General Membership Meeting – July 16, 2026

At our July 2026 General Membership Meeting, we heard from the Washington Health Care Authority and Northwest Health Law Advocates about changes to Medicaid for asylees, refugees, and other noncitizen adults coming October 2026. The Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence shared information about the latest Trans Resource Referral Guide, including how to submit information about resources. We were also joined by King County Elections, who talked about the August 4 Primary Election, safeguarding voter information, and securing voting rights against federal actions. If this wealth of information is something you want to share with others or access again, please subscribe to the Coalition’s YouTube channel, where our membership meetings and trainings are collected. Coalition Announcements Our next training has been scheduled for Weds, Aug 19. This Helping Homeless Students: McKinney-Vento 101 class is designed for human service workers, frontline providers, school employees, and others who work with students and families experiencing homelessness. You will learn how to help students access public school resources guaranteed by federal law under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Join us from 9-11 a.m. over Zoom. Register here. Do you believe in this Coalition? We want to hear why. We’re hosting our third annual Truth to (Staying) Power fundraiser at The Royal Room on Thurs, Sept 17 and to prepare, we’re gathering stories from our membership about how this Coalition shows up for them. Email Danielle Palmer-Friedman (danielle[at]homelessinfo[.]org), our Communications Lead, to share yours. Changes to Medicaid for Asylees, Refugees, and Other Noncitizen Adults NoHLA healthcare options for uninsured immigrants fact sheet available in English at:  https://nohla.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Immigrant-Health-HR1-Timeline-Resources.pdf  Also in Spanish: https://nohla.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/affordability-Jan-26-Spanish-ES.pdf simplified Chinese:  https://nohla.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Health-Affordability-Resources-WA-ZH_CN.pdf and Vietnamese: https://nohla.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Health-Affordability-Resources-WA-VI.pdf Trans Resource Referral Guide 2026 King County Trans Resource and Referral Guide Request Info: To Request Copies of the guide: 2026 King Co Trans Resource and Referral Guide Request Form – Fill …

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Access to services during the 2026 FIFA World Cup

This page was last updated Weds, March 18, 2026. We will update this page as we receive additional information and resources. The 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament—occurring Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, July 19—is the largest event ever to occur in Seattle. Hundreds of thousands of people will visit Seattle from all over the world and are expected to stay an average of 7.5 days each. Our entire city will see the impact on our roads and in our neighborhoods, but the most impacted neighborhoods are the ones immediately surrounding Lumen Field, i.e. the “stadium neighborhood”: Pioneer Square, the Chinatown/International District, and SoDo. Many people access services, healthcare, housing, and shelter in these neighborhoods. Your Coalition has been working with the local organizing committee—SeattleFWC26—to get good information to housing, service, shelter, and healthcare providers in the most impacted neighborhoods. If your organization is not currently involved in these information sessions and your services are in Pioneer Square, the CID, or SoDo, please contact Kevin Lee at kevin[at]homelessinfo[.]org. The information in this post is useful for us all to be aware of and is specifically important for frontline staff and the people who sleep or access services in Pioneer Square, the CID, and SoDo. Match Days There are a total of six match days: *Note: Since this game was announced, Iran has pulled out of the competition. We do not yet know if this match will still take place with a different team or who that team will be. Each match has the capacity for roughly 63,000 attendees at Lumen Field. The match on Juneteenth between U.S. and Australia will likely see the biggest crowd, but the Local Organizing Committee expects every match to sell out. Some matches are not yet set—who will play will depend on the tournament outcomes, but …

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Social Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) training – October 28, 2025

This training on SSI and SSDI helps to demystify public benefits, particularly those resourced by individuals and families with housing barriers. This training covers eligibility, how to apply, how to maintain benefits, and how to resolve common issues with obtaining or maintaining benefits.   An uptick in applications that are connected to changing requirements from other benefits programs is expected. There are possible short-term impacts during the current government shutdown and some longer-term impacts that are connected to changes in eligibility. Thank you to Benefits Law Center for sharing this information with us. Benefits Law Center makes direct legal representation accessible at the convenience of the client and assists in the benefits application and appeals process in a way that accommodates their disability and other barriers that they may face. Types of Benefits There are a couple of different types of benefits that a person can receive. A person can get benefits based on having a disability, which means they have health conditions that are so severe that they wouldn’t allow you to do any kind of full-time job. SSI – Social Security Income To get benefits based on disability for SSI, the only requirements are that you meet the disability, age, or blindness requirements and you meet the income and resource limits, meaning that you’re not making too much money, and you don’t have too much money or assets. SSDI – Social Security Disability Income SSDI has the same disability verification requirements but it has different financial requirements. You have to have worked enough hours or enough work credits at a job where you’re paying taxes into the Social Security system to qualify for this benefit. Disabled Adult Child Benefits Disabled adult child benefits are for people who became too disabled to work before age 22 and their parent …

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Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) and Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) Training – September 10, 2025

Our 2025 training on the state ABD and HEN benefit programs covered eligibility, how to apply, how to maintain access, and how to overcome common barriers to access. Thank you to Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance team for presenting on ABD benefits and thank you to Catholic Community Services’ HEN team for presenting on HEN benefits. Aged, Blind, or Disabled (ABD) benefits ABD is a Washington state cash assistance program for qualifying low-income individuals. It is essentially an interim benefit to help people while they pursue Social Security Income (SSI). ABD allows $450 a month per individual or $570 a month per married couple. Recipients of ABD are assigned a facilitator to help them apply for SSI and also receive a referral to the state’s HEN program. Jump to 00:05:18 to view this section of the training. ABD eligibility To be eligible for ABD, you must: You are NOT eligible for ABD if: A useful tool to check ABD eligibility is available via Washington Connection here. ABD Income and resource limits Income limits for ABD are categorized two ways: Earned income is received from a job and has a 50 percent disregard, which means it is divided in half and compared against the income limit for the program to determine eligibility. For example: The ABD monthly income limit for a one-person household is $339. Your monthly pay is $650. Half of $650 is $325, which is below the monthly limit. You are eligible for ABD based on your earned income. Unearned income is income from any other source, including unemployment, Veterans Affairs, or child support. Unearned income is not disregarded. Every dollar of unearned income is counted to determine eligibility. The resource limit for ABD is $12,000 in liquid resources. This was updated from a $6,000 limit in 2024. Liquid …

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2019 December 10 Public Benefits 101 Workshop

The Coalition hosted a Public Benefits 101 Workshop on Tuesday, December 10 as part of our on-going series of Case Manager Trainings. Over 90 direct service providers joined us for a three-hour training covering the basics of public assistance programs offered by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). Thank you to presenters Sara Robbins and Katie Scott from the Solid Ground Legal Benefits Assistance Program who led the training and shared their knowledge and passion with the room. A brief summary of the programs covered below. Click here for slides from 12/10/2019 Presentation The workshop began with an overview of cash programs administered by the state. The Aged, Blind and Disabled program (ABD) and Housing and Essential Needs Program (HEN) are the primary cash benefits available for single adults without children. Formerly called Disability Lifeline, ABD provides $197/month to adults with a disability who do not receive significant income from work or another public benefit program. HEN has similar eligibility requirements but does not result in a direct cash payment. Details differ by region, but the primary benefits consist of a rental payment voucher and case management services. Visit Washington Connection to see if you or your client may be eligible to apply for cash assistance. For families, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) is the primary cash assistance program available. TANF has a work requirement called WorkFirst that mandates TANF recipients be looking for work or be enrolled in some sort of job training program. Clients are required to sign off on an Individual Responsible Plan (IRP), failure to meet this requirement can result in a reduced or terminated award. The presenters stressed to the room that case managers should request copies of their clients IRPs and review them closely, noting they have …

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2019 April 18 Membership Meeting Summary and CEA conversation materials

Thank you to sixty-three people who joined us on April 18 for our lively meeting, including a walk through the Coordinated Entry For All process and the opportunity to give feedback on what is and isn’t working about Interim Dynamic Prioritization. Coalition staff were pleased to share news that we are hiring for our new Administrative Coordinator position, and invite people to participate in Project Cool (for information about getting backpacks for students who are experiencing homelessness, email Hillary). We sent Hallie, our Member Services Coordinator, off to her new job in Olympia with hearty thanks and well wishes. And, you got LOUD for Housing by contacting your lawmakers in Olympia asking them to #BudgetForHousing! We know that about 40 people used the email action alert during the meeting, and others made calls – thank you! Materials/Handouts from meeting: April 18 Meeting Agenda Coordinated Entry Deep Dive handout from Joanna (including CEA experience flow, CEA Priority Pool workflow, definitions, and prioritization formula). Prints best on 8.5 x 14 paper. Mobility Policy Handout also available online here. Mobility Request Form also available online here. Africatown International Diversion Fund Information. More diversion information available on All Home’s website and Africatown International’s website. CEA April Newsletter Coordinated Entry for All (CEA) Deep Dive Joanna Bomba-Grebb from Coordinated Entry For All prepared a chart of how the CEA process, from assessment to housing, currently works. Thanks to staff from member agencies, including Solid Ground and DESC, for attending the meeting to share their perspectives about how each piece of the process actually works day to day on the ground. Our discussion on the process and continuous improvement was still continuing when the meeting ended at 11, so we decided that we will set aside some time at our Thursday, June 20 Membership meeting (9 …

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Move-In Cost Assistance for Homeless individuals and families through CCS Hunthausen Fund

Our friends at Catholic Community Services want to make sure that case managers across our region know about this funding opportunity! Click here for a flyer and read on for details. Catholic Community Services has funding available for King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County residents for move-in cost assistance through The Hunthausen Fund. This funding is referral-based; Case Managers will complete the application with potential recipients and send it to us for review. If the individual meets all of the outlined requirements and the application is complete, payment will be made directly to the landlord for First Month/Last Month/Deposit (as funding permits). This source is specifically for individuals and families moving from homelessness into public or private permanent housing. Unfortunately, we cannot assist with move-in for transitional housing at this time. If you’d like to get more information, please review the Program Overview or contact Victoria Anderson (425) 679-0340 or James Tolbert (253) 850-2505 with any additional questions you may have. Please also feel free to tell members of other agencies, as this funding is available to all service providers’ clients, so long as the individual meets the program requirements. Thank you, and we look forward to working with you to get your clients housed!

Continue Support of the White Center Shelter

As we head into a holiday that for many people is synonymous with home and family, let’s turn our attention to White Center. The former public health clinic stands empty, and King County, which owns the building, had hoped to open a shelter in that space on November 1st for 70 people. Three weeks later the shelter has not been opened. That means that 70 people have been outside when they could have been inside for 21 days. In the language of shelter providers, that means 1,470 empty bed-nights. Community members have every right to be notified, to have their questions answered, and to be assured that the shelter will be well run. But not opening the doors to an empty building when there are not only thousands of people homeless does not seem to fit our community’s ideals. We wrote a letter to our community partners in White Center, and we invite you to write your own, using our postcard template, or your own words. Thanks to King County elected officials and staff, as well as community volunteers and our member organizations for your determination to see the people behind the numbers, and to respond with urgency. We strongly support efforts to increase safe shelter and affordable housing across this region. This is a very good time for all of us to think about how we can help answer the question: how can we bring more people inside, and help them secure a home?

Take Action! Support the Proposed Bellevue Shelter!

The City of Bellevue and King County are working in partnership with Congregations for the Homeless and Imagine Housing to create a permanent men’s shelter which would include 100 emergency beds, a day center and cafeteria, as well as 50 units of permanent housing. We fully support the proposed shelter, but not all community members do. Read this Seattle Times article for more information about the proposed shelter and discussions it has sparked. We encourage you to express your support to the City of Bellevue and King County! Monday, Nov. 28th at 6pm at Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue): The Bellevue City Council will receive an update on the proposed shelter and permanent supportive housing project at an extended study session. The meeting will begin with a 30-minute period for oral comments to the council. We encourage you to show up to this meeting and publicly express your support! If you can’t show up on the 28th, send advocacy postcards to the Bellevue City Council and King County Council (note that you need to put it in an envelope to send, it’s too big to be mailed on it’s own)! (Click here for a pdf of the postcard). Or email your comments directly to the Bellevue City Council at eastsidemensshelter@bellevuewa.gov or to key King County Councilmembers Claudia Balducci (claudia.balducci@kingcounty.gov) and Reagan Dunn (reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov). For more information on the shelter including facts on homelessness in Bellevue, community outreach efforts and FAQs, visit the city’s webpage here.

Powerful Comments at City Council

On Friday October 14th the Human Services & Public Health Committee of the Seattle City Council met to discuss Council Bill 118794, an Ordinance to Protect Public Health and Safety and Reduce Harms Experienced by Unsheltered Residents of our City. There was public comment at the end of the meeting which included powerful statements and stories from Coalition members and concerned citizens. Below are clips of a few of these comments. Julie, a mother from Magnolia had heard misinformation about the ordinance from her neighbors. Upon researching the ordinance she’s in favor of it. She asks that we remember that some of the unsheltered are families with small children, stating that:  “Some of my children’s classmates are living in encampments. My heart burns with shame when I think about how we have failed them. And it angers me when I hear parents from our school talking about organizing a protest at the local park for fear that their property values will fall. What message are we sending to those children, to their courageous parents who are doing everything they can to get their children to school on time every day.” Cecelia Linsley, a parent from South Seattle spoke about choosing to raise her children, Chiara and Thea, to be people who pay attention and help those around them, saying that “It is a privilege to raise children in Seattle if you have the resources. It would be really easy to carry on with our lives ignoring the fact that not everyone around us…is privileged, but that’s not how I want to raise my children….We’re going to keep using our public parks and other public spaces even if people are camping there. We are going to keep noticing and talking to the people around us – even when they don’t look or live …

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