Leverage. Influence. Buzzwords that mean we talk to people—frequently—to make sure vulnerable people have a voice when it comes to laws passed in the Washington Legislature.

Here’s an overview of our 2018 advocacy work and policy priorities. They have this in common: they all point to our No. 1 goal: Build a community where people have homes, students graduate and families are financially stable.

It takes generous donor support (like yours!) to make our community thrive. It also takes state and local support. Most human services funding comes from tax dollars. That’s one reason advocacy is so critical. That’s why we are focused on these key areas, plus more:

Building Financial Stability

• Pass Breakfast After the Bell: This is a big one. When kids arrive at school hungry and don’t eat till lunch, their grumbling stomachs distract them from learning well. Schools that implement Breakfast After the Bell see lower discipline rates, higher test scores and fewer absences. That’s why we’re advocating for area schools with a high percentage of hungry students to provide breakfast during the school day. This is part of our larger Fuel Your Future work to end childhood hunger.

Ending Homelessness

• Increase and make permanent the real estate Document Recording Fee. This fee is one of very few funding sources for the state’s homelessness services. It’s never failed to be approved when it’s come up in legislative sessions, so we think it’s worthwhile to make sure it sticks around.
• Eliminate source of income discrimination—because everyone deserves a roof overhead. We’re advocating that landlords and management companies be prohibited from rejecting rental applicants solely because they are paying with housing vouchers or other public income.

Helping Students Graduate

• Expand home visiting services to support low-income families. This includes the proven-effective Parent-Child Home Program and other similar programs.

This is just the start! Go more in-depth with us. Take a look at our full state and federal policy priorities and more on the four values we use to evaluate where we invest donor dollars.