Learn about our new staff, December trainings and RFP release What's NewOur latest hires are driven to make homeless policies and practices fair and equitable to all Three new employees have been added to the team of professionals at Building Changes, strengthening our bench as we advocate for improvements in public policy, pursue racial equity in all homeless programs, and work on behalf of students experiencing homelessness. Daniel Zavala joins our leadership team as director of policy and strategic communications. Demonstrated through his experience in the education field, he has a track record of using the powers of community engagement and academic research to mobilize people and affect change. Our new senior manager of grantmaking and capacity building, Klarissa Monteros, first came to our attention several years ago when she was instrumental in making our Diversion pilot in Pierce County a big success. Mehret Tekle-Awarun, who is taking on the new position of senior manager of education strategy, has broad experience working with public schools on student homelessness programs, which will be particularly valuable to our Schoolhouse Washington project. Learn more. Building Changes hosts Promote Progress to inspire influencers to act on solutions to homelessness At a time when so many are expressing concern about homelessness, Building Changes focuses on solutions. We hosted an educational event in October that allowed us to share our knowledge, research, and ideas with policymakers, philanthropists, and the media. Promote Progress: Exploring data-supported solutions to family and student homelessness specifically targeted key influencers who work outside of the homeless system, hoping to inspire them to take actions that will improve the housing stability of people in our communities. To engage the audience, we developed an immersive experience with visually striking posters and interactive exhibits. By offering a fresh look at homelessness, we achieved our goal of opening both eyes and minds. October’s event featured a panel of experts from the field who discussed solutions to homelessness that would benefit from more widespread support and implementation. We will be presenting a fundraising event around Promote Progress on April 24, 2019, and you are invited. If you would like to attend, please contact us. Upcoming Trainings Helping Homeless Students: McKinney-Vento 101 Through our Schoolhouse Washington project, Building Changes is partnering with the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness to offer FREE workshops for homeless service providers, public school staff, and others involved in supporting students experiencing homelessness:
Register now for one of two workshops in December. These are filling up quickly, so don't delay! Funding Opportunity In the coming weeks, Building Changes will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Family Diversion with Comparison Group Project, under the Washington Youth & Families Fund. Funding will support Diversion strategies that leverage homeless families’ own resources and resiliency to quickly secure housing arrangements that end the household’s homelessness. Interested providers, that participate in their jurisdiction’s Coordinated Entry system, and are NOT currently using Diversion as a strategy, are encouraged to apply. Application materials available online starting December 17. Sign up here if you would like to receive notifications about Building Changes grant opportunities. Volunteers Needed Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Each county in our state conducts an annual Point in Time (PIT) Count to collect data on the needs of people experiencing homelessness in our community. Please consider spending a night in January to help with this critical function. Check out information and opportunities for King County, Pierce County, or Snohomish County. State information is available here. Worth a Glance
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