Online Candidates Forum on Homelessness
Seattle and King County Budgets
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Seattle: Invest some of our budget surplus in permanent housing for tomorrow and meet emergency needs today!
SKCCH supports the Seattle Human Services Coalition’s package of 2007 Budget Priorities. These include recommendations to invest part of the city’s current budget surplus in long-term support for homeless housing through a revolving loan fund to help non-proifts purchase land. At the same time, emergency needs for shelter, day and hygiene services, and outreach persist. Seattle is wealthy, responsible, and decent enough to fund both!
Come testify at the LAST public hearing on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 5:30pm (sign up at 5.00 p.m.)
Meet at the Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Avenue (between James and Cherry) Council Chambers: 2nd floor
If you can’t attend the meeting you can still have a voice!
Phone calls (206-684-8821) and e-mails (e-mail: budget@seattle.gov) are welcome between 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Some e-mails received during that hour will be read aloud in Council Chambers.
Online Candidates Forum
Candidates for council and mayor positions in several communities in King County were invited to complete a survey about homelessness. Communities that already participate in the One Night Street Count were included in the survey. This includes: Bellevue, Bothell, Federal Way, Kirkland, Kenmore, Kent, Redmond, Renton, Seattle, Shoreline, Woodinville and King County Council.
View responses to the survey
Candidates were asked to answer the following questions:
The Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP)
WRAP recently published a report the details the public policy changes since the 1980s that have increased poverty and homelessness in the United States. You can download the report, "Without Housing: Decades of Federal Housing Cutbacks, Massive Homelessness, and Policy Failures" and read about the WRAP at www.wraphome.org
Don't Demolish affordable housing
The Lora Lake Apartments in Burien are at risk of being demolished to make way for the Third Runway and big box commercial space. This will displace 162 families from their homes including 170 children. Click to Take Action
Background Information
Lora Lake is a 234 unit apartment complex located in the City of Burien very near the north end of the Third Runway of SeaTac International Airport. The complex was built in 1989 and is one of the most modern apartment complexes in Burien. In 1998 the Port of Seattle purchased the property because the easterly one-third of the property, effecting 72 of the 234 units, is located within the Runway Protection Zone (RPZ) for the Third Runway. The RPZ is a FAA designated safety buffer, where most building structures are not permitted.
In 2000 the City of Burien, King County, and the King County Housing Authority arranged to use the property as affordable housing until the Third Runway was operational. For seven years Lora Lake has operated as a fully occupied affordable housing complex under an agreement with he King County Housing Authority. The Port is now calling for the entire complex to be vacated over the next two months with demolition scheduled for August 2007. The Third Runway is not expected to be operational until August 2008. 162 of the existing units of affordable housing at Lora Lake fall outside of the RPZ and could be retained as affordable housing. The City of Burien is currently considering the possibility of Big-box commercial space on that site that could generate tax revenue. The cost of replacing the lost 162 units of affordable housing would be at least $28 million, assuming that land could be found. As we move forward with the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, we simply can not afford to lose 162 units of affordable housing anywhere in our community.
The Seattle Human Rights Commission's Ending Homelessness taskforce
You are invited to participate in an information gathering meeting on Tuesday, May 8th from 6:00 pm to 7:45 pm at the Douglas Truth Library (2300 E. Yesler Way, Seattle, WA). The Commission will be seeking community support for adding people who are homeless as a protected group under the malicious Harassment Law. You are invited to share your thoughts, concerns, ideas, feedback and support on the very important topic of protection for homeless individuals under the Malicious Harassment Ordinance. The commission is seeking to revise the City's Code to include groups that are not currently protected under the Washington State Malicious Harassment Law.
Click here to download the Background Paper on the Malicious Harassment Ordinance
Homelessness: What's Race Got to do with it?
The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness is hosting a forum for discussion and action:
Thursday, March 15th
9:00 am to 1:30 PM
At the CCS Randolph Carter Center
100 23rd Avenue South, Seattle
This half day discussion and planning session aims to bring together service providers, people who are using services, funders, government, and others who are interested in learning more about the issues relating to race and homelessness AND in addressing this at a services level.
The forum will begin promptly at 9am
Coffee and a complimentary lunch will be provided
RSVP to SKCCH by March 1st by Email
Housing Advocacy Day
February 1st, 2007
It All Starts at Home
On December 11 th , the NLIHC released “Out of Reach 2006.” According to this report, King County's Housing Wage is now $16.42/hr and nearly 45% of renters cannot afford to live in King County . We must work together to address this affordable housing crisis. For more information about the affordable housing crisis in Washington State visit http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2006/
Join HDC, the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, WA State Coalition for the Homeless, Untied Way and the Committee to End Homelessness and hundreds of other housing and homelessness advocates to make our voices heard in Olympia on February 1 st .
Housing Advocacy Day Registration is coordinated by the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. Deadline to Register is January 18 th .
For more information click here