Washington State Legislators – Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness Blog

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 …

January 2017 General Membership Meeting: Accountable WA, Legislative Advocacy

January 25, 2017 by Alison Eisinger

Thanks to those who joined us on Thursday, January 17 for our first General membership meeting of 2017! We had an action packed agenda complete with a call in to Olympia to start off our 2017 legislative advocacy. We were joined by community members from Catholic Community Services & Catholic Housing Services, Crisis Clinic, Friends of Youth, Housing Development Consortium, Jewish Family Services, Low Income Housing Institute, Plymouth Housing Group, REACH, Real Change, Recovery Cafe, All Home, Youth Care, and more! We heard a great presentation, called in to Olympia about legislative priorities, and signed famous Coalition Advocacy Postcards. Please read on for a summary of our meeting & important actions YOU can take before our next General Membership Meeting on Thursday, February 16th. Accountable WA, Kelli Smith, WA Budget & Policy Center As we know, Washington State had one of the most inequitable tax structures in the country, we do not have an income tax and therefore rely on sales tax and property tax to fund vital programs our communities need and to raise revenue. This structure causes people with lower incomes to pay disproportionately more of their income to taxes than people in the highest income bracket. The WA Budget and Policy Center, working with many organizations, has developed a package of legislation that would fix some of our tax problems, and make it so that people who are earning the least are not contributing the most in taxes (currently people who are in the lowest 20% income group contribute 16.8% of their income as WA state and local taxes, compared to those in the top 1% who contribute just 2.4% of their income to WA state and local taxes). There are two main goals of Accountable WA, we encourage you to learn more at the links below and click …

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 …

2015 Legislative Session Updates: On to Special Session

February 23, 2015 by Alison Eisinger

And it’s a wrap (but not really). The 2015 Regular Legislative Session ended on Friday 4/24, but the House and Senate have yet to agree upon a budget, so a special session will start on Wednesday, 4/29. We are happy that Extended Foster Care, the YEAR Act, the Homeless Youth Act, and the King County Bonding for Affordable Housing all passed! Unfortunately a number of our bills did not pass, as happens each session since only a limited number of bills can even be brought to vote. These bills will be re-worked in the break until the 2016 legislative session and be reborn and hopefully pass in 2016. Your phone calls, postcard signing, and advocacy have been significant and continue to be vital moving forward in the Budget process. Budgets from the House and Senate were both released in mid-April. See below for more details. The House and Senate will have to work together to agree upon a balanced budget. We are glad the House and the Governor both provided for revenue in their budgets, however the Senate did not. We encourage you to ask your legislators to “Please ensure the final budget raises new revenue and invests at least $110 million in affordable housing.” Please check out our tracker below and note the status of bills you have been tracking. Keep on making calls, fill out and send in a new postcard, and staying tuned for action alerts – Sign up for Coalition Action Alerts here! Take 5: call the Legislative Hotline to leave a message for your representatives and let them know what bills you support and also urge them to invest $100 Million in the Housing Trust Fund. These bills and budget asks are crucial to helping people experiencing homelessness in our community. Hotline Number: 1-800-562-6000 – real (and kind) people answer the phone! Hotline …

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 …

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 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 ( …

Policy Update: The 2014 Legislative Session — Part 2

February 18, 2014 by Alison Eisinger

Today marks the 37th day of the Legislative Session, and also the House of Origin Cutoff (by 5 p.m.). All bills that originated in the House of Representatives must be approved and sent over to the Senate for further consideration (and vice-versa for the Senate). A bill will only become law once it has successfully passed through both the House and Senate. I mentioned in Part 1 of our update that “there is still enough time and many opportunities to make a difference.” I can tell you heard that message and acted upon it, because there’s good news on many of our priority bills! Thank you for being such strong advocates. Even over halfway through Session, there’s still so much you can do to support these bills through the process. Together we will pass these Acts into Law! Remember that the “secret” to getting heard in Olympia is simple: tell Legislators that you care, include a short message about why you care, and do it in a way that’s easiest for you. Whether you want to e-mail your Legislators, leave a message through the Legislative Hotline (1-800-562-6000), or travel to Olympia to meet in-person, your voice is valuable and needed. Here’s an update with Action Alerts on important bills: Document Recording Fees: Passed House Bill – ACT NOW! An amended version of Document Recording Fees passed through the House (HB 2368) and has been sent to the Senate. We need you to urge your Senator to pass HB 2368 through the Senate. Fair Tenant Screening Act, Part 3: Passed House Bill – ACT NOW! The Fair Tenant Screening Act, Part 3 passed through the House (HB 2537) and has been sent to the Senate. We need you to urge your Senator to pass HB 2537 through the Senate. Youth Opportunities Act: Passed House Bill – ACT NOW The Youth Opportunities Act unanimously passed the …

What will Effective Advocacy Look Like this Session down in Olympia?

October 16, 2013 by Alison Eisinger

You may look at the title of this post and think to yourself, “Wait a minute, we aren’t even through city budget season yet, so why are we already thinking about the legislative session down in Olympia?” Even though fall is very much still in the air, January is actually just around the corner. With a 60 day session this year, we will have to be prepared, and ready to advocate quickly and effectively as soon as the legislative session begins. This morning, I attended the Children’s Alliance’s Annual Meeting, along with Amy Donnelly (Child Care Resources) and Cindy Irwin (Compass Housing Alliance), who co-chair the Coalition’s Families with Children Committee. One of the purposes of the event was to ask the legislators tough questions about their views on issues relating to the needs of Washington’s kids. One woman asked the legislators about whether they were willing to reform our tax system so that the state could have more revenue to support more vital programs. The legislators all responded with very classic, evasive answers, but one legislator, Representative Cindy Ryu, from the 32nd District, gave a helpful piece of advice. She said, “Every time you walk into your legislator’s office or communicate with your legislator, talk to them about your issue, but also talk to them about the broader systemic issue of tax reform.” This issue must be pushed by the people, and come from the bottom up. So remember: with every e-mail you send this session, and with every meeting you go into, say at least one sentence about how you support a fairer tax system in our state, and ask your legislator to stand with you. Without a more progressive tax system, we will never have the kind of state that we all want to live in – …

Some Good News From Olympia last week as the budget process continues

April 15, 2013 by Alison Eisinger

Last week was a busy week for housing and homelessness advocates. First, the House passed its proposed budget, a huge improvement over the Senate’s version. On Wednesday at noon, the House Appropriations Committee released their proposed budget and then passed it through the House of Representatives late Friday night. The House’s proposed budget protects important parts of our state’s safety net and includes revenue. It preserves funding for: Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) Working Connections Child Care Consolidated Homeless Grants (CHG) which funds homeless housing programs across the state, including domestic violence shelters, transitional housing for families, and short-term rent assistance. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families The House also allocated $71 million for the Housing Trust Fund, more than double what the Senate allocated. This is very important, however, it is still well below the $175 million that we need in our state to create housing that is affordable to low income and working families. On April 10, the same day that the House released their budget, our friends at Poverty Action issued a call to action to “Save our Safety Net.” We joined them in urging our members to call Olympia to tell their legislators to protect Washington’s safety net. We had some surprising evidence (in addition to people e-mailing us and posting on our facebook page) that lots of people took action: last Wednesday evening, members of the Coalition’s Board of Directors made their calls to the free Legislative Hotline. Board president Emily Meyer called, and began to deliver our short message. After her first few words, “Please vote for full funding for vital programs,” the hotline operator recited the rest of our message back to her, “that really help families and people with disabilities in our community: HEN, ABD, TANF. Please include new revenue …