Last Sunday was sine die: the last day of the 2019 state legislative session. It was a big year for housing and homelessness priorities—and there’s lots of reason for advocates to celebrate. Here’s a recap of how YouthCare’s legislative priories fared and why they’ll make a difference in young people’s lives. HB1657: PASSED! Why was… Read More of “2019 Session Recap”
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”
What is YouthCare’s Casa de Los Amigos Program? YouthCare’s Casa de los Amigos Program (Casa) is a 20-bed emergency shelter program funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is domiciled at the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. The program was founded almost a decade ago to serve unaccompanied minors ages 12-17. The… Read More of “FAQ on YouthCare’s Casa de los Amigos Program”
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 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 is honored to have worked with Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands on a lawsuit to support teen health education. The trainings are provided to youth living at YouthCare, and Planned Parenthood has worked extremely hard to make the materials inclusive and affirming to young people with diverse gender expression and identities, as well as culturally… Read More of “YouthCare Partners with Planned Parenthood to Provide Teen Health Education”
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”
YouthCare believes that all young people deserve a safe and stable place to call home—and that no young person should ever have to sleep outside. We recognize that unsanctioned encampments are not suitable for habitation. Yet we also recognize that the City’s policy of sweeping encampments in the absence of adequate shelter beds or affordable… Read More of “YouthCare Statement on Sweeps”
“Just because youth are sleeping outside doesn’t mean they prefer to live there,” writes YouthCare’s CEO, Melinda Giovengo, in this Op-Ed to the Seattle Times. “That’s a false dichotomy. It means they were put in the impossible situation of choosing themselves over their family. Or abandoning their partner, because there’s no couples’ shelter. Or their… Read More of “No, Youth Don’t Choose to Live Outside”
YouthCare’s leadership unanimously voted to support the De-Escalate Washington ballot initiative—and we urge you to support Initiative 940 too. I-940 is a grassroots effort led by people of color and families who have been impacted by police violence. The initiative would require law enforcement to receive violence de-escalation and mental health training, and it would change… Read More of “YouthCare Endorses De-Escalate Washington”
