What is Referendum 88? Referendum 88 will decide the fate of Initiative 1000 (see below), a ballot initiative approved by the legislature last year. An “approve” vote on Referendum 88 will enable I-1000 to move forward; a “reject” vote will block it from becoming law. What is Initiative 1000? Initiative 1000 would reverse a statewide… Read More of “Approve Referendum 88”
What would I-976 do? I-976 would significantly restrict our state’s capacity to generate revenue for transportation. Among other reforms, the initiative would limit car tab fees to $30 per year and repeal cities’ authority to levy additional fees through Transportation Benefit Districts (TBDs)—the primary means by which 62 cities across the state fund local transportation… Read More of “YouthCare Opposes Initiative 976”
This summer, stories of now-deceased wealthy financier Jeffery Epstein’s sexual exploitations rocked the country. The girls Epstein exploited were mostly young, poor, in foster care or on the verge of homelessness. This story is all too common: Those most vulnerable in our society are also most susceptible to abuse — and, in a cruel twist, often… Read More of “Washington State Must Help, Not Arrest Sex Trafficked, Homeless Minors”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
