3:00 – 3:05      Introductions, additions to agenda (see next item)

3:05 – 3:15      Announcements, things needing attention before Dec. 1 Meeting

3:15 – 3:20      Governance workgroup setting context for today’s discussion (wrkgrp members) 

A couple weeks ago we asked ourselves to review and consider our mission, asking the question: Why does the Coalition exist?  Using ideas from that conversation, the governance workgroup crafted a couple sample mission statements as a way to continue and deepen our conversation about how the Coalition could/should move into the future. (see below)  This same conversation needs to happen with the Friday meeting group soon. The different perspectives on advocacy and outreach we heard last week prompted us to propose a discussion of specific mission statements as a context for today’s focused agenda.

3:20 – 3:40  General discussion of mission, using sample statements and questions in  text below  titled : “mission discussion as context”  (All:  no action requested)

3:40 – 4:25 Perspectives and options regarding  advocacy and outreach  (Theresa)

4:25—4:30 Good of the order and good trouble (All)

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 Question to focus today’s discussion:

How might our understanding of the Coalition mission help us evaluate different perspectives on advocacy and outreach?

 A few ways to describe our mission:

Current description of  Coalition at top of pchomeless.org website:

The Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness is a loose network of individuals, non-profit agencies, government agencies, and community businesses working together to serve people experiencing homelessness. Our end goal is to help folks establish safe housing as quickly as possible and help them to retain that housing so their homeless episode is short and never repeated. We also work to address many of the factors that drive homelessness.

Two sample mission statements –  for discussion and consideration of preferred mission:

A.   An attempt to describe current practice:

The Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness convenes service providers, community advocates, and persons with lived experience of homelessness, promoting collective action and public policy to ensure the right to adequate housing* for all.

B.    An attempt to lay claim to a wider role :

The Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness convenes stakeholders to attain shelter for all.**  We build capacities, accountability and communication to close gaps, improve systems, and amplify truth.

Some questions to ask of these statements:  offered to stimulate our thinking and as springboard for conversation:

What does this statement ask us to do?

What words in the statement signal the impact we want to make?

What words evoke clear meanings, and which raise questions for you?

What words describe what you think we are actually doing? 

What words make explicit what we should be doing that we aren’t doing now?

Do any words describe what we should not be doing, or should not plan to do?

Is there something missing that you think should be included?