In this issue

• Now, more than ever, we need supported employment
• Foundational Community Supports help families succeed
• Trauma: Understanding the mind, body, spirit connection
• Affordable housing sees big wins from the legislative session

Events and announcements

Do you qualify for a discount on your monthly broadband bills?

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households.

Learn more

Supported Employment supervisor's learning community call:

Enhancing equity, inclusion, & collaboration through person first language

• Monday, May 10
  2 to 3 p.m.
  Register

Landlord Outreach Learning Community call:

Motivational Interviewing 2-part series

• Part 1 stages of change Wednesday, May 12
  9:30 -11 a.m.
  Register
• Part 2- Utilizing Motivational Interviewing tools and spirit
  Wednesday, June 9
  9:30- 11 a.m.
  Register

Job developers community of practice call:

Assessing and developing readiness for employment and resolving ambivalence

• Friday, May 14
  9 to 10 a.m.
  Register

Supported Employment Monthly topical webinar:

Job Retention with Pat Tucker

• Thursday, May 20
  8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Register

Foundational Community Supports Permanent Supportive Housing virtual Fidelity Reviewer training

• Tuesday, May 25
  and
  Thursday, May 27
  9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  Sign up for the May 25 training part 1
  Sign up for the May 27 training part 2

Basics of Foundational Community Supports (FCS):

Supportive Housing and Supported Employment

• Wednesday, May 26
  9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  Register

Foundational Community Supports (FCS):

Individual Placement and Supports (IPS) Supported Employment virtual fidelity reviewer training.

• Tuesday, June 1
  and
  Wednesday, June 2
  9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  Wednesday, May 26
  9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  Register for the June 1 part 1 training
  Register for the June 2 part 2 training

Live captioning available

Communication Access Real-time Transcription (CART) services, or live closed captioning, is available for the above events, on demand. Scheduling CART services requires a three-week lead-time. To request this accommodation, please submit a request to Austin.Alexander@hca.wa.gov. If you make your request less than a week in advance of the event, our language access manager cannot guarantee that a CART writer will be available.

Now, more than ever, we need supported employment

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unemployment and behavioral health issues to increase. But a crisis can produce positive outcomes. Robert Drake’s article COVID‑19, Unemployment, and Behavioral Health Conditions: The Need for Supported Employment celebrates the success that supported employment programs have made and it calls for additional Individual Placements and Supports (IPS). Individuals with stable housing and employment are more likely to seek treatment for behavioral health issues.  

Foundational Community Supports help families succeed

Washington state’s Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP) funds the Foundational Community Support (FCS) program which includes supportive housing and supported employment.

Research on supportive housing and supported employment shows that stable housing and employment improves health outcomes for individuals and families with mental health or substance use disorders. 

Preliminary findings from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Foundational Community Supports Program Evaluation found:

• Statistically significant improvements in employment rates, earnings, and hours worked.
• Statistically significant increases in transitions out of homelessness.
• Promising reductions in outpatient emergency department and inpatient utilization for FCS enrollees.

Read the full article

Trauma: Understanding the mind, body, spirit connection

As humans, we are a mind, body and spirit people. These connections represent who we are as our most authentic and holistic selves. It’s important to understand trauma can sever those connections and any attempt at reconnecting and healing must begin from an interdependent approach. In this session, we will explore pathways to healing in an authentic and holistic manner.

• Wednesday, June 2
  12 p.m.
  Register

Affordable housing sees big wins from the legislative session

A historic legislature session adjourned on Sunday, April 25. Efforts for rental assistance and homeless prevention made great gains.

Gains include:

• House Bill 1277, a new permanent fund source for rental assistance and efforts to prevent and end homelessness.
• Senate Bill 5160, makes Washington the first state to guarantee a lawyer for tenants in eviction court who are low-income or otherwise cannot afford one. 
• House Bill 1236, requires that landlords have a legitimate business reason to make someone move, ending the practice of giving tenants 20 day “no cause” notices.
• Over $1 BILLION to address the housing needs of people in Washington.
• House Bill 1220, prevents cities from banning shelters, transitional housing, or permanent supportive housing.
• The legislature passed a 7% excise tax on extraordinary profits from the sale of financial assets of over $250,000 per year.

These wins will ensure that everyone in Washington State has a safe and affordable place to call home.