As members of the United Way Emerging Leaders Task Force, we were asked to represent the next generation of philanthropists at Lobby Day in Olympia. At first, we were skeptical. Would any real progress come from our efforts? Would anyone pay attention to our opinions? Over the course of the day and following weeks, we discovered that we could make our voices heard.

We not only spoke with 24 legislators, but we also had two members testify in…

The Legislature is scheduled to conclude its regular legislative session this Sunday, April 28, but because it has been unable to complete all of its business to date, Governor Inslee is expected to call it back for one or more Special Sessions, most likely after a short break.  At this point, there is a $900 million divide between the Democratic House budget and the Majority Coalition Senate budget resulting from the House support for closing tax breaks and extending certain taxes in order to support K-12…

This was prepared by Amnon Shoenfeld, Director of King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division, DCHS

The House, Senate and Governor’s budgets all book savings from Medicaid expansion based upon numbers of new people enrolled in Medicaid and savings to the system resulting from integration of medical, mental health, prevention services resulting in less costly outpatient visits.  These savings assumptions, however, may prove inaccurate for several reasons.

Mental Health

The Governor’s budget and the House and Senate budgets assume that the…

Governor Inslee released his budget priorities for “Working Washington” on March 28, the state Senate released their biennial budget on April 3, and the House released its budget on April 11.  The budgets differ significantly in support for housing and human services but have overlap in education.  With all budgets formally released, active negotiation among the three parties now begins on the FY 2013-15 biennial budget.

All three budgets emphasize education including some early learning but deal with housing and basic needs differently.  The Governor proposes…

Welcome to Hunger Action Week Day 4!

Many of you have blogged, tweeted, or shared conversations about hunger this week, thanks! Today, we’ve asked our policy experts, Carol and Marlo, to introduce us to the state and federal programs critical to lifting millions of families out of extreme hunger, and how you can advocate for them. They give us the following.

Nationally, 50 million people struggle to put food on the table and 1 in 7 Americans benefit from the…

This blog was prepared by Mickie Newby, Public Policy intern at United Way and University of Washigton graduate student in the School of Social Work

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will significantly expand insurance coverage to all Americans through two major mechanisms: the Health Benefit Exchange (HBE) and Medicaid expansion. This much-needed step toward providing more equal access to health care through affordable coverage does not go without challenges.  Many individuals who become eligible for coverage through the ACA may not be aware of their…

United Ways of Washington’s Lobby Day on February 7 was a resounding success!  United Way of King County took a group of 27 people to Olympia, including 15 volunteers and 12 staff to meet with 24 state legislators representing districts throughout King County.  Volunteers were board members, former board members, impact council members, people from Workplace Giving campaigns and emerging leaders.

The main points emphasized during the day were:

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This was prepared by guest blogger, Megan Gibbard, Homeless Youth and Young Adult Project Manager, King County Department of Community and Human Services

Who are homeless young people and how did they end up on the streets?  According to data from frontline groups, “conflict at home” is the number one cause.  This is a significant contrast to the most common causes of adult homelessness which include chronic illness, job loss, and mental health and/or chemical dependency issues.

Homeless young adults are youth who are…

This was prepared by guest blogger, Megan Gibbard, Homeless Youth and Young Adult Project Manager, King County Department of Community and Human Services

The King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) with United Way of King County, the Raikes Foundation, Building Changes, the Campion Foundation and the Medina Foundation is currently launching a community effort to create a more coordinated system for delivery of services to homeless youth and young adults by quickly re-connecting them with family when it is safe and…

This blog was written by Jim Theofelis, Executive Director and Founder of The Mockingbird Society

Background

What do 10,000 children and youth in the Washington have in common?  They have experienced abuse and/or neglect and as result have become a legal dependent of the state of Washington.  For those who end up depending on the foster care system either for a brief period or their entire childhood and adolescence, being removed from their home and becoming part of the system can impact learning and brain…