Thanks to the combined advocacy of our United Way constituents nd partner organizations, United Way of King County was able to achieve many of its legislative asks even in one of the most challenging economic years on record.  Below is a summary of the outcomes of our main advocacy efforts for FY 2011-2013.

 2011-2013 Budget Outcomes

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Recently the legislature made significant changes to Disability Lifeline (HB 2082) for FY 2011-2013.  It eliminated the current Disability Lifeline Program effective October 1, but preserved medical services for eligible clients.  In place of the old program, it created 3 new programs—the aged, blind and disabled program (similar to the current DL-X and is the only program to keep cash assistance grants), pregnant woman assistance program, and the Essential Needs and Housing Support program funded at $64 million and offered to those eligible for…

United Way of King County is heading to Olympia on Thursday, February 10 as part of the United Ways of Washington Lobby Day.  Staff, business and community leaders will be meeting with King County legislators to encourage them to preserve funding for key programs that affect low-income families, children and adults throughout the state.   Lend your voice to our effort by calling or emailing the following message to your legislators:

 ”Food, housing and the ability to meet basic survival needs are what keep low income, vulnerable adults and children off the streets and productive…

I spent Friday at the Tech for Good Leadership Summit presented by the Microsoft Community Affairs team and NPower Seattle. Any kind of conference can be hit-or-miss in terms of value, but I’m happy to say that I walked away with lots of good knowledge that I will actually be able to use.

Here are some of my favorite things from the day:

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September 1, 2010. A day we will remember as one where about 600 people in King County and over 1,700 people statewide were terminated from Disability Lifeline, a state program providing medical benefits and cash assistance (of about $339/month) to people temporarily unable to work due to physical or mental disability. Of these people, 1,244 statewide are 40 years or older, 30% are people of color, more than half have a mental health diagnosis, and many have next to no education or resources.  They live…

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…

Exciting news! The University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) is now home to the most advanced magnetoencephalography (or MEG) brain imaging device in the world. The MEG will allow scientists like Dr. Patricia Kuhl and Dr. Andrew Meltzoff to explore new discoveries in the area of neurological studies of young children. Through the use of the MEG, scientists will be able to safely map the minds of infants and young children as they see, learn, feel, and experience…

There are a lot of us exhibiting some pretty negative emotions these days towards our federal government, and as April 15th approaches a lot of that sentiment will inevitably turn towards our buddies at the Internal Revenue Service.  And let’s face it, some of those feelings are warranted, no doubt.

But I’d like to talk about an IRS program that many people may not even know about.  It’s one of the most successful community volunteer initiatives ever, in terms of return on investment (for you…

Yesterday, the IRS released a statement indicating that there are more than $1.3 billion in unclaimed federal tax refunds for people who did not file for 2006. This includes approximately 37,000 filers in Washington state! If you are one of those people, you need to file your 2006 return by April 15, 2010, or you lose that refund…

Our sites can help!  Don’t miss out on your money!!

Many of you have heard me talk about “permanent supportive housing” in previous posts.  Washington state’s Housing Trust Fund is the essential tool for the creation and preservation of permanent supportive housing. In order to keep up with the community need, an additional $100 million in funding should be added to the Housing Trust Fund. More than 70 percent of people served by the Fund make less than $17,540 per year, making it a vital resource in the fight to end homelessness.

Funding the…