Thank you for joining us for December General Membership & 2022 Legislative Preview Meeting! If you didn’t get the chance to join us, please review the recording and hear about all the important legislative priorities our community will be paying close attention to.
Thanks and Farewell
After 20 years, Eileen Denham, long-time City of Seattle HSD staffer, and Kate Speltz, long-time staff at King County DCHS, are stepping down as the skilled and steadfast managers our Continuum of Care’s application to HUD. The federal McKinney funding brings tens of millions of federal dollars for homeless housing each year. This is a major effort, with different questions every year, strict character limits, complex scores to maximize, and some hard decisions to make. Our community rates high on our federal “McKinney” application every year – some years high enough to be awarded millions in “bonus” projects, funding that has made it possible to add hundreds more of units of supportive housing over time. We appreciate the hard, unsung work these two have led, the ways they’ve listened to and kept community partners informed, and the resources they have secured to house and help people all over King County. Eileen and Kate, we tip our hats to you!
Representative Nicole Macri
State Representative from the 43rd District Nicole Macri joined us to share some of the key legislation she’s working on this session like tenant protections, an advisory panel for Permanent Supportive Housing, and Apple Health and Home. She encouraged us to use our voices and left us with this poignant statement about advocacy.
“Don’t ever think that you’re pestering us. We don’t hear about these issues as much as you think that we do.”
Representative Nicole Macri
As always, the Coalition has deep appreciation for the dedication, support and hard work Representative Macri provides for our community. See links and resources below how to make her wise words a reality!
Advocacy Priorities
Community Partners Legislative Appetizers!
Much appreciation to Po Leapai from WA Low Income Housing Alliance, Lianna Kressin and Omar Cuevas Vega from Statewide Poverty Action Network and Liz Trautman and Jo Bechtold from the WA Coalition for Homeless Youth Advocacy for sharing select legislative priorities.
- WA Low Income Housing Alliance –
- $400 million (unspent Federal COVID funds) ask for affordable housing and
- Housing Justice Act which will prevent landlords from denying housing solely based on a tenant or family member’s previous arrest or incarceration.
- Statewide Poverty Action Network –
- TANF 60 month time limits-reinstate broad exemptions for TANF recipients beyond the federal 60 month time limit.
- Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD) -increase the ABD monthly cash grant to at least the TANF monthly cash grant amount per recipient ($417).
- Dental Therapy-Expand dental therapy statewide to improve access to dental care.
- Check out more of their priorities on their Policy Agenda One pager_2022 (povertyaction.org)
- The Washington Coalition for Homeless Youth Advocacy (WACHYA) –
- Access to healthcare for unaccompanied minors
DSHS Bill and Sign-On Letter:
Our very own Sara Robbins and Lobbying Consultant, Melanie Smith are leading the work on drafting the Coalition’s first legislative bill. Grounded in the experiences of Coalition members and folx with personal experience, our goal is elevate the concerns we see, hear about and experience to ensure people have access to DSHS services.
Current DSHS plans for reopening Client Services Offices are causing a great deal of concern. Community-based providers have seen how offices being closed have led to unhoused clients and clients with disabilities losing benefits and/or not being able to apply for benefits. Since May, we have been advocating with allies to inform and strengthen the proposed plans, without progress. We need your help to explain why limiting in-person services to appointment-only and relying primarily on phone and internet-based services, will not adequately serve people living without shelter, people with disabilities, and many others.
Please sign-on to our letter to bring this issue to the attention of the Governor’s Office, the Secretary of DSHS, Assistant Attorney General for DSHS, and the Office of Equity.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Know your lawmakers:
- Find out who represents YOU!
- Send legislative district number to maggie@homelessinfo.org so we can leverage the power of the Coalition.
- Put 1-800-562-6000 State Legislative Hotline in your phone for a quick and easy way to share with your representatives what matters to you.
Stay Connected to the Coalition!
We maintain several email lists for our members, friends, and community. Choose which email lists you would like to subscribe to hear about advocacy campaigns, education and training, and volunteer opportunities. Sign up to stay informed. We invite everyone to sign up for our following listservs:
- Members and Friends: Stay up-to-speed on Coalition activities, issues, and campaigns! Regular emails about advocacy campaigns, links to take quick action on local, state, or national issues; announcements, workshops, and special events.
- Action Alert: Speak up and make a BIG difference! Hear from us when to use your voice to press for good public policies, advocate for smart budget investments, and participate in civic action. We will help you contact elected officials with sample messages and information.
Providers, advocates, folx with personal experience: If you work or volunteer regularly in homeless services, housing, health care, human services, or similar settings, join our network list. We welcome people with personal experience of homelessness to sign up for these emails as well. You will receive regular reminders about Coalition meetings, training opportunities, information about public benefits, and support to engage in collective action and effective advocacy.
Follow us on social media and share actions with your network
- Twitter @Homeless2Housed
- https://www.facebook.com/SKCCH
Homeless & Housing Highlights from the City of Seattle Budget
Thanks to our members who came out and advocated for so many important issues of importance including housing, shelter, workforce stabilization, child care, progressive revenue, behavioral health, true public safety, and the 5.8% inflation adjustment. Check out Real Change article on the inflation adjustment win!
Member Updates
We invite you to share timely program news – please contact jody@homelessinfo.org to get a few minutes on this part of the agenda, or feel free to share details with your colleagues in the chat during the meeting. We can share resources on our Meeting Resources Blog.
Upcoming Coalition Events
- Register for our January 20th, 2022 Membership meeting!