Momentum Builds for Extending Economic Opportunities to Homeless Job Seekers

Mark.Putnam@BuildingChanges.org — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Talk to your friends, family, or even people who provide services to people experiencing homelessness, and when the topic of employment comes up, many will say to you "those people can't work. They don't have the skills, they don't have the education, they don't have the desire." Sound familiar?

Well, I believe that those assertions are flat out untrue. Programs in our state, like the Seattle Conservation Corps, Washington Women's Employment and Education, and Pioneer Human Services [...]

Paving the Way for Greater Cooperation in Snohomish County

Charlie.Corrigan@BuildingChanges.org — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100

For the past year, Building Changes has worked closely with local governments in Snohomish County to develop recommendations for supporting affordable housing. We are very pleased that on June 17th, Snohomish County Tomorrow unanimously approved our final report and passed a resolution to co-convene a task force to implement our recommendations. The complete report can be access [...]

Building Changes' Statewide Impact: Spring Snapshot

Mark.Putnam@BuildingChanges.org — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0100

As I was driving through Skagit County the other day, taking in the tulips on the way back from meetings in Bellingham, I began thinking about the incredible range of work Building Changes is leading in many corners of the state. We are a Seattle-based agency, but we are working hard to make an impact beyond our headquarters. Consider:

Side by Side with Governor Gregoire

samhunter@woodsllc.com — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100

On March 5th I had the honor of accompanying Building Changes' executive director Betsy Lieberman and deputy director Alice Shobe to Olympia to meet with Governor Christine Gregoire and Kari Burrell, her executive policy advisor. With us were Sonya Campion of the

Public and Private Partners Speak About Washington Families Fund Expansion

Emily.Nolan@BuildingChanges.org — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Building Changes recently announced the expanded efforts of the Washington Families Fund. Along with 23 government, public, and private partners, Building Changes has signed a Mortgage Bankers Association found that in 2007, 20% of all foreclosure filings across the country were in non-owner occupied properties. Steering Committee of Snohomish County Tomorrow, which includes elected officials and other representatives from the 19 cities and towns in Snohomish County. As part of our work to research and promote collaboration between jurisdictions on housing issues, I worked with our clients at the County and the City of Lake Stevens to develop a short presentation on (1) what is a [...]

Local Strategies for Meeting Behavioral Health Needs

Charlie.Corrigan@BuildingChanges.org — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0100

In December, the Snohomish County Council approved a one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) sales tax increase to support mental health and chemical dependency services. This sales tax option is available to each county, as enabled by the state legislature in 2005. I think this makes [...]

Ed Petersen’s Vision to Expand Employment Services in Snohomish County

Sarah.Rajski@BuildingChanges.org — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:00:00 +0100

A couple of months ago, I sat down with Ed Petersen, Executive Director at Housing Hope in Everett, WA. Joining me was Mark Putnam, Building Changes' Manager of Community Initiatives, and John Rio, of Advocates for Human Potential. We had heard that Ed was beginning to seek ways to increase employment outcomes for his tenants. Housing Hope is in the early development phase of creating a new program designed to increase employment opportun [...]

BC Launches Employment Program

Mark.Putnam@BuildingChanges.org — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:00:00 +0100

In 2006, Building Changes and the City of Seattle Office of Housing led a community planning process to assess the existing connections between the workforce development and homeless service systems. This process began a couple of years into our community's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness, which included only limited strategies related to increasing economic opportunities for those experiencing homelessness. That process, and the opportunities fo [...]

Call to Action in Snohomish County

Charlie.Corrigan@BuildingChanges.org — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Local communities have a range of tools they can use to promote affordable housing in a way that meets local needs. At Building Changes, we see our role as helping cities and counties to find examples from across the state and the country, and evaluate what strategies will fit their needs and create the most bang for the buck.

A big focus of our recent planning work has involved working with st [...]

Blog Entries tagged 'Snohomish County'