Recent Blog Posts

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The vision, mission, and values that guide our work
housing action
Capitol Hill Day 2012

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Recently, advocates from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. for the National Alliance on Ending Homelessness's National Conference on Ending Homelessness. The conference is similar to our very own Annual Conference on Ending Homelessness, offering a chance for people interested in ending homeless to get together and share stories and strategies, and to learn about the latest issues and policies that affect our work.

While there, we took advantage of the fact that we were in the other Washington to meet with our legislators and share firsthand stories about homelessness in our communities and the tools and funding we need to ensure that we can end homelessness in Washington State. Conversations focused around HUD's budget, sequestration, Homeless Assistance Grants, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, VA Supportive Housing and Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and of course Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.

The Housing Alliance helped organize the 30 or so people from Washington who made the time to journey through the DC's sweltering summer to meet with their legislators and advocate on behalf of people who don't often have a voice on Capitol Hill. i wasn't able to attend every meeting, but from the meetings I did attend and from what I heard about the others, every single one was a success. Legislators and their staff were engaged and interested in learning about the issues that mattered in their communities.

I really can't say thank you enough to everyone from Washington who contributed to each of those meetings. Legislators are pulled in so many different directions and work on so many issues at the same time, and it is critically important that we take the time to focus on housing and homelessness and to share stories of how federal budgets and policies have real meaning on real peoples' lives. And for those of you who weren't able to participate, there's always next year!

And so, without further ado, here are rest of the pictures we took with our legislators:

 

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