughout the job search and employment process.
In part two, the focus is on how to teach DBT distress tolerance skills to manage crises, handle job-related stress, and build emotional resilience during the job search and early stages of employment.
Objectives
- Review the core concepts of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and understand its application in career contexts
- Understand how distress tolerance supports persistence during job search and early employment
- Teach crisis survival skills to help individuals manage intense emotions (e.g., interview anxiety, rejection, workplace conflict, sudden schedule changes)
- Identify practical ways to apply distress tolerance skills in real-world employment situations to maintain focus, problem-solve, and navigate challenges effectively
All webinars will be from 8:30 to 10 a.m. You may use the same link to register for each; this will be shared monthly as well with updated webinar descriptions as the series progresses.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric and Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions invites you to this new webinar series
Webinars:
(Part I: Thursday, April 16)
(Part II: Thursday, May 21, from 3 to 4 p.m.)
Part III: Thursday, June 18, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Organizations that actively incorporate participant feedback are consistently linked to higher service quality, stronger engagement, and improved outcomes. Effective program evaluation starts with asking the right questions and using the responses to drive meaningful program change. This three-part interactive series introduces foundational survey design alongside principles from implementation science to ensure feedback is meaningfully integrated into practice.
Part one focuses on designing surveys aligned with best practices to assess the satisfaction and experiences of people engaged in SE/SH services.
Part two explores how to interpret results, engage teams, and embed data use into ongoing quality improvement. Walk away with practical tools to build a feedback system that strengthens your work and the experience of people engaged in FCS programs.
Part three will allow attendees to engage in a roundtable discussion on satisfaction survey development, data utilization plans, and problem solving with the session facilitator and peers, with the outcome of the beginning draft of an evaluation plan
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions present the Buried in Treasures learning community one Thursday a month, January through June, and invite you to join
Webinar: Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 1 to 2:15 p.m.
Join the Buried in Treasures Learning Community, a monthly interactive forum designed to help Washington State Foundational Community Supports (FCS) providers support individuals experiencing hoarding behavior. Grounded in the acclaimed self-help manual Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding, this learning community offers a respectful, harm-reduction-based approach that recognizes the emotional significance of belongings and the challenges of change.
Each session will explore practical tools, peer learning, and strategies rooted in cognitive-behavioral techniques, motivational enhancement, and trauma-informed care. Participants will gain real-world knowledge, skills, and resources to engage people with empathy, foster self-directed progress, and create supportive environments where individuals feel empowered—not judged—to take meaningful steps forward.
Whether you’re new to this subject or want to improve your skills in helping clients with complex needs, this community will help you build your ability to support individuals struggling with clutter, acquiring, and discarding.
Note: While access to Buried in Treasures (2nd edition) is recommended, it is not required to participate.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team is kicking off 2026 with another round of our FCS 101 monthly trainings
Webinar: Wednesday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to noon
This training is intended to provide you with an introduction to the FCS program. The FCS Team will be offering the FCS 101 training on the third Wednesday of every month from 10am-12 noon. It is an open and supportive space to get a basic introduction to all things FCS Supportive Housing and Supported Employment. We enthusiastically encourage providers to learn more about the variety of programs and services supported by FCS, as well as an introduction to the Washington FCS team and answer questions you may have.
Objectives
- Learn about Foundational Community Supports
- Get an overview of supported employment services
- Get an overview of supportive housing services
- Connect with HCA’s FCS Team
Upcoming 2026 FCS 101 trainings: August 19, September 16, October 21, November 18, December 17
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