Posted by: Mark Putnam in Washington State, Washington Families Fund, Trainings and Workshops, Supportive Housing, Snohomish County, Pierce County, King County, Homelessness, Homeless Grant Assistance Program HGAP, Families, Employment, Affordable Housing on
Apr 29, 2009
As I was driving through Skagit County the other day, taking in the tulips on the way back from meetings in Bellingham, I began thinking about the incredible range of work Building Changes is leading in many corners of the state. We are a Seattle-based agency, but we are working hard to make an impact beyond our headquarters. Consider:
Consulting Services:
On April 21 and 22, we continued our co-leadership of the Supportive Housing Institute, hosting two days of trainings (days 6 and 7 of the 12-day training series) in Sea-Tac in partnership with the Corporation for Supportive Housing and Common Ground. Five staff --
Erin Chambers,
Emily Nolan,
Mariah Ybarra,
Alice Shobe, and
myself -- provided trainings on supportive services planning, funding, and best practice models at the Institute.
On March 5th I had the honor of accompanying Building Changes' executive director
Betsy Lieberman and deputy director
Alice Shobe to Olympia to meet with Governor Christine Gregoire and Kari Burrell, her executive policy advisor. With us were Sonya Campion of the
Campion Foundation, Ken Ristine of the
Ben B. Cheney Foundation, and long-time supporter and donor to Building Changes and AIDS Housing of Washington, Ellen Ferguson. We went to talk with the governor about Building Changes' role in ending homelessness in Washington State - and particularly about the success of the public-private partnership that powers the Washington Families Fund. Not that the governor was unaware. She has supported the partnership for four funding cycles and participated in the launch event. But it's always
Building Changes recently announced the expanded efforts of the Washington Families Fund. Along with 23 government, public, and private partners, Building Changes has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) wherein all parties agreed to pursue the goals of Washington Families Fund -- namely, to reduce by half the number of children and their family members experiencing homelessness in Washington State.
The following video clips, which are from the public announcement of the MOU on March 19th, underscore the significance of this historic agreement and the work of the Washington Families Fund.
Betsy Lieberman, Executive Director of Building Changes, speaks about the 20,000 families that experience homelessness on any given night and how the Washington Families Fund works to offer them a
There were 971 new foreclosures in King County last month (more foreclosures than home sales), 694 in Pierce County and 478 in Snohomish County. It's hard to guess how many of these were foreclosed rental properties; but the
Mortgage Bankers Association found that in 2007, 20% of all foreclosure filings across the country were in non-owner occupied properties.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that one third of all properties facing foreclosure across New England are in multi-unit buildings, and 45% of homes at the end of the foreclosure process in four New England states are rentals.
Dependent on their landlord to inform them of a foreclosure, renters are most at risk of being evicted with little notice. With lower incomes and fewer resources, their options after an
During the last week of January, eight teams from around Washington State gathered in Seattle for the first session of the 2009 Supportive Housing Institute. The Institute, funded through a joint effort by Washington State's Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED), Department of Social and Health Services (Mental Health Division), Impact Capital, and the Washington Families Fund, brings regional teams to the table to build practical knowledge for developing permanent supportive housing in their communities.
Consultants from the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Common Ground, and Building Changes use an evidence-based curriculum (created by CSH but specifically adapted for use in Washington State) to take teams through the development process, step-by-step.
