Low Income Fare – Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness Blog

Transit Riders Union Human Services Bus Ticket Campaign

April 29, 2016 by Alison Eisinger

The Transit Riders Union (TRU) is organizing to ensure that everyone in our community can access transit options, especially with the recent expansion of the Light Rail and subsequent changes to some bus service. As a reminder, the ORCA LIFT low-income fare is now available for anyone in King, Snohomish, or Pierce county who makes less than 200% of the federal poverty limit ($23,760 for a household of 1, $40,320 for a household of 3). Visit www.orcalift.com for more information! The following information was shared at our April 21 General Membership meeting, and prepared as a guest blog post by Katie Wilson, General Secretary of TRU. PDF version here. Human Services Bus Ticket Campaign progress report & call to action April 25, 2016 Progress! The problem: Toward the end of last year TRU started realizing that the expansion of Link Light Rail and the Metro bus service restructure would raise barriers for people who use bus tickets, since the tickets and paper transfers are not accepted as proof of payment on light rail. The pressure: After a letter and meetings with councilmembers produced inconclusive results, we started a petition and announced a public action for April 16th. The KC Exec’s office quickly got in touch to tell us they were working on a solution. The solution: This “combo-ticket” will be available starting mid-June, at a cost $11 for a booklet of 10. (It is priced at 20% of the value of the bus tickets, with no extra cost for the light rail pass.) It will also be possible to swap out tickets already purchased. Until then, King County Metro has said that if organizations purchase Sound Transit Link day passes at $1 each, they will throw in twice as many bus tickets for free (Contact: Brandon Banks, brandon.banks@kingcounty.gov, 206-477-6664.) More in the works… Raising the cap: Since we’ve heard from …

Sound Transit to vote on Low-Income fare 11/19/2015

November 17, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

Sound Transit is on the brink of voting on whether or not to implement a low-income fare for their system. The Coalition on Homelessness has joined with Transportation Choices Coalition, OneAmerica, Puget Sound Sage, Futurwise, the Housing Development Consortium, and Transit Riders Union in support of the expansion of the ORCA LIFT program to all routes in Snohomish, Pierce, and King Counties, as well as implementing a low-income fare on the Sounder Train. Check out our joint letter! There are mutiple fare change options being discussed and you can view more details here. We support the option that implements a low-income fare for ALL routes in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. Additionally, we support having a low-income fare on the Sounder train. Read Hillary’s public comment below and make sure to read our joint letter to the Sound Transit board here. The Sound Transit Board will vote on Thursday 11/19/2015. Public comment is technically closed but you can view the results of public comment here. There will also be public comment taken at the Board Meeting 11/19/2015 at the Ruth Fisher Boardroom at Union Station (401 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). Here is what Hillary shared at the public hearing on November 5: Hello, my name is Hillary Coleman, Mobilization Coordinator at the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, and here today on behalf of our Coalition’s member organizations to encourage you to serve Sound Transit riders across the entire system by expanding ORCA LIFT to reach riders in King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. We are thrilled to see Sound Transit poised to take this very positive step to make transit more affordable and accessible to current and new riders. I echo much of what has been shared both in comments today, and in the joint letter from Transportation Choices Coalition, OneAmerica, Puget …

2014 Coalition Recap: What a great year!

February 16, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

As the Coalition on Homelessness is poised for another big year we invite you to reflect on the work you have helped the Coalition complete in 2014. If you would like to become a member (as an organization or individual), please find our membership information here. Join us to advance our shared mission: ensuring safety and survival for people who are homeless, and working collaboratively to end the crisis of homelessness in our region. Project Cool for Back-to School 2014 helped 1,373 homeless students start the school year right with new backpacks, school supplies, and dental kits. We’re preparing for Project Cool 2015, and continuing to move beyond the backpacks, connecting advocacy with service! We organized and mobilized over 1,100 people and dozens of organizational partners to carry out the 2015 One Night Count of people who are homeless outside. We documented 3,772 people outside overnight ~ a shocking but not surprising increase of 21% over last year. Within a week we brought the results to Olympia with our Ring out for Revenue and Roofs action. We ensure that these results inform and inspire action year-round. Our two years of advocacy for a low income Metro fare paid off: the OrcaLIFT program launched March 1, 2015! OrcaLIFT is the broadest, deepest public transit access program in the U.S., allowing people earning up to 200% of FPL to ride for half-price. Six Coalition member agencies are helping sign up riders! Visit www.orcalift.com for eligibility and location information. Four times a month, our General Membership and Population Committee meetings serve as lively and collegial forums for Coalition members to talk through timely issues and common problems and collaborate to find practical solutions. Our workshops on Helping Homeless Students: McKinney-Vento 101 and Beyond the One Night Count provided over 200 people with tools to …

Help SAVE METRO, FIX ROADS, and make the LOW INCOME FARE more affordable…

March 18, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

Help SAVE METRO, FIX ROADS, and make the LOW INCOME FARE more affordable: Vote YES on Prop. 1 on April 22 With 400,000 daily rides, Metro helps keep us moving. Due to gridlock in Olympia and limited options, Metro’s facing 17% cuts to bus service, affecting 80% of today’s bus riders and putting up to 30,000 cars back on our already clogged streets. Now, it’s up to the voters of King County to keep Metro moving: we must vote YES on Proposition 1 to protect bus service and fix our roads and bridges throughout King County. In order to address the rising cost of living and transportation in our county for our lowest income neighbors, Prop. 1 will also ‘buy down’ the new Low Income Metro Fare to a more affordable rate of $1.25, and create a license-fee rebate for low income car owners. Let’s keep Metro and our community moving! There’s plenty to do between now and April 22. Here’s how you can get involved: Endorse Prop. 1 … Whether you’re an individual, non-profit, or otherwise, you can endorse this ballot measure! Volunteer … To learn more about how you or your organization can get involved, contact Matt Taylor (206-329-2336; matt@movekingcountynow.org). Spread the word! … Information is power, so spread the ‘YES on Prop. 1’ message far and wide, using social media, e-mail lists, newsletters, etc. Here’s MoveKingCountyNow’s flyer and their comprehensive FAQ. Got questions about what to include? Contact MoveKingCountyNow (206-329-2336). Register voters … The last day to register to vote or update voter registration is Monday, March 24, 2014 (or April 14 for first-time voters who register in-person at select locations). Check voter registration status, register to vote, or download a voter registration form at http://kingcounty.gov/elections. And remember that you don’t need a house to have a …

We did it: We have a Low Income Metro Fare!

February 27, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

This historic policy win will help tens of thousands of people get on the bus. When we started organizing for a low income Metro fare back in 2012, as the loss of the Ride Free Area loomed, Alison thought it would take years before our work came to fruition. But on Monday, the King County Council voted unanimously to implement a reduced Metro fare of $1.50* for people living on low incomes. King County residents all the way up to 200% of the federal poverty line will be eligible – meaning that nearly a quarter of the people in our community will be better able to access the bus. (*This proposal can be made even better if voters turn out to pass Proposition 1 on April 22, when voters can ‘buy down’ the fare to $1.25 as part of a revenue package that will prevent 17% bus service cuts.) This is a big win! If you filled out a postcard, played our “Metro Mad Libs,” called and e-mailed, or turned out to public meetings, you should be proud. Together we have moved our region into the forefront of public policy that connects transit to other social and economic goals. Thank you!

Recap: Coalition’s General Meeting — February 20, 2014

February 27, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

What we wouldn’t give to get a couple of extra days at the end of February. Do you feel the same? It’s a good thing we’ve been posting these abbreviated meeting notes so that you can make the most out of the time you have! Last week’s General Member Meeting was quite timely, what with the Legislative Session over half-way through and the next phase of Reduced Fare actions taking place. Be sure to catch up if you missed out, or refresh on details if you attended. Here’s what happened at the latest General Member Meeting, held on February 20, 2014. As a reminder, the General Member Meeting takes place every third Thursday of the month from 9.00 – 11.00 a.m. at the East Cherry YWCA (2820 E. Cherry Street in Seattle). For more information, check our website’s Members’ tab for a link to the ‘Committees & Meetings’ page, or simply follow this link to take you there directly. Our next General Member Meeting is Thursday, March 20, 2014. __________________ 2014 One Night Count Discussion: What did you think? What did you hear? What are the implications for your work? Your community? Many people spoke about their 2014 One Night Count experiences: Some shared that more people were awake and moving around between 2-5 a.m.. One individual noted the dissonance in counting people who are homeless amid high rises and malls. A new Team Captain from this year’s count said she took away an extra dose of compassion and humility. A first-time counter, who was able to count in his home neighborhood, noted how different it was to see people who are homeless at night than during the day, and was also surprised at the wide age range of people who were counted. A first-time Team Captain but returning counter mentioned that this year he saw …