2019 is another big year for local elections, and like we did in 2017, we’ve partnered with advocacy organizations to get out the vote on housing and homelessness issues. Our two primary activities were another Voters Guide on Housing and Homelessness, and two Housing Voter Forums.
Voters Guide on Housing and Homelessness
We asked the 14 Seattle City Council candidates six questions on housing and homelessness, and 13 of them responded. You can read their responses on this Voters Guide site created by Tech 4 Housing. Their answers should be helpful as you choose your candidate; remember to return your ballot by Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Questions were compiled in partnership with Tech 4 Housing, Resolution to End Homelessness, and our 2017 Voters Guide partners Housing Development Consortium and Solid Ground.
Encore: Housing Voter Forum, Oct. 15, 2019
Because our first Housing Voter Forum (see below) was so successful, we hosted an encore Forum just in time for the general election. This time, writer and political consultant Hanna Brooks Olsen served as moderator, and Jesse Rawlins of Public Defender Association took over for his colleague Lisa Daugaard. Returning panelists were Colleen Echohawk of Chief Seattle Club; Lauren McGowan of United Way of King County; and Dr. Richard Waters of Neighborcare Health.
This time we livestreamed the session, and you can watch the recording right here.
Hosting the event in the evening gave us a little extra time for discussion. Even for those who attended or watched the first Forum in July, there was more to learn, and it’s worth checking out.
Note: The Forum was non-partisan and Seattle University and our partners do not endorse nor oppose any candidates.
Thanks to our panelists, moderator and attendees, and of course our partners again, Resolution to End Homelessness and Tech 4 Housing.
Housing Voter Forum, July 17, 2019
Before the primary election, instead of hosting candidate forums with 50+ City Council candidates, we flipped the approach and instead asked local experts to give a deeper perspective on the issues candidates are talking about. Here’s the video of the panel.
We partnered with Resolution to End Homelessness and Tech 4 Housing for this lunchtime forum at Seattle University, attended by about 100 people. Note: The Forum was non-partisan and Seattle University and our partners do not endorse nor oppose any candidates.
Many thanks to our fantastic panelists:
- Lisa Daugaard, Public Defender Association
- Colleen Echohawk, Chief Seattle Club
- Lauren McGowan, United Way of King County
- Richard Waters, M.D., Neighborcare Health
- Michael Hobbes, Huffington Post – Moderator
To read bios of the panelists, see the event program.
Thanks also to Seattle-King County Coalition on Homelessness and Seattle’s Democracy Vouchers program for providing more opportunities for voter engagement.
- The Coalition talked to guests about registering to vote, and how to volunteer for voter registration for people who are homeless.
- Democracy Vouchers staffers explained how Seattle voters are provided four $25 vouchers to contribute to a Seattle City Council candidate of their choice who qualifies for the program.
Finally, we’re very grateful to Resolution to End Homelessness and Tech 4 Housing for inviting us to partner on the Forum. Thank you, Dana (who came up with the idea for this Forum), Ethan and everyone at these great advocacy organizations!
Take Action:
Check out our list of 20 different steps you can take to help solve homelessness.
projectonfamilyhomelessness.org 