Monthly Archives: December 2014

Picturing Child Homelessness: The Challenges Behind “The Big Brain”

Here is a portion of our new infographic, “The Big Brain.” If you want to see the rest of the infographic, keep reading! Image from the Project on Family Homelessness.
Here is a portion of our new infographic, “The Big Brain.” If you want to see the rest of the infographic, keep reading! Image from the Project on Family Homelessness.
In September, Seattle University students Perry Firth and Krista Kent created nine new infographics as part of our series, Poverty and Homelessness in the Public School System. The experience inspired them to create one super-infographic that they nicknamed “The Big Brain.” What are the perils of encapsulating so much information into one bold visualization? Perry takes us behind the scenes of creating this brand-new infographic, “Child Homelessness & Toxic Stress: Far-Reaching Consequences.”

I’m an Advocate: Shelly Cohen

Shelly Cohen has advocated for a number of causes. Here, he holds an advocacy card that customers signed expressing their support for QFC workers during the UFCW 21 Stand With Our Checkers Campaign in 2013. Image credit: Alex Garland.
Shelly Cohen has advocated for a number of causes. Here, he holds an advocacy card that customers signed expressing their support for QFC workers during the UFCW 21 Stand With Our Checkers Campaign in 2013. Image credit: Alex Garland.
Happy holidays! We're delighted to regale you with the wise words of yet another inspiring advocate. Shelly Cohen is a Real Change vendor who has a lot of experience advocating at the city and state level for affordable housing, a service animal protection act, and other causes.

I’m an Advocate: Susan Russell

Watch on YouTube.com
Following a debilitating car accident, Susan Russell lost her ability to work as a cement mason and eventually lost her home. During six years of homelessness, she was beaten, robbed and raped. In 2013 she was accepted into transitional housing. Even as she recovers from the traumas she experienced on the streets, Susan is a strong voice in the movement to end homelessness.

“How Did I Get Here?” Tacoma Parents Reflect on Losing Home in StoryCorps Interview

Franklin and Sherry Gilliard live in transitional housing with their three children in Tacoma. Image credit: StoryCorps.
Franklin and Sherry Gilliard live in transitional housing with their three children in Tacoma. Image credit: StoryCorps.
The Gilliards never thought they'd experience homelessness. Then the Great Recession hit, and their small business struggled. Drowning in debt, they eventually lost their home and moved their family of five into a shelter. Listen to their story, check out an infographic about child homelessness in Washington, and learn what you can do to spark change.