Policy Advocacy & Public Education

We engage in public education and advocacy year round to ensure smart public policies and robust funding for homeless and housing priorities at the local, state, and federal level. 

Collaborative Advocacy

In partnership with the Seattle Human Services Coalition and the King County Alliance for Human Services, we identify key issues and organize to educate and influence City of Seattle and King County legislators to support funding for those priorities during local budget cycles.

During the Washington State Legislative session, we partner with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (our statewide sister organization) and the Statewide Poverty Action Network to identify priority issues, engage our members and the public on key budgeting decisions, educate legislators on the importance of adequate and stable funding for homelessness and housing services, and support legislation that will help communities across the state end the crisis of homelessness. Visit our Legislative Advocacy page for ways to speak up.

We are also committed to the following programs and trainings: 

• Three times a year we host Homelessness Advocacy 101 workshops at times that correspond with local, state, and national legislative processes. Through these workshops, attendees learn about programs, policies, and other priority issues currently being discussed by policymakers. We encourage folks to contact their legislators regularly and provide tips and helpful information about priority issues.

• Our annual “Helping Homeless Students – McKinney Vento 101” training in late summer educates public school staff and service providers the educational rights of homeless students as designated by an important federal law: the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Through this training we help school staff and service providers understand how to make sure at risk kids can access education no matter whether they have a stable place to call home.
  See our McKinney Vento Informational flier.