City of Seattle – Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness Blog

November 18th, 2021 Membership Meeting

December 9, 2021November 4, 2021 by Jody Rauch

Thank you to all who attended our November Membership meeting. We look forward to seeing you and sharing space at our December 16th Membership meeting which includes our 2022 Legislative Preview! This meeting will be two hours from 9am-11am The Coalition on Homelessness is hiring! This is the CORE position of OFFICE MANAGER at the Coalition. Thanks for getting this out to your networks. A full position description, salary range, and how to apply are on our website and here: http://bit.ly/CoalitionJob2021 Help us find a person who likes to set up systems and keep them in good working order, who relishes solving problems, and who sees the beauty in being the behind-the-scenes backbone of our small & mighty team and our broad & diverse community.*Priority application deadline: December 8, 2021.* COVID Vaccine Updates COVID-19 Vaccine Booster doses: Pfizer, Moderna, and the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines offer great protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death. However, studies have shown that over time protection against mild and moderate disease can decrease. Booster doses are recommended for anyone 18 years of age and older who are at least 2 months past their single dose of Johnson & Johnson and for some groups of people who received either Moderna or Pfizer and are at least 6 months past their second dose. Learn more at Seattle King County Public Health. Check out the Seattle King County Public Health Blog: Public Health Insider for tips on COVID and the holiday season. Read past blog posts for lots of great information on COVID and how to stay safe. Advocacy Priorities Inflation Adjustment: If you live or work in Seattle: City of Seattle budget will be finalized on Monday, 11/22. We have a foundational ask which is the 2.8% inflation adjustment. Email your Councilmembers today to say …

June 15, 2017 General Membership Meeting: Seattle’s RFP for Homelessness Services, CEA Listening Session

March 5, 2019June 16, 2017 by Alison Eisinger

Thank you to the 100+ people who filled the room for our June 15 General Membership Meeting! It was an important agenda (click here to view): a presentation and discussion about Seattle’s Homelessness Services RFP with Catherine Lester, Director of Seattle’s Human Services Department, as well as a Coordinated Entry for All Listening Session with Mark Ellerbrook, Regional Housing and Community Development Manager with King County Department of Community and Human Services. Handouts and materials related to these presentations are at the bottom of this post. We shared timely information about State (ESHB 1570 & Budget) and County (Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy) Advocacy priorities as well as the Coalition’s Voter Registration work. Please follow up on the Action Alert below! Did you fill our our Voter Registration & Candidate Questionnaire survey? If not, click here to let us know what information you want people running for elected office to know about homelessness, plus, information about voter registration work at your organization. Take Action Today! There are crucial issues before King County Council and the State Legislature — Lawmakers need to hear YOUR voice! Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy Renewal: Let King County Councilmembers hear from YOU as they decide whether to increase (yes!) or reduce (no!) Executive Constantine’s recommended funding package and put the levy before voters this November. Send a personalized note to County Councilmembers: Renew and extend the Vets, Seniors, and Human Services Levy. Help close the gap between what people in our community need and deserve, and what we are providing. Build on Executive Constantine’s proposal to ensure robust continued support for helping veterans, families, and seniors across King County. Take Action: Online Action: tinyurl.com/speakupVSHSL Call your King County Councilmember The State Legislature is currently in special session as they determine which programs to fund in the …

Recap: General Meeting on the Heroin and Prescription Opiate Task Force Recommendations – October 20th, 2016

February 17, 2021October 27, 2016 by Alison Eisinger

The Coalition’s October general meeting occurred on Thursday, October 20th. In attendance were folks from the Transit Riders Union, Washington State Department of Health, King County Public Health Department Health Care for the Homeless, the Low Income Housing Institute, First Place, City of Seattle, Plymouth Housing Group, REACH, King County Metro, Crisis Clinic, The Salvation Army, Jewish Family Services, Seattle Public Library, Child Care Resources, the Housing Development Consortium, Seattle Department of Transportation, El Centro de la Raza, St. James Cathedral, and the Church of Harm Reduction. Thanks to everyone who attended! Here is a brief recap of the meeting: I: Voting Updates and Resources: The Coalition helped 365 homeless voters register this year, one for every day! Thanks for helping at your member organization. 83% of eligible voters are registered in the state of Washington. Lets get them all to vote! Take action: put out voters guides and lists of the drop box locations in your organization. Click here for the map of the locations of the 43 ballot drop boxes in King County. Get more information by reading our voting tips. II: Heroin and Prescription Opiate Task Force Recommendations: [Link to the full report on the Heroin and Prescription Opiate Addiction Task Force recommendations.] We were joined by Patricia Sully of the Public Defender Association/ Vocal-WA and Chloe Gale of REACH, for a discussion of the Heroin and Prescription Opiate Task Force recommendations. The recommendations by the task force fall into three categories: Primary Prevention, Treatment Expansion & Enhancement, and User Health & Overdose Prevention. Patricia and Chloe focused primarily on the User Health & Overdose Prevention recommendations and the Treatment Expansion recommendations. The two recommendations in the Health and Overdose Prevention section were to expand the distribution of naloxone and to establish at least two Community Health Engagement Locations/Supervised …

Recap: Families with Children Meeting – KidsPlus Training and Coordinated Entry for All – June 22, 2016

July 11, 2016 by Alison Eisinger

Big thanks to all who were able to join us for last month’s Families with Children committee meeting. As always, it was great to see a room full of familiar and new faces! We were joined by Mary Dunbar from Kids Plus (Public Health – Seattle & King County), who offered a training on working with guests to address their mental health needs. Danielle Winslow (All Home) provided timely Coordinated Entry for All updates with the group. Highlights and resources from these two folks are below: A list of mental health services available for children can be found here. The YMCA also operates the Children’s Crisis Outreach Response System (CCORS), which offers urgent crisis outreach as well as short-term stabilization resources to children and youth in King County, as well as their families. King County Mental Health’s wraparound services offer additional supports to children to help stabilize them in the community. More information and application processes for this program can be found on the King County website. Adults and folks of all ages can access mental health services at the locations listed on this document. The Crisis Clinic is an excellent resource for folks to call if in need of immediate crisis help, and they also provide information about suicide warning signs and crisis intervention strategies. King County Crisis and Commitment Services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to provide initial outreach services to folks not already accessing outpatient care in King County as well as evaluation of people with mental disorders for possible involuntary detention in psychiatric facilities according to the mental illness law in the State of Washington. Throughout King County and the state of Washington, low-cost and free clinics are available for folks to access mental and physical healthcare needs. Mary suggests looking into Consejo, Cornerstone, and Project Access Northwest …

Letter to Seattle Office of Civil Rights: Request for Race Equity Analysis of Homeless Sweeps

January 19, 2016 by Alison Eisinger

Read letter from Columbia Legal Services who, joint by the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, request that the City of Seattle’s Office of Human Rights “evaluate the City’s procedures and practices of sweeping homeless individuals from their places of shelter to ensure the City makes good on its commitments to race equity and social justice, and to ensure compliance with all applicable civil rights laws.” View PDF of letter here. Read the following letter and press release from December as well: Homeless Sweeps Exacerbate Problem: Letter to Mayor Ed Murray: In December, together with Columbia Legal Services and the ACLU of WA, the Coalition wrote to Seattle’s Mayor Murray detailing our concerns about the harmful effects of recent sweeps of people who are homeless outside.

Recap: General Meeting – 2016 Legislative Preview – December 17, 2015

January 11, 2016 by Alison Eisinger

Thank you to all who were able to join us at our December General Membership meeting for the 2016 legislative preview! Those present included folks from Solid Ground, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Child Care Resources, Chief Seattle Club, OPEIU Local 8, All Home, Jewish Family Services, Center for One Health Research, City of Seattle Office of Housing, United Way of King County, Catholic Housing Services, Columbia Legal Services, King County Health Care for the Homeless Network, YouthCare, Real Change, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Seattle University, University of Washington Center for Pediatric Dentistry, Tenants Union, Seattle Public Library, Compass Housing Alliance, YouthCare, Hopelink, and the University District Conversation on Homelessness. Wow – we enjoyed an exciting conversation with this awesome group! Here’s a brief recap of the meeting… Special thanks to Representative Mia Gregerson (LD 33), Madeline Cavazos (Legislative Aide to Representative Joan McBride, LD 48), Curtis Knapp (Legislative Aide to Representative Brady Walkinshaw, LD 43), Nigel Herbig (Legislative Aide to Representative Jessyn Farrell, LD 46), Michael Althauser (Columbia Legal Services), Liz Trautman (YouthCare), Alex Bergstrom (Columbia Legal Services), Hana Alicic (Tenants Union), and Abi Velasco (Washington Low Income Housing Alliance), who joined us to share their perspectives on key legislative priorities for the upcoming 2016 legislative session! This year’s legislative session is set to be short (just 60 days), and we plan to advocate strongly throughout the session for the legislative priorities that are key to making sure that the needs of all those in our community are met. We appreciated hearing the perspectives of our elected representatives and advocacy partners at our General Membership meeting! Some of the legislative priorities to be ready to advocate for include: Certificate of Restoration of Opportunities Act (CROP) Homeless Youth Healthcare Act and Homeless Students Stability and Opportunity Gap Act Fair Tenant Screening Act Truth in Evictions Reporting …

Thank you for helping us win $2.265 million investment to #BringPeopleInsideNOW: 902 signatures on petition!

December 2, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

The following message was shared with 902 people who signed our Change.org petition calling on Seattle City Council to invest $2.265 to Bring People Inside Thank you as well to everyone who sent emails, made calls and signed postcards. Together we won! We’ll continue to need your help to make sure the money is used to bring people inside as soon as possible. Thank You! $2.265M invested to #BringPeopleInsideNOW Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH) Dec 2, 2015 — Dear advocates who signed our petition to #BringPeopleInsideNOW, Thank you for your signature and support of the Seattle/King County on Homelessness’ and Seattle Councilmember Nick Licata’s proposal to allocate an additional $2.265 million for shelter and emergency services for people experiencing homelessness. On 11/16/2015, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to do just that; $2.265 million from General Funds has been allocated and was part of the 2016 City of Seattle budget signed yesterday by the Mayor! You helped show the support of the community, and councilmembers in City Hall heard the message loud and clear: we need to bring more people inside now. The Coalition on Homelessness will continue to work closely with City Council and member organizations to make sure that we get people inside as quickly as possible. The success of the $2.265 million depends on your continued support and help in encouraging City Council and the City of Seattle to bring people inside now by using funds for shelter and services as recommended by the Coalition on Homelessness. We hope you’ll continue to take action with the Coalition. If you haven’t already, please sign up for the Coalition’s Action Alerts and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@Homeless2Housed). Thanks again and keep up the great advocacy! -The Coalition team P.S. We sent Thank You Postcards to Seattle City …

Seattle City Council votes to dedicate $2.265M to #BringPeopleInsideNOW, influenced by Coalition organizing

November 17, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

Yesterday, November 17, 2015, the Seattle City Council Budget Committee voted 8-0 to add $2.265 million to the City’s budget as a one-time allocation to address the crisis of homelessness. These funds will be intended to provide new and expanded shelter beds, extended day center services, maintenance of skilled outreach services to vulnerable homeless adults, support of authorized encampments, and child care for homeless children. The Green Sheet (Council’s process of changing the Mayor’s proposed budget) can be viewed here, specifies that the $2.265 million will come from the City’s General Subfund, and outlines the process for spending the money. The Coalition’s list of recommendations for new shelter, extended hours & increased capacity, and crucial services was included as an attachment to the Green Sheet. The final budget vote is next Monday (11/23). We will now work closely with the City to ensure that these funds are put into action as soon as possible to bring people inside quickly. Your Advocacy made a HUGE difference! Thanks to EVERYONE for calling, mailing postcards, e-mailing, signing our petition (400+ signatures!), and showing up at multiple City Council meetings to share your powerful examples of why we must ‪#‎BringPeopleInsideNOW‬. Please join us in THANKING all City Councilmembers via e-mail, with SPECIAL THANKS to Nick Licata for shepherding this proposal through the budget process. Stay tuned for more opportunities to take action! If you haven’t already, please sign up for the Coalition’s Action Alerts and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@Homeless2Housed). Check out media coverage of the Coalition’s organizing on our website and Facebook. Thank You!

How to Take Action in an Emergency: Bring People Inside Now, Open Community Centers

November 13, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

We call on Seattle & King County leaders to #BringPeopleInsideNOW! Sign our petition urging Seattle City Councilmembers to expand shelter, extend day center hours, and open community centers in the 2016 Budget, and urging Mayor Murray to open community centers as he would in any other emergency Dear Coalition Members and Friends: You only get to declare a state of emergency once, so it had better count. In declaring a state of emergency, Mayor Murray and Executive Constantine have created a crucial opportunity to bring additional focus to the all-too-obvious crisis for thousands of people each day and night. They have proposed investments that, while important, do not match the urgency or scope of the crisis before us. We need to work together to change that. Please join us in contacting Seattle City Councilmembers, and insisting that declarations be backed with actions that will bring many more people inside safely and with dignity. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Women in Black document how many people who are homeless have died outside or by violence. As of Veterans’ Day, the names of 57 women and men are listed this year. We have much work to do. Please join us next Thursday, Nov. 19, to learn more about the States of Emergency declared in our community and in Portland, L.A., and Hawaii, and to develop additional actions. General Membership Meeting Thursday, November 19, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at E. Cherry YWCA – See Agenda below. Sign & Share petition to Seattle City Council & Mayor Ed Murray calling for an emergency response to #BringPeopleInsideNOW Seattle City Councilmembers are making final budget decisions now, and voting on Monday. Please join the Coalition, and 300+ people who have signed our petiton. Urge Council to re-direct the Mayor’s proposed $2.3M for the Rainy Day Fund to bring Seattle …

Join us in calling on the Seattle City Council and Mayor Murray to make a $10 million emergency investment in shelter & homeless services

October 28, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness is calling on the Seattle City Council to respond to the urgent unmet needs of homeless people with a new emergency investment of $10 million in shelter and services in the 2016 budget. This figure represents a realistic assessment of how our city can significantly reduce how many people are homeless outside in our city, starting this winter. These are not intended to be comprehensive recommendations – they are serious proposals that will help more people get their fundamental needs met through a strengthened and expanded network of emergency survival services. More information about how we recommend $10 million be used most effectively is below. YOUR voice is crucial: if you live, work, or spend time in Seattle, Mayor Murray and City Council Members need to hear from you today. Simple instructions for how to Take Action are at the bottom of this post! We recommend that Council use the current budget process to allocate new resources to: Bring 750-1000 people indoors beginning this winter: Increase overnight shelter capacity and expand daytime services that meet people’s needs Keep homeless people safer and healthier while they are outside: Take a public health/harm reduction approach to assisting people outside Build on and reinforce our existing network of shelters and survival services: Extend hours and enhance staffing and programming where possible; find and fill in gaps between what people need and what is available Estimated costs and specific opportunities: I. Open additional overnight shelter for 1000 people: $6.5 million* This conservative cost estimate presumes that Seattle will work to maximize capacity at existing programs (offer longer service hours or enhanced services or increased staffing support) and open additional shelters by working with local non-profit organizations, leveraging publicly-held properties, and calling on the private sector to join faith communities …