Dear Maureen, I hope you and your loved ones are well and safe. We're living through heavy times right now, with a constant stream of bad news, and unfortunately the global pandemic we're currently facing continues to bring even more bad news. I'm sorry to contact you today with more, but the COVID-19 crisis has so deeply impacted Washington state's budget, that deep cuts to state funded housing and human services are now on the table. The Governor's office received a $16 million cut proposal to the Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) program. One thing we know is the wrong approach during an economic downturn: austerity budget cuts. Washington's safety net programs were slashed in the Great Recession and have not recovered since, even to this day! Yet, state elected officials are required to balance the budget and unfortunately cuts to key human service programs are on the table. The good news is - there is a different path forward. No decisions have yet been made and lawmakers can still choose a no-cuts approach. We can and must fight for a better approach, by calling on the Governor and our Legislators to: - Heavily invest in Washington's COVID related funding in rental assistance and foreclosure prevention,
- Prevent cuts to our state affordable housing, homelessness, and safety net programs,
- AND take action toward progressive revenue that will ease the burden on low-income and working households, adequately fund affordable housing and homelessness programs, and make our economy more resilient in the long-run!
Please take action right now by sending a note to Governor Inslee and your other state lawmakers: |
