Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness
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Mission Statement
Mission: We mobilize our community to challenge systemic causes of homelessness and advocate for housing justice. Vision: A region that acts on a shared sense of responsibility to ensure that everyone has a home. Values: Equity, Collective Action, Justice • Equity: To center race in the fight for housing justice, as white supremacy and structural racism cause disparities in who experiences homelessness. • Collective Action: To collaborate, unite, and act to build power. • Justice: To uphold the dignity and civil rights of people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.
About This Cause
The Coalition on Homelessness supports and advocates on behalf of member organizations and staff that are at the front lines. It is a coordinating force on budget and policy decisions which directly affect the lives and futures of people who are homeless and the kind of community we all live in. We work tirelessly to advance reasonable solutions and solid program models; to protect and strengthen the civil rights and dignity of people who are homeless and poor; and to accomplish legislative victories that promote housing, human services, and the public good at the local, state and federal levels. Key Programs: Policy, Education, and Advocacy The Coalition conducts educational activities, gathers information, and advocates on policy issues affecting homeless people, and on mobilizes the Coalition’s membership on shared priorities during city, county, state and federal budget processes and local legislative sessions. Further, the Coalition supports its members in providing responsive, quality, and respectful services to people while they are homeless. Membership Meetings and Special Projects The Coalition hosts regular monthly meetings for staff at member agencies, people with personal experience of homelessness, staff of local government and community organizations, and interested members of the public to meet, learn together, hear timely and accurate information affecting people who are homeless and the systems and programs designed to serve them. Monthly membership meetings and special gatherings are routinely used as opportunities to provide practical, on-the-ground information to inform, shape, and improve program design, service delivery, and policy proposals. Staff of local government agencies are invited to share information and take questions and feedback from members. Special meetings are convened as needed to address timely issues affecting member organizations or people who are homeless. Case Manager Trainings The Coalition organizes and hosts free workshops on topics related to direct service provision, including skills-based workshops and opportunities to hear about and discuss promising and best practices, implementation challenges, and address common community issues and problems. We have collaboratively hosted meetings and trainings with other Coalitions, and intend in the coming year to provide regular quarterly trainings and opportunities for skill development for staff at our member organizations. Support for Homeless Students For ten years we have organized and hosted Helping Homeless Students: McKinney-Vento 101, annual workshops held just before the beginning of school for staff at Coalition member and partner agencies who work with school-age children and youth, including unaccompanied minors, and staff at local public schools. These workshops involve planning and collaboration with our members and with community agencies with relevant legal and clinical experience. Every summer, Coalition members and volunteers purchase and fill new backpacks for 1500+ school-aged homeless children and youth through our Project Cool for Back to School program. School supplies, hygiene items, age-appropriate books, and resources are in each backpack, and these are distributed to children and youth prior to the start the school year by staff at member organizations. Homeless Voter Registration We seek to ensure that every eligible voter can register, vote, and participate fully in the democratic process, regardless of where she sleeps at night or whether he has a way to receive mail. In Washington State, almost all voting is now done by mail. This poses a serious obstacle for many who may not have a stable residential or mailing address to use when registering to vote, and to receive ballots and voter information materials. The Coalition has developed educational materials related to homeless voters’ rights, and recruits and trains volunteers to participate in non-partisan voter registration, education, and GOTV activities. In recent years, we have coordinated voter registration drives during the 7-10 days leading up to the deadline for registering to vote in both primary and general elections.