Families with Children – Page 2 – Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness Blog

2015 Legislative Priorities

January 27, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

The 2015 One Night Count identified 3,772 too many people outside from 2-5am early morning Friday, January 23. This cannot be considered normal and we need YOU to take ACTION. We are now in the third week of the 2015 Washington State Legislative Session and your elected state legislators need to hear from you today! Call the Legislative Hotline to leave a message for your representatives and let them know that you support legislation that is crucial to helping people experiencing homelessness in our community. Hotline Number: 1-800-562-6000 – real (and kind) people answer the phone! Hotline Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-8pm Please find below short messages to use when you call your representatives and senators as well as links to PDF versions of one-pagers with information about the important acts and programs that are on our legislative agenda. Click here to view the Coalition’s Legislative & Budget Priorities in a printable version. Here are our legislative priorities in no particular order. Thanks to the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Columbia Legal Services, The Mockingbird Society, and the Statewide Poverty Action Network for these one-pagers. State Housing Trust Fund: Invest $100 million to create good homes and local jobs through our State Housing Trust Fund Housing & Essential Needs (HEN), Aged, Blind, & Disabled (ABD) and SSI Facilitation PROTECT Crucial Programs & Prevent Homelessness for disabled and elderly Washingtonians: Maintain Housing & Essential Needs (HEN), Aged, Blind, & Disabled (ABD) and SSI Facilitation at current funding levels. Seniors and people with disabilities must be able to meet their basic needs and access recovery resources. Fair Tenant Screening Act (SB 5123 / HB 1257): ELIMINATE Barriers to Housing: Pass the Fair Tenant Screening Act (SB 5123 / HB 1257), and laws to prevent discrimination based on how people pay rent and ensure fair reporting …

Take Action Now: Tell Councilmembers people need Safe, Indoor places to stay

November 12, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

Check out this article with a Call to Action from Alison Eisinger to contact your councilmembers today! Councilmembers vote on the budget this week and need to hear from you. Scroll down for messaging. As Winter Approaches, A Push for More Shelter: Deborah Wang, KUOW In 2005, housing advocates in King County announced a plan to end homelessness within a decade. Since then, the community has produced 5,600 units of permanent housing for the homeless, more than anywhere in the U.S. except New York and Los Angeles. This year alone, more than 2,000 formerly homeless people have moved into permanent housing. Despite those improvements, and even as the economy booms in the region, the homeless population continues to inch higher. “Last year, we had 10,000 households that were homeless in King County and 5,000 of them were newly homeless,” said Mark Putnam, director of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County. This year’s One Night Count of homeless people found 3,123 people living outside, a 14 percent increase over 2013. At the same time, 6,171 homeless people lived in shelters or transitional housing. The reason? The fast rising rents, low vacancies and high cost of living in the Seattle area have pushed more people to live in their cars or on the streets, according to advocates. Some are newly arrived residents who were drawn to the area by the booming economy. “I’ve heard many a story of people that thought moving here with a couple thousand dollars would be enough for them to get on their feet, find a job settle and kind of settle in, and it’s not,” said Putnam. Putnam said housing advocates will be asking state lawmakers to put $100 million more into the housing trust fund in the next budget. That pays for the construction of …

Families with Children Committee: Back-to-school reports and the future of joint FWC-FHI meetings

October 17, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

Our Families with Children (FWC) Committee gathered in September to discuss the future of its new quarterly joint meeting with the Committee to End Homelessness’ Family Homelessness Initiative. They also reported back on the start of the new school year for the students who are homeless that they serve. Here are some brief notes from the discussion: HOW DID START OF SCHOOL GO FOR MCKINNEY-VENTO STUDENTS? Please be sure to e-mail rebecca[at]homelessinfo[dot]org with your back-to-school experience(s). Backlog of enrollment paperwork In Seattle, had students who didn’t go the first 2 days of school because of this. Others said the first two days of school had VERY fast turn-around re: paperwork, but slowed significantly after that. Transportation Reports of buses being 1.5 hours late – A. Moon (Mary’s Place) Reports of taxis being 2 hours late – A.Moon (Mary’s Place) Case Manager said she went above and beyond to verify and confirm – multiple times – that the orders were correct. And still, these delays happened. She even had a taxi with incorrect orders and wouldn’t take the student to the correct school! In West Seattle, it took one week to get a bus to pick up a student. Safety concerns of younger students being assigned ORCA cards instead of a taxi or bus No one reported ORCA card issues (e.g., then not being loaded) Multiple people reported having concerns and questions around the 1-mile rule (i.e., no transportation, must walk). Case Manager said that 2-mile rule for homeless families who live in Queen Anne is quite difficult. There is a much greater impact of this rule for families who are homeless Proactive and flexible engagement from Liaison Liaison w/ Lowel (school) came to provider to talk through McK-V and connect with families. SUPER HELPFUL In class/Teacher issues Parent said middle-school aged son was marked down …

Families with Children Committee: Resources Share from the July 23 meeting

July 25, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

Our Families with Children (FWC) Committee held a Resource Share at their July 23 meeting. Why? Because committee members bring incredible skills, experience, and knowledge to the table each time they meet. Resource shares are a good way to problem-solve and brainstorm, as well as share new (or forgotten) information. The Co-chairs asked that each member come to the meeting with something to share to enrich the discussion — specialized resources, handouts, contacts, websites or whatever has been helpful. Here’s what the group came up with this time around… Child Care Resources (CCR): CCR’s homeless subsidy program to cover all costs of any licensed child care provider, financial assistance program for suburban cities (including Bellevue, Renton, Kent) – these programs are designed to help families who are not eligible for DSHS services. Additionally, CCR’s information and referral line is helpful for staff and families. Call 1-800-446-1114 to speak with staff who can help families locate licensed childcare providers that meet their specific needs/criteria. They can also do a free search online (click the register button to begin a search if not already a user). City of Seattle Child Care program – this program does not currently have a waitlist; parents in school (and not working) are eligible; the program will pay for ESL classes; great long-term solution, but program only pays partial cost. Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET) – Families who receive Basic Food Assistance (SNAP) are eligible for this program. It also applies to folks who attend any community or technical college in Washington State, and partners with Farestart and Goodwill programs. Even if the program runs out of money at each quarter, parents can still get assistance with childcare. Families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are ineligible for this program. Public Health – Kids Plus – Kids plus is a program that meets the unique needs of families who are referred by connecting them to …

Project Cool 2014 is in full swing!

April 9, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

The cherry blossoms are blooming, the Mariner’s had their first at-home game of the season, and the sun is finally out in full force. With all these new beginnings, it’s a natural time to start Project Cool for Back-to-School, our Coalition’s beloved backpack and supply drive to support homeless students! Learn more about Project Cool on our website, and keep reading to find out how you can get involved over the next few months to support homeless students through Project Cool. Ready… Set… Go! Here are 4 ways you can get involved: Supply Drives. Now is a great time to start your own donation supply drive, and encourage others to do the same. We hope you to have fun with them — there are so many ways to be creative and think outside the box. For example, Northwest Honkers Baseball will ask their game day patrons to donate school supplies in lieu of a gate fee during summer games. Use this Project Cool Supply Drive Flyer (with Wish List). Contact me if you’d like a tailored flyer. Dental Donations. We need your help to reach out to Dentists for floss, toothbrush, and toothpaste donations. Do you have an upcoming dentist appointment, or is there a nearby dentist office in your community? Use our Dentist Letter to ask your personal or local dentist to donate to Project Cool. Sponsorship. Encourage your work, community group, bank, or faith organization to become a Project Cool Sponsor. Facebook. ‘Like’ Project Cool on Facebook, invite your friends to do the same, and share posts to boost our reach online. Your action makes a huge difference! And be sure to mark your calendars for Volunteer Days in early July 2014. During the first two weeks of July volunteers have fun counting, sorting, and organizing supplies to fill backpacks for distribution. We’d love your …