Voter Registration & Voting Rights Trainings

A recording of one of our July 2021 Voter Registration & Voting Rights Trainings. Event Summary The Coalition on Homelessness is invested in ensuring every eligible voter knows their voting rights and has the resources they need to vote, regardless of housing status or history with the criminal legal system. Many people experiencing homelessness and people impacted by the criminal legal system are eligible to vote in Washington. This training is for direct service providers or dedicated volunteers at housing and homelessness service sites interested in incorporating voter registration work into the services they offer. We discuss who is eligible in 2021, who will become eligible once our voting rights change in 2022, dates and deadlines for the upcoming August 3rd Primary Election and November 2nd General Election, as well as specific tips for helping people experiencing homelessness register to vote. Please take this voter registration planning survey to let us know what your needs are and how we can support you. Resources Referenced – Click here to view a copy of the slides from this training How to register to vote There are three ways to register to vote in Washington: Online: https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx. Notes: Requires a current Washington Driver’s License or ID. Deadline: 8 days before the election. Mail: Fill out a voter registration form and mail it to the voter’s local county elections office. Notes: Does not require ID or license, but can use last 4 of social security number. Deadline: must be received by elections office by 5 p.m. on Monday 7/26 for the August 3rd Primary or Monday 10/25 for the November 2nd General Election. In-Person at a Vote Center (which open the weekend before the election) or the King County Elections office in Renton. Notes: Does not require ID or license, but can use last …

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June 17, 2021 Membership Meeting

State Legislative Highlights During our May Annual Meeting, we were unable to fully highlight all of the amazing victories during the 2021 legislative session. We’ll be joined by Representative Strom Peterson to discuss HB 1220, which will change how jurisdictions all over the state plan for growth and ensure that they plan for a range of housing needs– including emergency housing, supportive housing, and more. We’ll discuss the steps forward to more inclusive planning. Omar Cuevas-Vega from Statewide Poverty Action Network provided updates on all the changes to state public benefits from the 2021 legislative session. This will include updates regarding Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Housing and Essential Needs (HEN), Disaster Cash Assistance (DCAP), and more. See Omar’s slidedeck here. Solidarity Fund The Coalition created the Solidarity Fund in the Spring of 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the clear and disproportionate threats of this crisis to people experiencing homelessness.  The Coalition will be giving an update on the reopening of the application, the timeline and process. Read more information about the Solidarity Fund here. The application closes on July 15, 2021. Coalition Updates Voter Registration & Voting Rights: See Saleena’s slidedeck here. With the August 3rd primary approaching, we’ll give you some background information on dates and deadlines, a refresher on how to register people without homes to vote, and get your feedback on how we can support you in getting every eligible voter in your site registered to vote. We’ll also take a look at upcoming changes to voting rights for people who were formerly incarcerated, and what you can do to help spread the word about these changes. Take the voter registration planning survey here. Project Cool for Back-to-School: Each year, the Coalition helps homeless and unstably housed students prepare for …

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June 2 South King County Forum on Homelessness Meeting

6/1/2021 Hello SKC Forum Attendees! I am looking forward to seeing you next week for our monthly SKC Forum on Homelessness meeting! As a reminder, we will be meeting on Wednesday, June 2 from 9-10:30 on Zoom. During the meeting, we’ll hear some exciting updates from the South King Housing and Homelessness Partners staff. Formalized in 2019, South King Housing and Homelessness Partners (SKHHP) is the first-ever affordable housing collaborative of local governments in the South King County subregion. SKHHP’s mission is to increase housing stability in South King County by producing and preserving affordable housing by working together and sharing resources across the jurisdictions through a coordinated and comprehensive approach. SKHHP will be present an overview of their work along with information about their newly formed Advisory Board and how you can get involved!  We will also hear Coalition Updates from the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, as well as information about King County’s Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program.  As always, there will be time for sharing program updates and community resources, so please come prepared with any updates or resource questions you may have. Thanks, and hope to see you on Wednesday! – Jason

May 20, 2021 Annual Membership Meeting

We debriefed the recently wrapped up state legislative session, discussed policy wins and next steps in implementation with Representative Tarra Simmons, Representative Nicole Macri, & Senator Patty Kuderer. We were joined by our newest team member Sara Robbins who will preview an upcoming Coalition public benefits training series to help you navigate new and expanded state and federal assistance programs. You got a chance to meet our new prospective Board of Director candidates and find out how your organization can become a Coalition member to be eligible to cast a vote in our Board election. We reflected on the past year of our collective work and express our thanks to meeting attendees with a small token of appreciation. Our meeting closed with the joy and healing powers of music from special guest musical performance from the one and only Reggie Garrett Read on for details, and If you find this content useful to you in your role as a service provider, please sign up for our Homeless Service and Housing Network email list. Statewide Legislative Advocacy Debrief The state legislative session has ended. Thank you all for speaking up during this state legislative session. Your advocacy helped us pass laws that will house ~1,600 people experiencing or at risk chronic homelessness in King County (HB 1070, which ensures the count can purchase properties to implement their Health through Housing initiative). You have also helped us pass laws that prevent homelessness and strengthen tenant protections (HB 1277, SB 5160, HB 1236). Other wins include more inclusive zoning laws that ensure cities can’t ban shelter or supportive housing (HB 1220), and voting rights restoration to people on community custody (HB 1078). We will highlight these wins and more on Thursday. Public Benefits Training Series Click here to take our Public Benefit Training …

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May 13 Tax Filing 101 for Homeless Service Providers

Event Summary Economic Impact Payments, more commonly known as stimulus checks, have been a lifeline for countless Americans struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic.  Millions of Americas have struggled to claim their Economic Impact Payments, particularly people experiencing homelessness (check out this article in the Seattle Times for details). Those who have not yet claimed some or all their stimulus funds can still claim their benefit by filing a 2020 tax return. The Coalition on Homelessness, in partnership with United Way of King County, created these training materials to help case managers and mutual aid volunteers help people experiencing homelessness file their taxes, with an eye towards ensuring that stimulus payments get to those who need them. Presentation materials below: Workshop Presentation Slides: My Free Taxes, Get My Refund and Coalition on Homelessness Tax Prep Documents to Prepare in Advance Tips for Using Community Mail Programs Additional Forms: 3911 Check Trace Request, ITIN Application, and Supplemental Questionnaire for service providers. Stimulus Check Advocacy Follow Up: Community Mail programs (and they clients they serve) have reported issues with receiving stimulus checks from the IRS. We believe these addresses have been flagged due to fraud concerns. After collecting extensive feedback from clients and staff at our member organizations, we brought our concerns to our allies in the Federal government in hopes of reaching a solution. Thanks to feedback from our members, the IRS will be re-issuing stimulus checks to countless unhoused folks in King County. On Friday May 7, the IRS agreed to remove the address suspicion flag from the addresses we reported having issues, and have agreed to re-issue all retuned paper stimulus checks to clients at these locations. Payments will be re-issued within the next 3-4 weeks, we encourage you to follow up in mid-June to confirm payments were received. This …

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April 15, 2021 Membership Meeting

We were joined by homeless outreach workers and tax filing experts to discuss efforts to help people experiencing homelessness claim their Economic Impact Payments (AKA stimulus checks). We celebrated several key victories related to voting access, housing, and homelessness. With less than two weeks left in the state legislative session, we highlighted some key policy and budget priorities need your continued advocacy. We rounded out the meeting with timely resource updates, including an upcoming increase in SNAP benefits, tips on how to host a vaccine clinic, and an important community survey for nonprofit direct service staff. Read on for details, and sign up for our Coalition emails to get regular updates. Increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Thanks to additional funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the maximum amount a SNAP eligible household can receive will increase by 15% starting in April. This is in addition to the supplemental additional funding DSHS has provided since the onset of COVID-19, click here for details. These changes apply to all SNAP recipients, meaning that those receiving SNAP who may have previously only qualified for a small amount are eligible for much more assistance than before. If you are working with a SNAP eligible client who chose not to recertify due to how small of a benefit they were eligible to claim, please encourage them to re-apply to claim this resource. For more information see this flyer.  If you have questions about this or need assistance in starting an EBT application, call the Family Food Hotline at 1-888-436-6392 or visit their website www.Wafoodhelp.org. If you would like to request flyers or additional materials for your program, please contact Nelly Evans, Food Security Program Coordinator at United Way of King County.    Limited in-person services are available through …

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March 18, 2021 Membership Meeting

Meeting Agenda: 9am Welcome 9:10 Jody Rauch, HCHN Provider Engagement Events 9:20 Member Updates 9:30 Pandemic EBT 2.0 with Megan Veith of Building Changes 9:40 Coalition Legislative Advocacy Update 10:00 Vaccine Phase Announcement for Homeless Service Providers, Tara Bostock, WA Department of Health 10:10 Special Guest Patty Hayes, Director of Public Health Seattle – King County 10:20 Coalition Staff Updates Thank you for attending our March Membership Meeting. A special thank you to Tara Bostock with the Department of Health and Patty Hayes with Public Health Seattle – King County for helping us celebrate the news that staff and clients in congregate shelter programs have been prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine. Shelter staff are eligible now, with people experiencing homelessness eligible starting March 31. If you are a congregate shelter provider seeking a vaccine appointment: Go to the Washington Phase Finder. Answer Yes for “Are you considered a critical worker according to the Washington Critical Infrastructure Worker List” Then check “I work in the fire department, law enforcement, or as a social worker responding to a public health emergency”. DO NOT check “I work or volunteer in an enclosed space to provide services to and/or with people experiencing homelessness.” Once determined eligible, click here to find a vaccine clinic in your area. FOR PROVIDERS IN THE SEATTLE AREA: All vaccine eligible members of the public – including congregate shelter staff– can sign up now for the City’s vaccination appointment notification list. Once eligible members of the public sign up for the City’s notification list, they will receive an email notification when vaccination appointments become available at any of the City’s there fixed sites in Rainier Beach, West Seattle, and the Lumen Field Event Center. The notification list is available here, and residents can also contact the Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 from Monday …

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February 18, 2021 Membership Meeting

Click here to Register for our Next Membership Meeting on Thursday, March 18 at 9am Agenda9am Welcome9:10 Chante Stubbs, preview of “Real Talk about COVID-19 vaccines” with frontline staff 9:15 Shaun Glaze, Black Brilliance Research, Participatory Budgeting9:45 Jacob Kuykendall, Civil Survival, Reentry Legal Aid Project 9:55 Coalition Legislative Advocacy Update, week 6 advocacy, Public Safety bills10:15 Member Updates10:25 Coalition Staff Updates10:30 Close Healthcare for the Homeless Network “Real Talk” Series Our meeting started with brief remarks from Chante Stubbs, who described a planned series of “real talk about COVID19 vaccines” virtual events for front line service staff, emphasizing the needs of BIPOC service providers. The purpose of these conversations is to create a space for informal dialogue and discussion about how to best connect COVID19 vaccines to people without homes and staff who work in homeless services and housing. Anyone working directly with people experiencing homelessness in encouraged to join. Details to come. Black Brilliance Research Project In the summer of 2020, a coalition of black led organizations wrote the 2020 Blueprint for Police Divestment and Community Reinvestment. This plan detailed a flexible framework for how to invest money to create thriving communities. One of the main features was the creation of a Black-led collaborative research program to conduct a rigorous analysis of what exactly creates true community safety and true community health for all residents in Seattle and the surrounding areas. This research is a part of that plan, community members have been meeting to do this research. Read more about this effort here. The next stage in this project will consist of brining community members together to better understand the collective needs of our region. BBRP is offering both paid and unpaid opportunities to interested community members and wants your help in circulating this as far and wide as …

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January 21, 2021 Membership Meeting

Click here to view our COVID-19 vaccine information for homeless service providers. Click here to see Dr. Yang’s slide deck. Thank you Dr. Maria Yang, Medical Director at the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), and Jody Rauch, Clinical Quality Lead at Health Care for the Homeless Network, for joining us to discuss what is currently available and known about COVID-19 vaccines. State Legislative Advocacy Speak Up Pop Up Workshop Series: Want to gain and practice advocacy skills, help build a strong community of housing justice advocates, and learn enough about our state legislative process to be an effective voice? Join us at our Speak Up Pop Ups! These drop-in workshops will occur every Tuesday from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. throughout the legislative session and are open to people of all levels of interest and experience with legislative advocacy. We firmly believe that everyone can be an effective advocate for themselves and their community; advocacy really just means speaking up! You do not have to attend all the workshops, but we invite participants to attend multiple session to help you learn and practice advocacy skills, build a community of housing justice advocates, and ensure sustained momentum throughout the legislative session. Click here to register. Coalition Member Updates Salvation Army Sodo Single Adult Shelter: A shelter for single adults run by Salvation Army has opened in a new location in SoDo and is accepting referrals from select social service agencies (view referral form here). Three previous shelter locations (City Hall, Fisher Pavilion, King County Admin) have consolidated into this site at 1039 6th Ave S Seattle WA, 98134. Entry is located at the north end of the property at the personnel gate. Turn South on to 6th Avenue from Airport St or Charles St. Security will check you in and arrange for staff to meet …

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COVID-19 Vaccine Info for Homeless Service Providers (Last Updated 01/21/2021)

The Coalition has compiled some resources to help answer some frequently asked questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccines more generally.  Please review Dr. Maria Yang’s presentation reviewing the effects of Covid-19 on King County and information about currently available Covid-19 vaccines from our January 21, 2021 Membership Meeting.Dr. Maria Yang works as the medical director for DESC. She has spent most of her career working in community psychiatry settings. She also likes cookies. Is the vaccine safe and effective? Short answer: Yes, and yes (about 94% effective).  Watch the video below from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) about how the vaccine works in your body. We recognize that you or others you know may experience vaccine hesitancy, which is driven by the mistrust of public health and medical institutions due to their historical mistreatment of and unethical studies on Black, Indigenous, POC, disabled, and impoverished communities. Watch and share this video with Public Health staff Hana Tadesse and Dr. Jeff Duchin that debunks common myths about the vaccine, and can help people make their decisions.   When will I and the people I serve be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?  We are currently in Phase 1B, tier 1 of vaccine distribution to anyone 65 and older, and all people 50 and older who also live in a multigenerational household. This is in addition to populations eligible during phase 1A including health care workers at high risk for COVID-19 infection, first responders, people who live or work in long-term care facilities, and all other workers in health settings who are at risk of COVID-19. Public health wants you to know that getting vaccinated is not a substitute for mask wearing and social distancing. Stay masked and six feet apart, and if you are concerned you may have been exposed to someone showing …

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