While the COVID-19 pandemic, the homeless crisis and the racial divide have dampened the spirits of even the most optimistic among us, there is reason to view 2022 with hope and excitement. A recovery is on the way.

Amid the crises that maligned 2020 and 2021, people used their voices and their votes to convey concerns most important to them. And stakeholders in public, private and nonprofit sectors listened: Already, lawmakers at the federal and state levels are crafting legislation designed to deliver funding that includes the single largest investment in affordable housing in history and one of the largest investments in children in generations. Locally, recent electoral wins and the establishment of a Regional Homelessness Authority will help provide a new blueprint for solving the region’s issues.

United Way of King County has always set forth a timely and thorough policy agenda as part of our commitment to a racially just society where people have homes, students graduate and families are financially stable. We believe it is going to take everyone working together to build the city and county we hope to see. We see that cooperation looming at the local, state and federal levels, and that would bolster our annual efforts in ways we have not seen in recent memory.

With that said, we are sharing our 2022 state and federal public policy agendas. Both demonstrate our commitment to a just recovery and includes systems changes to ensure our philanthropic efforts go further.