JUUstice Washington

A Unitarian Universalist State Action Network

Support House Bill 1603/Senate Bill 5684 to Reverse Punitive Family Policies

by Leave a Comment

WorkFirst program cuts over the last decade are hurting low-income families. During the Great Recession, Washington state lawmakers implemented harsh sanction and time limit policies that have made it more difficult for families to receive the support they need. These program changes disproportionately impact families who are experiencing homelessness, families who have mental health needs, and families that need treatment for substance use disorder. Families of color are also disproportionately impacted by harsh sanction and time limit policies. Since 2015, nearly 1 in 3 individuals in Washington who lost their TANF/WorkFirst benefits were African American, while only 1 in 5 TANF/WorkFirst recipients are African American.

House Bill 1603/Senate Bill 5684 would reverse these punitive policies and make simple fixes to strengthen TANF/WorkFirst and ensure that all families who need support receive it. Take action today.

[Read more…]

Sign Petition for “Real” Universal Health Care Bill

by Leave a Comment

Sign The Petition

Recently it has been all over the news in Washington State that Governor Jay Inslee and members of our legislature are planning on introducing what they refer to as a “public option” bill to “promote” healthcare for all.

In their carefully crafted press releases, articles, and press conference we heard the familiar words “access” and “affordable” in relationship to this bill. We also learned that this would not actually be a classic public option, which by definition is a government run healthcare plan that competes with private insurance. No, rather this bill, according the Governor’s own Medium article, would have taxpayer money going to for-profit insurance companies. [Read more…]

Help Those Facing Tax Lien Foreclosure

by Leave a Comment

Tax Lien Foreclosure

Keep People in their Homes!
Help us keep people housed by preventing unnecessary home foreclosures!We believe that people shouldn’t lose their homes due to inability to pay their property taxes, and we’re working on legislation to address this.  Sign a letter in support of bill 1105 to end tax lien foreclosure.

House Bill 1105, sponsored by Representative Tina Orwall, will invest in services and resources to help homeowners pay outstanding property taxes by making it easier for people to setup payment plans and by connecting people to housing counseling.  Help us advocate for this bill by emailing members of this committee about the importance of protecting people from home foreclosures.

Washington Low Income Housing Alliance – Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day

by Leave a Comment

When:  Thursday, February 28, 2019

Where:  United Churches of Olympia and Capitol Campus

REGISTRATION WILL OPEN IN JANUARY 2019

At Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day, your voice is heard on some of the most pressing issues of our time: housing affordability and an end to homelessness. Be a part of one of the largest annual lobby days at the Washington state capitol!

Registration fees are on a sliding scale ($0-$25), with full and partial scholarship options open to anyone who needs them.

Advocacy Day includes workshops, rallies, pre-arranged meetings with your lawmakers, lunch, and more. If you need some convincing, check out this video on the importance of advocacy and community action!

Every voice makes a difference at Advocacy Day; and it’s your chance let your lawmakers know that you care about finding solutions to the affordable housing and homelessness crisis in Washington. Experienced advocates coordinate each lawmaker meeting, but it’s the faces and stories from their district that lawmakers remember. Don’t know your district or who your lawmakers are? Look them up here!

Meetings with lawmakers, workshops, and other events of the day will focus on advancing the Housing Alliance policy priorities for the year. For more information, check out our State Advocacy page.

Meaningful Movies: TRICKLE DOWN TOWN

by Leave a Comment

7:00 PM, Friday, January 4, 2019 • Location :  Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place N Seattle,

This brand-new film takes an up-close look at homelessness in Seattle. There are in-depth interviews with homeless people and visits to local homeless camps, including Camp Second Chance in West Seattle. Also shown are people who are working hard to help their homeless neighbors.

The filmmaker, Tomasz Biernacki, says, “I have discovered that most people have uneducated, knee-jerk reactions and false beliefs . . . about the homeless. They see the tents, the RVs, the addicted people who have untreated mental and physical health issues, and instead of doing something to help their neighbors, they degrade, cast away, and add insult to injury. I want people to see that there are concrete, simple steps people can take every day to help the situation. It’s going to have to be a grassroots effort.”