On January 28th, people from 10 affiliates across Washington State came to Olympia to talk to their local legislators about their local programs and the importance of addressing the rising Cost of Home across the state. They came from as far away as Palouse, Washington (329 miles away) and Spokane, Washington (320 miles away) and as close as Thurston County (about three blocks away from the Capitol Building) – but they all were here to talk about why our legislature needs to be working to bring down the Cost of Home all across the state!
After coffee, donuts, and a short training session – we all gathered at the House Committee on Housing, Community Development & Veterans where Maureen Fife, CEO of Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity and Brett D’Antonio, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Seattle – King County testified to the work that Habitat is doing across the state and talked about possible approaches for the state legislature to pursue when working to bring down the Cost of Home. It was a packed house and lots of good questions were asked by the committee members – who enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the Habitat model!
Following the committee hearing, the next couple of hours consisted of volunteers and staff met with over 20 different legislators and their teams to talk about the Cost of Home. Affiliates shared stories about what is happening in their individual districts and stories about homes and families that they have been able to help – thanks in part to efforts by legislators over the years. Lots of legislators expressed interest in joining local affiliates for build days back in the district and asked how they could help in the legislature as well as back at home. We are hopeful that we’ll see lots of legislators at some of our build sites across Washington over the next year!
Overall, it was a wonderful success and everyone involved had a great time. From legislators to affiliate staff to volunteers, everyone shared that they had a great time and are looking forward to participating again next year. If you want to learn more about how to help your local affiliate, make sure to find them here. If you want to help our work in Olympia, make sure to sign up for our newsletter here and send us a message here!
