Statements & Endorsements Archives

Dual Reflection: The Legacy of Toni Morrison & Confronting White Supremacy

Last week was a horrific week across the nation. Our hearts grew heavy hearing about two consecutive massing shootings—first in Dayton—and then in El Paso. While the motives behind Dayton are still under investigation, we know that the massacre in El Paso deliberately targeted people of color. Violent acts of white supremacy and white nationalism… Read More of “Dual Reflection: The Legacy of Toni Morrison & Confronting White Supremacy”

YouthCare Condemns Racist and Inhumane Federal Policies

When President Trump took office in 2016, YouthCare braced for a challenging four years. But racist and hateful policies rocked YouthCare immediately: it was clear from the start that immigrants and those who are new to this country—particularly people of color—were Trump’s key scapegoats and the primary targets of cruel policy. Since that time, the… Read More of “YouthCare Condemns Racist and Inhumane Federal Policies”

YouthCare Responds to 2019 Count Us In Results

This past Friday, King County released their 2019 Point-In-Time Count, including the number of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. For the first time in recent years, the number of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness dropped significantly: 1,498 in 2017 to 1,089 in 2019. Physically counting people sleeping outside is an imperfect methodology, and… Read More of “YouthCare Responds to 2019 Count Us In Results”

Homelessness is a Crisis: Jail is Not the Answer

KOMO’s recent one-hour special, “Seattle is Dying,” has sparked heated conversations about homelessness in our city. In the piece, reporter Eric Johnson claims Seattle is experiencing a homelessness crisis. We agree, and we’re glad our community is outraged. We are too. He shines a spotlight on substance use and argues we must do more to… Read More of “Homelessness is a Crisis: Jail is Not the Answer”

YouthCare Supports New Progressive Revenue

Washington State has a lot to be proud of: our culture of innovation, our commitment to environmental sustainability, our breathtaking views. But we also have lots of room for improvement. We have the most upside-down tax code in the country, and we’re ranked 34th in the nation for access to mental health care. Our overreliance on… Read More of “YouthCare Supports New Progressive Revenue”

YouthCare Responds to the Seattle Times

Yesterday morning the Seattle Times published an article regarding the City of Seattle’s performance standards for our homeless response system and emergency shelter services. The article referenced YouthCare’s CEO, Melinda Giovengo, who participated in an interview in an effort to provide accountability and transparency—as she, and YouthCare—have always done. Unfortunately, the complexity of the issue,… Read More of “YouthCare Responds to the Seattle Times”

YouthCare Statement Regarding Family Separation at the Border

As people who are committed every day to ending youth homelessness, it has been excruciating to watch families at our nation’s borders being ripped apart. The trauma of fleeing unspeakable violence in one’s home country is now being compounded through inhumane and racist policies inflicted by our government. YouthCare categorically condemns the atrocities at the… Read More of “YouthCare Statement Regarding Family Separation at the Border”

YouthCare Responds to 2018 Count Us In Results

Last week, King County released their 2018 Point-in-Time Count, including the number of homeless youth and young adults. Here’s the good news: the rates of youth and young adult homelessness remained relatively steady—1,498 in 2017 to 1,518 in 2018—an increase of just 20 young people. Moreover, the number of homeless minors went down by 22%, due… Read More of “YouthCare Responds to 2018 Count Us In Results”

YouthCare Endorses the Seattle Employee Hours Tax

YouthCare commends the Seattle City Council and Mayor for their commitment to ending homelessness and their investment in affordable housing. Seattle is in the midst of an economic boom, as new workers flock to our city and new buildings pepper our skyline. At the same time, we are experiencing rising rates of inequality and soaring… Read More of “YouthCare Endorses the Seattle Employee Hours Tax”

YouthCare Endorses Seattle Family, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy

YouthCare’s Board has unanimously voted to endorse the Seattle Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy. We know that young people with less than a high school diploma or GED have a 346% higher risk of experiencing homelessness and that young people of color are at disproportionately higher risk of dropping out or being pushed… Read More of “YouthCare Endorses Seattle Family, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy”