09 Feb Beyond the One Night Count

See how many of these questions you know: (no cheating)

1. The number of Senators in Washington
2. The number of Representatives in the WA House of Reps
3. The number of legislative districts with low-income people
4. The name of your Senator and two reps?
5. The state gem

(answers listed at the end of the post)

These are just a few of the things that we learned at the “Beyond the One Night Count” workshop hosted by SKCCH and Catholic Community Services. Almost 1,000 individuals showed up in the hours of 2-5 in the morning to count homeless out on the streets of Seattle.

For those who were interested in doing more than a few hours of service, BONC was set up to teach people about how they can become advocates for homelessness. After detailing a few bills coming up for vote, including the Housing Trust Fund, and the Disability Lifeline, we were lucky to hear from the main speaker, Nancy Amidei. Amidei has been called a “relentless advocate for changing public policy to better serve the most vulnerable populations.”

She kept the audience laughing while teaching us how to become advocates – and not just for homelessness, but general tips for how to get more involved. One of the problems with our system is that the people who are going down to advocate seem to fit a certain stereotype: they have money (+ can afford to be down there often), they’re retired, and are usually white. This is a problem for the bills that need to be passed regarding human services and affordable housing – there simply aren’t the right type of people there that can advocate for them.

She listed five things that you can do anytime, anywhere and said that they all come from one simple fact: Advocacy just means speaking up.

1. Be sure you’re signed up for a good legislative alert group that can monitor your issues
2. Communicate – write, call, visit “The most effective is the one you will use.”
3. Empower others – bills need a lot of votes
4. Advertise your issue
5. TALK! Think of opportunities wherever you are

As a retired teacher, Amidei gave us a lengthier quiz than listed at the beginning of this post, but let’s see how you did:

1. 49
2. 98
3. all of them
4. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
5. petrified wood

If you’re interested in getting involved and possibly taking a trip down to Olympia to meet your Senator and/or Representatives, Amidei said she’d be happy to be your personal guide.