Services for Housing – Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness Blog

Accessing Coordinated Entry for All at King County 2-1-1

September 20, 2016 by Alison Eisinger

At last week’s Coalition on Homelessness General Membership Meeting, Coalition members were joined by Danielle Winslow from All Home who discussed with us the Coordinated Entry for All (CEA) program, which is run by King County. The goal of CEA is to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to housing in the most efficient way. It does this by using a standardized assessment tool to matches the right level of services and housing resources to the individuals seeking these resources. To learn more about the basics of the program and where Regional Access Points are located, visit www.kingcounty.gov/cea. To schedule an appointment for a CEA assessment, people need to call King County 2-1-1 to set up an appointment for an assessment. 2-1-1 is currently experiencing high volumes of calls and appointments are filling fast. Alex Williams with King County 2-1-1 sent us some tips, information, and realistic expectations that people should have when calling 2-1-1 to access CEA. CEA Access and Information at King County 2-1-1 as of September, 2016 General Information on 2-1-1 King County 2-1-1 is open to receive calls Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. CEA assessment appointments are made on Wednesday mornings. Dialing 2-1-1 on a cell phone will connect you to the 2-1-1 that serves the area where your phone is based. You can also call King County 2-1-1 directly by dialing (206) 461-3200 or toll-free at (800) 621-4636. If your cell phone connects you to another 2-1-1 contact center in Washington state, they can transfer your call to King County 2-1-1 if you are calling during our hours of operation. Specialists at King County 2-1-1 can assist callers in English and Spanish. To use an interpreter for other languages, push ‘5’ when prompted after calling 2-1-1. This option will connect you to a Specialist who speaks …

Take Action Today: Protect our most important source of funding for homeless services (ESHB 2368)

March 12, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

Despite a nasty move to kill the proposal in committee, we’ve revived the Homeless Housing and Assistance Surcharge bill (HB 2368) thanks to repeated phone calls, e-mails, and a whole lot of media attention. Great work … but we aren’t out of the woods yet. We have TWO DAYS to continue to apply pressure to those lawmakers who are seeking to reduce or eliminate the resources we desperately need to help house people in Washington. The original Homeless Housing and Assistance Surcharge Bill (aka Document Recording Fee bill), which had strong bi-partisan support, is being overshadowed by an alternative bill (SB 5875). Senators in the Majority Coalition Caucus say the alternative is a “compromise,” but this is simply not true. Help us to overcome this disruptive noise with your strong messages (especially if you live or work in Auburn or Puyallup!) — the legislature must pass ESHB 2368! Here’s how YOU can take action today: Send an e-mail to your Senator. Call your Senator directly, or use the FREE Legislative Hotline (1-800-562-6000) to leave a message. Share these ways of speaking up to your co-workers and others! Here’s a sample message (and feel free to personalize it): I am a voter in your district, and I consider cuts to homeless housing and services unacceptable. I urge you to work with your colleagues, especially Senators Fain and Dammeier, to make sure the Senate passes E-S-H-B 2368 this year. This bill will save over 50% of the state funds that are working to prevent and end homelessness in our community. Thank you! Do you live or work in AUBURN or PUYALLUP? We especially need you to contact your Senators, because they are in key negotiating positions on this critical funding bill. If you are in District 47 (Sen. Fain, Auburn), or District 25 ( …