One of the more under-reported obstacles for people experiencing homelessness is the sheer number of social service agencies they must visit not just to get their lives “back on track”, but simply to guarantee day to day survival. The labyrinthine route to housing or employment or affordable healthcare often involves multiple trips to different locations spread throughout the city. This constant trekking from agency to agency is especially difficult when you consider a homeless individual’s limited transportation options, especially if they are aged or disabled.…

On September 24, over 9,000 volunteers will join together with colleagues, family and friends for our annual Day of Caring. It’s an amazing day of hope, unity, action and accomplishment, the largest single day of volunteering in Washington. You can be a part of it, too! 

Registration is now open, but projects are filling up fast. Right now, you have hundreds of projects from which to choose! Help paint a house for homeless families, clean and organize an area at the Union Gospel Mission for…

[Our public policy director Carol Wood takes a look at Congress' mixed bag for social services].

The Good News:  On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted in support of the federal bill to fund FMAP (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage) after they were called back from their August recess by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  This House action mirrored that taken by the Senate on August 5.

The bill extends the increased FMAP for a 6 month period beyond the current December 31, 2010 termination date (to…

Along with most states, Washington’s financial challenges are daunting. In the past two years, $5.1 billion of spending has been cut from the state budget and fiscal trends indicate that an additional $3 billion will have to be cut in the 2011-2013 biennial budget and another $8-9 billion the following biennium.

To get a handle on how to best approach the serious decisions that need to be made, the Governor has implemented several key changes to the budget planning process which was outlined at three…

United Way of King County is committed to relieving childhood hunger in our community. From our work in early learning, we know all too well that one of the biggest obstacles in making sure that kids are ready to learn is ensuring they have healthy, nutritious meals during the day. That’s why we’re paying close attention to what’s happening in Congress.

On July 15, the House Education and Labor Committee approved their version of Child Nutrition Reauthorization, which calls for approximately $8 billion…

Please join our efforts to obtain authorization for the Calling for 2-1-1 Act. Passage of the legislation will create a federal 2-1-1 system. 2-1-1 is currently being used by many states, including Washington (managed locally by the Crisis Clinic ), as the 3-digit call in number for referrals to health and human services . This easy to remember number has proven to be an invaluable resource in the aftermath of a disaster and provides everyday assistance to anyone seeking health and human services. It is a…

  The United Way of King County’s Volunteer Reader Program has been sending volunteers out into our community to read aloud to preschoolers since March of 2007, and what would these three years of hard work be without getting to throw a three year anniversary party for one of our most dedicated volunteers? Volunteer Reader May Shimbo has been reading at Grammis’ House in White Center since May of 2007, and when her reading anniversary day came up last month the director of the…

Kenneth Wiley, a formerly homeless gentleman who shared his story with us last fall, recently checked in to share some great news. He graduated from FareStart on May 27 after attending classes there for several months every weekday throughout the spring. Along with his certificate of completion, Kenneth received the “Food Lover’s Companion” book and a set of professional knives.

FareStart is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Over the past 18 years, it has provided opportunities…

At our annual Breakfast on June 2, United Way of King County President and CEO Jon Fine opened the event with a report on the progress United Way is making to relieve hunger, end homelessness and to support children and families.

Some highlights of his speech:

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[As Congress embarks on its annual task of refining the federal tax code, our free tax campaign director and asset-building guru Courtney Noble discusses the importance of temporarily expanded tax credits in providing the working poor with a solid financial footing, and argues for making those expansions permanent.]

Between January and April, 2010, United Way of King County volunteers prepared tax returns for 14,000 clients throughout King County.  Our clients had a median annual income of $19,062, which, when compared to Seattle’s median household income…