Firesteel Blog

“Do I Pay My Legal Financial Obligations, Or Do I Buy Diapers?”

After more than a decade of struggling with addiction, and going in and out of incarceration, Coreen made the decision to change her life so she could care for her son. Image courtesy YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish.
After more than a decade of struggling with addiction, and going in and out of incarceration, Coreen made the decision to change her life so she could care for her son. Image courtesy YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish.
“When you live on the streets, you have to do what you can to survive,” Coreen says. For her, that meant using drugs, as well as stealing clothes, food and cars. After a decade of struggling with addiction and going in and out of incarceration, Coreen turned her life around. Now she's a devoted mom, but court-imposed debt is keeping her from giving her son the life he deserves.

“To Be Unsheltered Is to Be Vulnerable”: A Volunteer Reflects on the One Night Count

Social work student Tara Lee Lange (far left) joined a team of volunteers at the 2016 King County One Night Count. Image courtesy Tara Lee Lange.
Social work student Tara Lee Lange (far left) joined a team of volunteers at the 2016 King County One Night Count. Image courtesy Tara Lee Lange.
Shortly after volunteering at the One Night Count, social work student Tara Lee Lange reflects on the acute dangers that people who experience homelessness face every day. The rate of violence against a national sample of people experiencing homelessness was almost 25 times that of the general U.S. population.

“First We Cry, Then We Take Action”: Moving Forward After Point In Time Counts

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The number of people sleeping outdoors in King County increased by 19 percent in a year. Reports about homelessness from across the state are similarly grim, but there is reason for hope. Community members and policymakers are paying attention to homelessness and housing, and now is a great time to advocate for policies that will help end our statewide crisis.

Housing Discrimination Leaves People Out in the Cold

Kitsap County resident Carissa Daniels advocates for a proposed state law that would make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants based on the source of their income. Photo courtesy Carissa Daniels.
Kitsap County resident Carissa Daniels advocates for a proposed state law that would make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants based on the source of their income. Photo courtesy Carissa Daniels.
A domestic violence survivor who lives with a disability, Carissa Daniels uses a housing choice (aka Section 8) voucher to help pay the rent. She writes that when she and her daughter look for housing, they run into landlords who refuse to accept her voucher. Advocates are working to outlaw this kind of discrimination; find out how you can help!
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