I’m an Advocate: Norene Roberts

Featured advocate Norene Roberts has worked as a social services provider for over a decade.

What's the first step you should take when you advocate for an end to homelessness? Listen. "Advocating for any person or group first requires that you know what it is that that person or group wants and needs – not what we think they want and need – and that requires opening your ears before your mouth," says Norene Roberts, program manager at The Salvation Army’s Catherine Booth House, a domestic violence shelter for women and children. Norene shares her thoughts on advocating for housing stability in this installment of our "I'm An Advocate" series.

Policy Matters: “A Place Where There Are People To Reach Out To”

Right now our state lawmakers are making important decisions about investment in the Housing Trust Fund. Their budget decisions will have life-altering effects on people statewide. Through our "Policy Matters" blog series, we’re introducing you to community members who are directly impacted by state housing policies. Monica, a single mother who was on the edge of homelessness but found stability at a community built by the Housing Fund, shares her story in today’s post. Read Monica’s story and find out how you can advocate for a budget that invests in families and communities.

Policy Matters: The Housing Trust Fund and Ron’s Story

Single father Ron Sordahl and his son Tommy live at YWCA Family Village at Issaquah, an affordable community built with help from the Housing Trust Fund.

On Monday state lawmakers started a special session to work toward a budget agreement. Their decisions about investment in social safety-net services for the disabled and the Housing Trust Fund will affect community members across the state. Our "Policy Matters" blog series introduces you to people whose lives are directly impacted by state housing policies. Today we share the story of Ron, a single father who lives at YWCA Family Village at Issaquah. Ron's community, along with many other safe, affordable homes, was built with help from the Housing Trust Fund. Read on to find out how this fund helps people like Ron, and what you can do to encourage our legislators to invest in our communities.

Why We Keep Walking: Dehumanization and “Feeling Good About Feeling Bad”

Many of us have had the experience of walking somewhere, and encountering someone asking for food or money. Or we see someone who is clearly homeless, and in dire need of basic services. The majority of us usually keep walking. Why? What feelings does seeing people who are homeless, specifically individuals who are homeless, bring up for us? What do these emotions mean for advocates trying to both engage and mobilize the public? How can we humanize/put a face to people who are homeless? Guest blogger Perry Firth from Seattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness considers these questions.

Policy Matters: “Don’t Forget the Bigger Picture for Women and Families”

YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish CEO Sue Sherbrooke's Crosscut.com opinion piece lays out how state budget negotiations will affect families like YWCA client Vangie and her son. Photo credit: YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish

This month in Olympia, Washington's lawmakers will come together to hammer out a budget agreement. With investment in social safety-net services and the Housing Trust Fund on the line, our legislators' decisions will have a huge impact on YWCA clients and other community members across the state. In a guest opinion piece published today on Crosscut.com, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish CEO Sue Sherbrooke asks state budget negotiators "to step back from the revenue and expense line items for a moment and look at these big-picture budget matters with an eye for the bigger picture."

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