How you can support our neighbors experiencing homelessness

We understand that the outbreak and precautionary measures around COVID-19 have made this a very uneasy and difficult time for our community.

It is a particularly tough time for our neighbors experiencing homelessness, who are especially vulnerable to contagious illnesses like COVID-19. Homelessness is already hard on a person’s health, but adding another illness makes it even harder, especially without ready access to health care or a safe space to stay while they’re sick.

We’re grateful to our city and county workers and service providers who are coordinating efforts and working tirelessly to slow the spread of COVID-19 by providing sheltered spaces, sanitation measures, and health services to keep everyone safe.

Want to know what you can do? Here are a few ways to help keep our community safe and healthy:

• Stay updated and respect the precautions and guidelines laid out by officials. This will help prevent the spread of the virus and make sure those most vulnerable can access health care services. Learn more about the personal precautions you should take at the King County Department of Public Health COVID-19 page.
• Donate to the COVID-19 Response Fund, a partnership of philanthropic, government and business partners, that will deploy resources to improve response efforts in communities disproportionately impacted.
• Check out this article from Seattle MET on other ways you can help – like donating goods to shelters and ways you can limit your personal activity in smart ways.
• Visit our We Are In partners page here. Many of our partners are service providers who are working hard to aid our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. Visit their websites to find out more about what they need and how you can help.
• Spread the word! Share this post to your networks, friends, and families so that together, we can keep our community – especially those most vulnerable – safe.

From all of us at We Are In, we wish you a happy and healthy year ahead.

Along with the new year, January has also brought some extremely cold weather, and incredibly difficult conditions for our unsheltered and unhoused neighbors. The longer we wait to take action, the more our neighbors are in the cold, at great personal risk.

That’s why We Are In is ready to act on innovative, regional solutions to homelessness in King County, and to boost the important work happening on the ground every day. Thank you for joining us.

2019 ended with both Seattle City and King County Councils committing to create the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, which will unite our region’s efforts under one roof for the first time ever. This is a critical first step in coordinating our response systems and the successful programs we see working on the ground everyday.

However, there’s more work to do to make sure the voices of experts, nonprofits, service providers and those who have experienced homelessness are at the center of solutions. We Are In’s partners will be working alongside government leaders this year to identify the next steps for our region to prevent and solve homelessness.

Learn more about the Regional Homelessness Authority in this article from the Seattle Times , and read We Are In’s statement on the vote here.

What you can do to help our neighbors experiencing homelessness in Seattle and King County

We’re thrilled you’re “in” for smart, regional solutions to ending homelessness in King County. If you’re looking for more ways to get involved, here are some things to look out for:

Volunteer your time

Join the annual Point In Time count in the early morning of January 24 to collect data on the needs of people experiencing homelessness in King County. Counts like this are crucial for service providers, and help raise awareness in the community to spark action.

As a volunteer, you’ll drive or walk a pre-assigned route with your team, and training will be provided. Encourage your family, friends and neighbors to join too!

Spread the word

United Way King County is holding a Resource Exchange in Renton on MLK Day, January 20, and they need help spreading the word. You can help by tweeting or posting on Facebook:

Free resources for families experiencing homelessness at @UnitedWayKC’s Resource Exchange at Lindbergh High School, 10am-2pm on January 20. Housing resources, legal and financial advice, job opportunities, meals, and more. Help spread the word!

Share our video

Watch and share our video on why a regional approach is needed for King County. Share with your networks and encourage them to say ‘We Are In’ by joining us.

We Are In partners acknowledge the vote as an important first step, urges prioritization of frontline voices

On Monday, December 16, the Seattle City Council, following a King County Council vote, voted 5-1 to create a regional homelessness authority, the culmination of year-long efforts to coordinate and consolidate countywide response systems to homelessness. The We Are In campaign – comprised of service providers, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, businesses, and people who have experienced homelessness – released the following statement:

“The vote to create the King County Regional Homelessness Authority is a critical first step to reducing homelessness in King County. By coordinating our response systems and the successful programs we see working on the ground everyday, we can build a transformational system that can effectively respond to this issue in all of our communities. We are encouraged to see our city and county leaders move the Authority forward as a statement of intent to take real action towards ending homelessness.

There will be more work to do to ensure that the voices of experts, not politicians, are at the center of solutions under the Authority. As we enter winter in the Pacific Northwest, let’s remember that this is about the lives of unsheltered people. Service providers, nonprofits, and those who have experienced homelessness remain crucial to making effective solutions a reality. We will champion experts and service providers as they inform and apply proven solutions under the banner of the Regional Homelessness Authority.”

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