The first thing that any anti-poverty advocate can tell you is that cutting funding for state safety net programs is never the right move. 

And cutting them during a pandemic? Undebatable.

However, this is the unfortunate situation that state lawmakers are confronted with right now. The economic impact of COVID-19 has so gravely affected Washington's state budget that lawmakers are discussing deep cuts to the housing and basic needs programs that so many families rely on. Among the proposals is a $16 million cut to Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) -- our state's most successful anti-homelessness program. 

Cutting economic safety net programs (which families rely on during times of hardship, such as during a pandemic) won't relieve any of the economic difficulties that Washington currently faces. It will only prolong it. In fact, if you've been part of our advocacy network for a while, you'll know that we are still fighting to fix cuts to basic needs programs that were enforced during the Great Recession -- over a decade ago!

Lawmakers must respond to the economic and public health crises that have been caused by the pandemic, and they must do so in a way that upholds health, safety, and opportunity for Washington's communities. We urge them to:

• Prevent cuts to state assistance programs that support essential needs and economic security
• Make targeted investments that boost safety net support of Black and Indigenous American communities
• Approve funding for pandemic-related relief efforts, such as affordable housing and rent/foreclosure assistance
• Take meaningful action toward restructuring our state's tax structure to be one that relies on progressive forms of revenue, such as a capital gains tax.

Most importantly, lawmakers need to hear this from you, their constituents. Join us in urging the Governor and state legislators to invest in the recovery of Washington's communities.