News

Vote Yes for vets and seniors on August 1st – renew KC Prop 1 Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy

June 30, 2023

Neighborhood House board voted to sign on with dozens of other community based organizations, elected officials, and labor unions to endorse proposition 1 to renew the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Service Levy (VSHSL) that provides $564 million over 5 years for essential services to across the region. In this video highlighting VSHSL services, our resource …

Read more

Are you ready to stand behind women of color leading change?

June 8, 2023

On Tuesday, I had the privilege of being on stage at Town Hall with three other women of color leading change, “movers and shakers” behind our region’s most influential non-profits, Solid Ground, Byrd Barr Place, El Centro de la Raza, and Neighborhood House. This conversation, expertly moderated by TraeAnna Holiday of Converge, was deeply personal, …

Read more

What is CSBG funding and why we need it

April 12, 2023

Since 1965, born out of President Johnson’s War on Poverty, Community Action Agencies have been helping people gain social and economic mobility, changing inequitable systems that perpetuate the causes and conditions of poverty, and strengthening our community. In 2021, 30 Community Action Agencies served 347,000 low-income Washingtonians in over 175,000 households in all 39 counties. Each of …

Read more

Human services wages are even worse than you imagined

February 23, 2023

“Nonprofit leaders say they’re losing talented workers—and struggling to recruit new ones—because they can’t offer competitive wages. Janice Deguchi, the executive director of Neighborhood House, said the nonprofit recently lost a teacher who had been working to connect a developmentally delayed child to the group’s early-learning program and other services.” Read more about the new comparable …

Read more

Social service workers rally at Seattle City Hall over proposed budget cuts

November 8, 2022

“A city law passed in 2019 was supposed to ensure that front-line social service workers’ wages would continue to increase with inflation in these times. But the mayor’s proposed budget rolled that promise back. People who work on the front lines to serve homeless people and the community’s most vulnerable populations say depressed wages are …

Read more

Mayor’s proposed budget disproportionally impacts women and people of color

October 25, 2022

Leaders of regional nonprofits implore Seattle Mayor and City Council to reconsider human services COLA cap Mr. Mayor, we are confused. We know you are a champion for diversity and equity. So why are you capping inflation-based pay increases for a set of vendors who are disproportionately women and people of color—those predominately serving our …

Read more

Digital access is an equity issue

September 8, 2021

“Those who access and need our government services expect and deserve usability,” said Kendrick Stewart, Washington Department of Commerce’s deputy director. In a public performance review meeting on July 28, 2021, the deputy director went on to say that according to agencies that provide direct services to the public, those who are most likely to …

Read more

Statewide diaper bank and advocacy

August 18, 2021

Last summer, we put out a call to help low-income families with young children in King County get access to diapers. The response was immediate and because of the maintained momentum around this issue, Neighborhood House has since been able to distribute: 110,000+ diapers and $21,000 of baby supplies! Additionally, due to our collective communities’ continued advocacy and concern, …

Read more

Why the Best Starts for Kids levy matters

July 17, 2021

The Neighborhood House Board of Directors endorses Proposition No. 1 “Regular Property Tax Levy for Children, Youth, Families and Communities” on the Primary ballot in King County — also known as Best Starts for Kids. This initiative funds services to promote the health and well-being of children and young adults in the county, through programs at our …

Read more

Washington’s immigrant and refugee elders face challenges in COVID-19 vaccine access

February 8, 2021

“Still, more than two weeks into the current phase, immigrant and refugee elders continue to face challenges in accessing the vaccine, from language barriers to a lack of transportation and technology, say group members Helping Link and Neighborhood House, two nonprofits that serve immigrant and refugee populations. Their experiences reflect concerns about inequities around the …

Read more

Addressing equity in accessing the COVID-19 vaccine

January 26, 2021

This written testimony was sent to the King County Council in response to Motion 2021-0046 regarding equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution and access. Dear King County Council Members, I write in support of Proposed motion 2021-0046 which would address equity in accessing the COVID-19 vaccine during these initial stages of distribution and have some suggestions for …

Read more

Holding commercial tobacco retailers accountable instead of penalizing youth for addiction

January 16, 2021

This statement was put together by the Healthy King County Coalition in partnership with Neighborhood House. Policy Change for Health Equity SB 5129: Concerning the possession of vapor, vapor products, tobacco, and tobacco products by minors When Tobacco to 21 was passed it rightfully omitted penalties for commercial tobacco use and possession on those ages …

Read more

Inequities in accessing unemployment

October 1, 2020

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in expanded unemployment benefits, which has made many more community members eligible for unemployment than were before. This benefit has been a much needed lifeline as people were laid off and/or lost hours of work. As Washington State’s Employment Security Department’s (ESD is the department that administers Unemployment benefits) …

Read more