Guest Blogger: Emily Cadik, Senior Policy Analyst with Enterprise Community Partners

Kevin Solarte, Outreach and Mobilization Associate

We hope you will join the Housing Alliance board and staff for our annual meeting and reception this week in Seattle. The event is an annual gathering of our member organizations and individual supporters. We vote on board members and make general announcements, and then we mix and mingle.

Kevin Solarte, Outreach and Mobilization Associate

Next year's Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day has changed to Monday, February 11, 2013. Location remains the same.

A Learn At Lunch Webinar
Sequestration, Fiscal Cliff, Grand Bargain

What Does It All Mean for Affordable Housing?

Thursday, November 29, noon - 1pm (Pacific Time)

As we begin the holiday season, we at the Housing Alliance wanted to take a moment and wish you a happy and joyful Thanksgiving filled with family and friends and love. We also want to recognize that not everyone in our communities will spend the holiday in a safe, stable home. Too many people in our state continue to struggle to meet their most basic needs like food and shelter.

Next year's Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day is on Thursday, February 14, 2013. Registration for the event will open by Sunday, Dececember 1.

If you're registered to vote, you should have received your ballot already. The Housing Alliance has taken positions on three initiatives that we believe will have an impact on our shared goal of a safe, healthy, affordable home for everyone in Washington. We also had the opportunity to ask both candidates for Governor about their positions on issues related to affordable housing and homelessness, and included links to the videos with their responses near the bottom of this post.

Our positions:

Historically, many community members experiencing homelessness, and many of those living in low-income housing do not vote.  This is in part because of systemic barriers, and in part because they are not encouraged to participate.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) wants to hear from you! On Wednesday they will be holding a field hearing looking for on-the-ground insight into debt collection practices in Washington state. Has debt collection impacted you, your members or your clients? This is a unique opportunity to let them know about the need for strong regulations around debt collection practices that helps protect hard-earned income and gives people a way out of debt, rather than creating more debt.