Workshops & Trainings

Helping Homeless Students: McKinney-Vento 101 – August 19, 2026

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This training covers the following: Thank you to our presenters and co-facilitators from TeamChild. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act – the basics >> Join SchoolHouse Connection’s Mailing List Virtual Resource Fair Lutheran Community Services Website: https://lcsnw.org/ Legal Counsel for Youth and Children Website: https://lcycwa.org/ Kids’ Mental Health Washington Website: https://kidsmentalhealthwa.org/ Team Child Website: https://www.teamchild.org/ Open Doors for Multicultural Families Website: https://opendoorswa.org/ Register for our next General Membership Meeting Thursday, September 17, 9-10:30 a.m., Zoom

Navigating SNAP: Program basics & new HR1 requirements – March 25, 2026

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PLEASE NOTE: The information in this training is accurate as of March 25, 2026. Benefit programs are undergoing significant and ongoing shifts. Here are a few resources where you can verify the information provided in this training: We invite you to watch and share this training on Navigating SNAP: Program Basics and the New HR1 requirements with your colleagues and communities who will be impacted by new limits to accessibility. The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness is proud to present this in partnership with attorneys and public benefits experts from Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance (BLA) team.  In this training, BLA staff go over program basics (who can access programs and how to apply), explain what is changing, and how the communities you support will be impacted. You will also learn how to access BLA services for appeals on decisions and case consultation. The HR1 changes to the SNAP program are now the largest changes to eligibility since the 1996 Federal Welfare Reform Act. We know the most vulnerable will be disproportionately impacted by these changes, including people experiencing homelessness and people living with disabilities. We bring this information to the frontlines to help you advocate for and support the folks you work with. Please share this information and check our website for future training opportunities concerning SNAP benefits and other vital programs for communities impacted by HR1. For information and action about the harmful effects of H.R. 1 in terms of SNAP, please bookmark this page from FRAC: SNAP Cuts Mitigation Hub: Responding to H.R. 1 – Food Research & Action Center  Thank you to Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance team for presenting this informative training. Q: Do ABAWD requirements apply to being 18-21 and a student enrolled in high school? A: Students ages 18–21 who are enrolled at …

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The Coalition Current: December 2025

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Kids helping kids succeed Crystal has eight-year-old triplets. “Which is an adventure.” Crystal’s family—her three triplets, Noah and Carter and Simone, and her husband, Dominic—volunteered for Project Cool for the first time this year. Crystal knew about the Coalition thanks to her work. She’s an Endowed Associate Professor at the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. Now that their children are old enough, Crystal and her husband were looking for kid-friendly volunteer opportunities to get their whole family engaged with their community. They adopted a street about a year ago and do neighborhood cleanups every month or so. She heard about Project Cool from a friend who has been trying to find ways for people to engage and educate themselves, “and do what we can” in this time of federal upheavals, Crystal explained. Project Cool was a great opportunity for their family, Crystal said. She talked to her kids about who gets the backpacks and why they need them. She explained that they were going to be helping other kids. “Kids that are like them.” Homelessness has come up with her children before, Crystal said. “Just being out in the world,” she said, “we all see that a lot.” When people were living in tents next to the triplets’ preschool, Crystal and Dominic would talk to them about what theysaw on their walk to school. One of the kids thought the people were camping. Crystal and her husband explained: “It’s not what it’s like when we go camping.” For Crystal and her husband, Project Cool was a chance to say to their children: “This is a small thing that we can do to help in our community because we can’t help everyone. We can’t fix this problem on our own, but this is a way that we can …

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

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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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Mini General Membership Meeting – October 16, 2025

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During this abbreviated General Membership Meeting, we heard updates from community partners, reviewed important information for the upcoming General Election on Nov 4, learned about the Seattle and King County budget cycles, and shared our budget priorities for this year (and took action together!). We are hosting another Membership Meeting this month in partnership with the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence on Thursday, October 30 in person (!) at LANGSTON Seattle from 9-11 a.m. This meeting will cover the intersection of homelessness and gender-based violence to better equip service providers, advocates, and community members to serve people with complex needs. Please join us! There will be refreshments and costumes are encouraged. Register here: bit.ly/Oct30Meeting 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. What’s Happening at the Coalition Our next free, virtual training is on Social Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). This training is presented in partnership with the Benefits Law Center. Please join us on Tuesday, October 28 from 9-11 a.m. over Zoom. All registrants receive a copy of the recording and presentation afterwards. Preparing for the November 4 General Election Jump to 00:12:42 to view this section of our meeting. The General Election is less than two weeks away. Ballots were mailed on Wednesday, October 15, so you and your clients should have them by now. If you don’t, call King County Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683) or print a ballot online here: bit.ly/KCprintballot. There was a recent KOMO news piece about the postal service’s new system and speed for postmarking mail. Because of this change, KC Elections is advising people to return their ballot by mail EARLY (by Monday, October 28) to ensure …

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

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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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General Membership Meeting – July 17, 2025

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During our July 17 General Membership Meeting we shared some great program updates, heard from the Seattle Disabilities Commission, and learned resources for tenants in Washington from Kasey Burton of Catholic Community Services’ Tenant Law Center. 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. Upcoming at the Coalition Welcome Meghan! The Coalition brought on a Summer Programs Associate, Meghan Piotrowski, to assist with our two big summer initiatives, Project Cool and voter registration. If anyone has a program they think would benefit through voter education and registration, please contact vote[at]homelessinfo[.]org to talk about scheduling a visit by the Coalition and our team of trained volunteers. If you’re looking for voter education resources, check out our webpage with our You Don’t Need a House to be a Voter guide.  Our Project Cool needs a few more helping hands for July 29 & July 30. These are days when program coordinators from our member orgs will come pick up their backpacks orders. All volunteer days are hosted at the Bryn Mawr Methodist Church (8016 S 116th St, Seattle, WA 98178): Sign up for a volunteer shift here and email contact[at]homelessinfo[.]org if you have any questions. Next up at the Coalition In place of our August General Membership Meeting, we are hosting a training on Helping Homeless Students: McKinney Vento 101 on Thursday, August 21. This two-hour training will provide case managers the tools they need to understand and use the federal McKinney Vento Assistance Act, which allows certain rights to students and families experiencing homelessness so they can maintain their public school education. If you or someone you know works with families experiencing homelessness, you can register for that …

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General Membership Meeting – June 12, 2025

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During our June 12 General Membership Meeting, we shared upcoming opportunities and trainings at the Coalition, heard from DSHS about Washington state’s summer EBT program for K-12 students (SUN Bucks), talked to the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition about the recent state legislative session and federal threats to SNAP, met the Coalition’s Board of Directors new members, and shared ways our community is celebrating Juneteenth and Pride this month. 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. Upcoming at the Coalition Support for K-12 students experiencing homelessness For more than 33 years, the Coalition on Homelessness has helped students and families prepare for the start of a new school year with new backpacks, school supplies, books, and dental hygiene supplies. This effort, our Project Cool for Back-to-School, will support 1,800 students in 2025. We are currently looking for volunteers to help us stuff and distribute backpacks in July. We would love to have you join us! All volunteer days are hosted at the Bryn Mawr Methodist Church (8016 S 116th St, Seattle, WA 98178): Sign up for a volunteer shift here and email projectcool[at]homelessinfo[.]org if you have any questions. The Coalition supports K-12 students experiencing homelessness year-round by providing a training on the educational rights of students in public schools as defined in the McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act. This training is for any case manager or provider working with students and families experiencing homelessness. The training will cover: Sign up for this year’s Helping Homeless Students: McKinney Vento 101 training on Thursday, August 21 from 9-11 a.m. over Zoom. Please note that this training will take the place of our August General Membership …

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Medicare/Medicaid Training – May 20, 2025

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Thank you to the Benefits Legal Assistance team at Solid Ground for presenting our 2025 training on Medicare/Medicaid. If you have specific questions about WA Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) benefits, reach out to the Benefits Legal Assistance team directly by emailing benefitslegalhelp[at]solid-ground[.]org. Join our next Public Benefits are Key! training on Wednesday, July 30 from 9-11 a.m. over Zoom. We’ll cover the Aged, Blind, & Disabled (ABD) and Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) Programs. Register here.

Case Manager Training Series: Financial Empowerment: Additional Tools for Homeless Service Providers

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Hopelink invites you to join their next installment in this series. You do not need to have attended prior sessions to fully participate in this training. If you would like to review our prior trainings, see the recordings below. The next installment in the series is titled Understanding Credit Reports and Scores, coming up on Wednesday, May 26 from 11am to Noon. Click here to register.   Financial Empowerment Series: Dealing with Debt April 28, 2021 Presented by Hopelink. Financial Empowerment Series: Getting Through the Month February 26, 2021 Click Here to View Presentation Materials Event Summary: The most recent workshop in our Financial Empowerment Training Series explored using cashflow budgeting to ensure the people you serve have the funds that they need at the time they need it. Static budgeting can leave households without needed income when bills come due. Thank you to the housing case management staff at Hopelink for helping us work through common scenario questions. If you plan to review the above recorded training materials, we encourage you to first examine this scenario question. Below are links to all the materials referenced in the workshop. We encourage you to refer to these as you watch the video and pause to explore each tool at your own pace. You can also read through all presentation materials here. If you have questions or wish to explore this content in more detail, please email your questions to Emily. Spending Tracker Bill Calendar Cutting Expenses Prioritizing Bills Creating a Cashflow Budget Improving your Cashflow Adjusting your Cashflow Financial Empowerment Series: Tracking Income and Benefits January 27, 2021 Click here to view presentation materials Event Summary: The latest in our case manager training series explored how to help clients track multiple sources of income, such as earned income and public assistance programs. …

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