Committee to End Homelessness Legislative Breakfast

Babara Poppe, Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

The 5th Annual State Legislative Breakfast held January 5, 2011 offered a program on the success of local efforts to prevent and end homelessness, as well as an opportunity to hear about federal efforts toward the same goals. Opening remarks by King County Executive Dow Constantine, co-chair of the Committee to End Homelessness Governing Board, set the tone. More than 100 local leaders working together to address homelessness in King County attended, including 10 state legislators from King County and 13 other elected officials. Keynote speaker Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, spoke about the federal plan to end homelessness released by the Obama Administration in 2010 and how the federal government and local and state governments can and should work together to help individuals and families in need. The meeting ended with a call to action by Governing Board co-chair Dan Brettler, CEO of Car Toys, who asked for the state’s continued commitment to funding housing and supportive services for people who are homeless or at rick of homelessness, as a means to preserve the gains made and sustain the forward momentum to truly end homelessness.

Get involved - Help to end homelessness through legislative advocacy

Political advocacy is essential to the effort to end homelessness. We must communicate to our legislators:

1. Homelessness is unacceptable in our society.
2. We need resources to create the housing and support that will end homelessness.

2011 legislative priorities

Together with our partners in ending homelessness and creating affordable housing, the Committee to End Homelessness in King County prepares a legislative agenda for the next state session. Those partners include the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Housing Development Consortium, Church Council of Greater Seattle, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, Building Changes, United Way of King County and the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless.

The 2011 State Legislative Agenda emphasizes these priority issues:

1. Fund the Washington State Housing Trust Fund at $200 million
2. Support the services that help people leave homelessness by maintaining the Washington Families Fund
3. Maintain the integrity of the Home Security Fund by:
• Adding no new programs to the fund
• Eliminate the sunset portion of the fee established in 2009
• Include real estate recordings that are currently exempt from the fee

Click here for more information.

Seattle City Council member Sally Bagshaw, CEH Governing Board member Sheriff Sue Rahr and Representative Jamie Pedersen attended the breakfast on January 5, 2011

How you can help:

Sign up for legislative alerts

Effective advocacy relies on a series of alerts, notifying interested people, such as you, when key votes are coming up. CEHKC works in close cooperation with statewide and national advocacy groups. Rather than recreate and duplicate advocacy alerts, we recommend that you sign up for legislative advocacy alerts from the following organizations.

Washington State alerts

• Washington State Coalition for the Homeless (external)

National alerts

• National Alliance to End Homelessness (external)
  (To sign up click on “Take Action” and then “Join our network.)

The Annual Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day in Olympia is held in February and is an opportunity to meet with key legislators and discuss how the state and local communities can work together to end homelessness. It’s a unique and powerful day in Olympia and it’s your chance to join with hundreds of advocates for decent, safe, supportive and affordable homes. To get involved, visit the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance website.