Advocacy Alert - August 2005
Heat up for Housing
Background
The National Housing Trust Fund Campaign recently launched the Heat Up For Housing campaign to win Congressional passage of an Affordable Housing Fund this summer. The Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 1461, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, which includes the establishment of an AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND to support affordable housing production, preservation, and rehabilitation.

In July the Senate Banking, Urban Affairs, and Housing Committee passed the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 without including language to establish a new Affordable Housing Fund, as their counterparts on the House Financial Services Committee did in May. However, during the Committee mark-up, the majority of Republican and Democrat Senators indicated they are committed to working together to get a bill on which both sides can agree and to provide new money for affordable housing production in the bill.

This is your opportunity to educate the public and your Congressional delegation about why the Affordable Housing Fund is needed in your state and communities.
Be direct, be creative, get the message across the best way you know how.

Take Action
Contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to support the Affordable Housing Fund.

• Download a sample letter
• Visit the website of the National Housing Trust Fund for more information.

Advocacy Alert - July 2005
Thank the Mayor and Seattle City Council for funding the severe weather shelter

We asked and you took action! Thanks to your advocacy, the Seattle City Council and the Mayor plan to open a severe weather shelter in the new City Hall this fall. On July 11th the Seattle City Council approve the requested $261,000 of Capital Improvement Funds to renovate unused space in the building. The shelter opens on the the coldest and wettest nights of the year - and helps 75 men and women survive another night. The severe weather shelter is scheduled to open by November 1st.

Contact the Seattle City Council and Mayor and thank them for allocating an additional $261,000 to renovate part of City Hall for use as a severe-weather shelter. Thank the Mayor of Seattle and the Seattle City Council www.seattle.gov.

Advocacy Alert - May 2005
Thank state elected officials who protected human services
The state legislative session has come to and end and housing and human services won a few victories. Please contact your elected officials and thank them for supporting the following:

• Increasing the Housing Trust Fund to $100 million.
• Passing a bill that calls on each county to plan to end homelessness and funding housing for people who are homeless.
• Passing the Mental Health Parity bill
• Restoring $80 million of the $82 million in Federal funding cuts to community mental health programs.
• Voting against Medicaid co-pays for poor people in need of emergency services and prescriptions.

You can contact your elected officials and find out how they voted on these issues at www.leg.wa.gov

Advocacy Alert - March 2005
Tax don't ax the state budget
Right now, Lawmakers in Olympia are deciding about whether or not to fund social programs, like GA-U, Basic Health Plan, Adult Dental, Mental Health Services, and many more. The state is short $2.2 billion and the governor and legislators are looking to cut important social programs to deal with this problem. Meanwhile, over the last few years, the state has been cutting taxes for wealthy corporations. Lawmakers can make a different choice this year and restore the money it takes to meet the needs of everyone in our state.

Lawmakers need to hear about what would happen to people if these programs were cut. And Lawmakers need to know that people are against any cuts to social programs and that fair taxes is the solution to our problem.

Download a flyer about the "Tax Don't Ax" demonstrations

Advocacy Alert - March 2005
Help protect GAU
The General Assistance Unemployable program is facing an $18 million cut in Governor Gregoire's proposed budget. That means 3,735 people with disabilities lose their modest cash grant through General Assistance - Unemployable (GAU.) This $18 million cut eliminates "vocational factors" as a part of determining who is eligible, which means many people who have limited English skills, very little education or literacy, or people who are older will no longer qualify.

Call the legislative hotline today & leave a message for your lawmakers asking them not to cut the GAU program: 1-800-562-6000

Advocacy Alert - February 2005
SKCCH State legislative priorities

SKCCH's top state priorities are:

• Protect and enhance the GA-U (General Assistance-Unemployable) program
• Increase the Housing Trust Fund to $100 million
• Extend foster care to youth ages 18 to 21, enrolled in college or voc-tech.
• Increase the Washington Families Fund
• Preserve and increase housing and human services and other programs serving vulnerable persons, including the Emergency Shelter Assistance Program and ESAP Families with Children Shelter funding
  
  For more information on Download the full list of 2005 State Priorities