The questions people actually ask.

Level Up Home is a Seattle 501(c)(3) nonprofit (legal name Level Up Seattle, EIN 83-2283933) that provides recovery-focused shared housing, coaching, reentry case management, job readiness, and a fatherhood mentorship program for men leaving incarceration and men in recovery. Its mission: dignity, opportunity, and community create momentum from surviving to thriving.

Teri Devlin is the Executive Director. The board is led by Heidi Ihde as President and Joey Brassy-Apodaca as Vice President, Katrina Romatowski (co-founder) as Interim Secretary and Robert Britten as Interim Treasurer, with board members Ronnie Jackson Jr and Rachael Barclay. Carrie Bixel of Bixel Law is Legal Advisor and Anthony Powers is a mentor. Level Up was co-founded in 2018 by Katrina Romatowski and Frank Shankwitz, co-founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Several board members have lived through incarceration and reentry themselves.

Level Up Home is based in Seattle, Washington, with recovery homes located near transit and employment corridors. Reach the team at contactus@leveluphome.org or 206-222-5410.

Yes. Level Up Home holds accreditation from WAQRR, the Washington Alliance for Quality Recovery Residences, the Washington State affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences. Accreditation means the home is reviewed against published standards for safe, recovery-focused housing.

Level Up Home serves men across the greater Seattle area. Its current home is in Snohomish County, north of Seattle, near transit and employment corridors, and the 2025 to 2028 plan adds homes in King and Pierce counties.

Level Up Home serves men 18 and older who are leaving incarceration with no registered offenses, or who are facing housing instability, and who are committed to recovery. Residents agree to regular testing, program participation, and the house standards, and they are willing to work, learn, and contribute to the community.

Apply through the confidential online application on leveluphome.org. It takes under ten minutes and there is no commitment to apply. Level Up reviews every application and responds within 48 hours with a phone conversation, an assessment, and a plan built around your goals and timeline.

Yes. Case managers, chaplains, family members and friends can refer a man to Level Up Home. Send his name and the best way to reach him through the referral option on the apply page, or email contactus@leveluphome.org, and the team will reach out to him directly.

Yes. Your information stays with Level Up Home and is used only to review your application and reach you. Applying does not obligate you to anything.

Residents get a clean, recovery-focused shared home with a private or semi-private room, utilities included, in a location near transit and employment corridors, with structured daily routines that support recovery and growth.

Residents maintain a recovery living environment and participate in random testing, respect shared spaces and quiet hours, attend required meetings and keep their commitments, and get prior approval from house managers for guests. There is zero tolerance for violence, threats, or intimidation.

Both. Level Up Home pairs recovery-focused shared housing with reentry case management, coaching, job readiness, financial basics, and a fatherhood mentorship program. Housing is the foundation; the programming is what turns a stable bed into a stable life.

Weekly meetings and peer support circles, reentry planning and personalized case management, employment readiness with resume building and interview labs, financial basics with budgeting and credit rebuilding workshops, recovery support circles, and life admin help with IDs, benefits applications, and transportation.

No alcohol, marijuana or illegal drugs on the property. No firearms or weapons. Quiet hours from 10pm to 7am. Guests approved in advance and signed in. No smoking indoors. No pets. Drug testing is mandatory and random. House meetings are mandatory. Everyone shares meals, cleaning, and upkeep. Zero tolerance for threats or violence. Every rule is in the program agreement you sign before you move in.

Yes. Testing is mandatory and random, and is taken immediately when asked. Refusing or failing to complete a test counts as a positive result. A positive test means leaving the program. A man who wants inpatient treatment and his place back can request a meeting and gets a decision within 24 hours.

Yes, in one of three ways: gainfully employed, a full-time student, or volunteering full time with an approved organization. That is one of three standing requirements to be accepted and to stay, along with following the house rules and paying program fees on time.

No. Level Up Home exists for men leaving incarceration, and a criminal background check is a normal part of the process. Registered offenses are the exception and do disqualify an applicant.

Seven steps: an application or a referral, a review, an interview, letters of recommendation, a criminal background check, a meeting with the men already living in the house, and final approval. Current residents meet every candidate before a decision is made.

Yes, with approval in advance. Guests sign in and out on the guest log, and the resident is responsible for how their guests behave. Guests follow the same house rules, including no pets and no substances on the property.

Level Up Home publishes a signed Resident Rights and Responsibilities agreement covering privacy while dressing and bathing, privacy in your room, your own possessions and mail, your place of worship, cultural safety, dignity and respect, fair treatment and who to escalate to, contact with family and friends, access to the community, control of your own money, access to your own records, personal boundaries, and freedom from physical and sexual assault. Each right is paired with the responsibility that goes with it.

Yes. Level Up Seattle, operating as Level Up Home, is a Washington nonprofit corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, EIN 83-2283933, with exemption effective October 10, 2018. It is a public charity, not a private foundation. Donations are tax-deductible and a receipt is issued for every gift.

$800 sponsors one month of housing for one man. $1,200 funds a fatherhood and leadership mentorship circle. $5,000 provides comprehensive reentry support: housing, coaching, and job readiness. Donations are made securely through PayPal.

Yes. Monthly giving is the steadiest way to keep a bed funded. Choose a recurring gift on the donation page, or email contactus@leveluphome.org to set up a monthly pledge.

Level Up Home works with employers who hire men with a record, training programs, recovery networks, and reentry allies across Seattle and King County. Use the partner form on leveluphome.org or email contactus@leveluphome.org, and the Executive Director will follow up.

Level Up Home prepares residents for work through employment readiness, resume building and interview labs, then connects them with employers who value second chances and provides ongoing workplace coaching. Employer partners are the reason that pathway exists.

Level Up Seattle, which operates as Level Up Home, was co-founded in 2018 by Katrina Romatowski and Frank Shankwitz. Frank Shankwitz (1943 to 2021) co-founded the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1980 and served as its first President and CEO. Angie Christensen was the first Executive Director and Matthew Strax-Haber was part of the earliest chapter.

The first Level Up home opened in Edmonds, Washington on July 26, 2019, with a ribbon cutting hosted by the mayor and the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce. Ten young adults moved in that August. The IRS recognized Level Up Seattle as a 501(c)(3) in December 2019.

No. Level Up began in 2019 serving young adults ages 18 to 24 aging out of foster care or facing housing instability. The residents taught the organization that incarceration, reentry, recovery and housing instability were intertwined, and between 2023 and 2025 the board removed the age limit and expanded the mission to men leaving incarceration and men in recovery.

Frank Shankwitz co-founded Level Up Seattle with Katrina Romatowski. As Chairman of Cause Equity, which bought housing and leased it below market to nonprofits, he helped house the first home, attended the 2019 ribbon cutting in Edmonds, and spoke about Level Up in interviews and on television. Level Up recognizes him as Co-Founder, In Memoriam.

The 2025 to 2028 strategic plan, called The Unfinished Work, grows Level Up from one home to five across King and Pierce counties, formalizes coaching and reentry planning, deepens employer partnerships, and prepares a locally led chapter model inspired by the Make-A-Wish chapters Frank Shankwitz helped build.