about us

History and Mission

The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH*) formed in 1979, when local shelter providers, city staff, advocates, and others who witnessed homelessness came together in an attempt to serve people better and draw attention and resources to a growing crisis.

Our mission is to work collaboratively to ensure the safety and survival of people who are homeless, and to end the crisis of homelessness in our region.

Today, SKCCH's organizational members include agencies and community groups that provide emergency shelter and services, transitional housing, and permanent, supported housing to the roughly 27,000 men, women, and children who are homeless in King County during one year. Local government departments, public housing authorities, professional associations, religious congregations and social action committees, and advocacy groups are also members of the Coalition, as are people who were or are homeless.

SKCCH is one of the oldest homeless coalitions in the United States. Monthly General Membership meetings and regular meetings of eight sub-committees or workgroups (addressing issues related to homeless families with children, homeless single adults, and youth and young adults who are homeless) are open to the public. Through these meetings, SKCCH coordinates with other service providers and advocates in the region.

(*We pronounce this "skitch"!)

The Coalition advocates, educates, organizes, and takes action.

** We do not provide direct services or housing. **

For information about direct services, consult the Community Information Line or call 2-1-1 or (206) 461.3200 // Toll Free 800.621.4636 // TDD 206.461.3610
The 2-1-1 Community Information Line has trained information and Referral Specialists available Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Our Coalition is rooted in the realities of homelessness and driven by the imperative to end it: The everyday and nightly experiences of people who are homeless and practical knowledge of service providers inform our work. We are committed to reasonable problem-solving, just public budgets, and sound public policies.

The Coalition operates from an understanding that homelessness is a systemic problem resulting from policies and priorities which contribute to a critical lack of affordable housing. People who are unable to afford housing and who are at high risk of homelessness include those who work low wage, occasional, or part-time jobs; who are disabled or elderly; who are young or ill; who are unemployed; who suffer from mental illness; who are in some other way on the edges of the economy or society. From this perspective, individuals and families can be helped to survive, stabilize, and emerge from homelessness, addressing the overall crisis means tackling structural issues and proposing system-wide improvements and innovations.

This perspective has long fed two important elements of the Coalition's work: commitment to ensuring that people who are homeless get access to appropriate, quality services (including survival services) and housing, and tireless participation in advocacy to secure necessary resources and policies. The Coalition routinely participates in the city of Seattle, King County, and Washington state budget processes, and we engage the staff, residents, clients, and guests of our member organizations to do the same.

Leadership

SKCCH's leadership structure reflects our history as a volunteer-powered organization whose members grapple with practice and policy issues, develop positions, and take actions, in a collaborative model.

There are multiple opportunities for members to develop leadership, advocacy, and collaboration skills through active involvement in one or more workgroups or committees, and special Coalition activates.

SKCCH has eight standing committees. Members of these committees elect co-chairs to represent them on the Coalition's Steering Committee. In this way, a broad range of issues are brought forward for discussion and action. The Steering Committee meets monthly, sets the agenda for General Membership meetings, and helps steer the Coalition's priorities and inform its public positions.

Steering Committee members include a Secretary and Treasurer, representatives to the Seattle Human Services Coalition, the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless, and the Committee to End Homelessness in King County. The Steering Committee elects Coalition Co-chairs who provide internal leadership, represent the Coalition publicly, and supervise the Executive Director. SKCCH's Co-Chairs are MJ Kiser, Program Director at the Compass Center and Manuela Ginnett, Housing Director at Multi-Service Center. SKCCH's Executive Director is Alison Eisinger.

SKCCH's AmeriCorps/VISTA member for 2009-2010 is Virginia Weihs.

The Coalition has provided leadership around homelessness in King County for more than two decades, and was a founding organizational member of the group which wrote the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County. We are the only community coalition to hold a designated seat on the Inter-Agency Council and the Governing Board of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County. As the largest homeless coalition in the state of Washington, SKCCH has also long served in a leadership role within the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless (WSCH).