The King County Council approved the first major program to be developed and funded by the Best Starts for Kids levy on Monday: the Youth and Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative, a program that was inspired by a pilot program of which Bellevue’s LifeWire was a participant.

“This legislation will serve the mother who flees with her children from an abusive spouse,” said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, chair of the Council’s Health Housing and Human Services Committee and sponsor of the legislation. “It will also ensure that a person who is a survivor of human trafficking, or the young person who has ‘aged out’ of the foster care system ­or has been released from the juvenile justice system now has a place to turn when facing the possibility of homelessness.”

The initiative will provide flexible funding to different local agencies, who will administer how the funds are used. Placing the power in the hands of local organizations and advocates who work with people in jeopardy means that interventions can be customized rather than than a one-size-fits-all solution, because everyone’s problems are different, King County Executive Dow Constantine said at a press conference about the intiative last month.

It is based on a pilot program conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

During the pilot, LifeWire and other local organizations were able to find creative solutions to assist victims of domestic abuse.

“I believe the culture at LifeWire is a culture of change. We love to try knew things that will support our clients,” said Executive Director Barbara Langdon. The pilot was hugely cost effective and continued the mission of allowing victims the ability to make their own choices, she added.

They were able to help one woman who had a taken bartending classes, had job and apartment lined up, but couldn’t afford the $60 fee to get her liquor license. They also aided a male victim of abuse who was eligible for housing at a shelter because the only options were for drug or alcohol dependent men.

Prior to the pilot program, LifeWire would not have been able to give that type of assistance because of funding restrictions. But the funding from Best Starts for Kids will truly help prevent homelessness for domestic violence victims and more, Langdon said.

Langdon says it gives her peace of mind as she prepares to retire on June 2.

“I think I can step away from it feeling like there’s good changes happening,” she said.