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. Participants included housing and service staff from various agencies from Chelan, Douglas, Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Pierce, and Yakima Counties, as well as tribal group the Alesek Institute.


• On April 10 and 22, we continued our planning in Whatcom County led by Sarah Cotton and myself to improve employment outcomes for homeless adults, youth, and families. We are conducting research to assess how the existing employment programs are serving the homeless, and developing new strategies to increase the effectiveness of these programs, and met with more than 10 provider agencies this month.


• During the week of April 13, two staff, Ranita Jain and Katherine Cortes, conducted site visits to the Clallam and Whatcom Counties Homeless Grant Assistance Program (HGAP) grantees to assess their fidelity to their program models (permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing). In addition, Katherine Cortes is leading interviews with 2006 HGAP grantees to share the lessons learned from these programs first 18 months of operation -- the first interview was held last week with the grantee from Benton and Franklin Counties. We also planned for trainings to be held May 13-15 at the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless Annual Conference, by Charlie Corrigan and Katherine Cortes.


• Throughout the month of April, we held trainings in King, Snohomish, Spokane, Franklin, and Thurston Counties for HUD Supportive Housing Program grantees, conducted by a sub-contractor to Building Changes, John Epler and Associates. Participants included representatives from nonprofit organizations that deliver housing and supportive services to homeless individuals and families throughout the state. The sessions focused on improving program outcomes in housing stability and employment for residents, and increasing the quality of annual performance reporting to HUD.


• During April, Charlie Corrigan and another sub-contractor, John Howell of Cedar River Group, are finalizing an affordable housing plan for Snohomish County that focuses on strategies for improving participation in affordable housing development and funding by cities and towns in Snohomish County.

• Finally, we have applied for new consulting contracts to conduct an affordable housing planning process in San Juan County and a design of a new homeless resource center in Cowlitz County.

Intermediary Activities:

• On March 19, we held an event in Seattle signifying a regional commitment to ending family homelessness through an expansion of the Washington Families Fund in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties, and we continue to assist these counties in their development of strategies.


• During March and April, Katherine Cortes conducted meetings with administrators and staff of Housing Authorities in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties to help them strategize to manage their continued investment of project-based housing vouchers in Sound Families projects.


• On April 7, we held an event in Cowlitz County announcing nearly $1 million in first-time grants to two agencies serving homeless families in that county.


• On April 7 and 14, we held trainings for Washington Families Fund grantees related to improving employment outcomes and increasing access to benefits. On the 7th, we held a Peer 2 Peer Learning conference call, attended by 18 staff from 8 agencies in 5 counties across the state (King, Pierce, Snohomish, Whatcom, and Island). On the 14th, we hosted a training in Spokane, conducted by a sub-contractor, Jonathan Beard, which focused on increasing knowledge among case managers about accessing Social Security benefits and navigating the process of going back to work while maintaining benefits.

We are excited to be able to work with our partners in counties across the state, and wanted to share with you the range of activities we are engaged in. If you want to learn more about any of these activities, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or any of our great staff!