From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness:
The Washington State Legislature will begin meeting for a 60-day session on January 8, 2024. The Task Force is encouraging all who desire to influence their representatives and senators to ‘do good works’ and help those in need. It’s not hard. Go to leg.wa.gov for contacts, track bills as they come up, and check in with committee meetings. These elected folks deserve our support by letting them know about our concerns.
For the Task Force, those concerns include the increase in homelessness needing on-street responses, the sharp and often unfair increase in rental prices, pushing against laws that criminalize homelessness, making sure prior protections aren’t downgraded by those with a financial interest, and that the funding for homeless outreach and affordable housing continues.
Several lawmakers have plans to revisit proposals for new protections or limiting rental increases for mobile homeowners and others in the coming session, as well as rent stabilization, dealing with civil penalties, and efforts that allow for tax breaks. The issues are complicated, but staying on track requires broad support to counter well-financed lobbying.
How to start. Write to your representatives about your concerns, then follow up to find out where they stand. Stay on message. For added value, find out the ‘pet provisions’ each has, and if you can support it, let them know you support it.
The Task Force wants involvement. It’s the cornerstone of community, and it is how things get done. Blessings to you all!
Be well, do good works, love one another.
Don Fornoff, member of the Bishop’s Task Force
