View as a webpage  /  Share

Request for Applications – Tax Credit Community Outreach Program

The Department of Commerce (COMMERCE), in collaboration with the Department of Revenue, has initiated a Request for Applications (RFA) to administer Working Families (WFTC) and Earned Income (EITC) Tax Credit Education and Outreach grants effective October 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

Per ESSB 5693 section 128, subsection 135, $9,720,000.00 in grants may be awarded to community organizations to conduct outreach to eligible communities, tribal communities, and historically disadvantaged communities with the objective of helping individuals apply for the Working Families Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit benefits. Eligible applicants may request up to $200,000.

The deadline to submit applications is July 25, 2022

Download the SFY23-32013 Tax Credit Community Outreach RFA (PDF).

The Office of Equity and WA Department of Commerce are conducting a survey to better understand the challenges that Washingtonians are experiencing when using and connecting to the internet. The survey has been prepared in 15 different languages as well as recorded in American Sign Language to reach as many Washingtonians as possible.

Please click the link below to take the survey.

Digital Equity Forum Community Survey

Be Prepared for an Active Shooter

An active shooter is an individual engaged in attempting to kill people in a confined space or populated area. Active shooters typically use firearms and have no pattern to their selection of victims.

All of this information can be found on the hazard's Information Sheet.

Quick Facts

• Can happen anywhere.
• Can happen anytime.

Protect Yourself Key Messages

• Run, hide, and fight.
• See something, say something.
• Before you run, know the exits.
• Find a place to hide.
• Learn first aid skills so you can help others.
• Help law enforcement.
• Seek help to cope with trauma.

Click Here to learn more. 

Information on Wildfires

Before lighting fire, please check for any local burn restrictions. 

Communicating Wildfire Information 

During major wildfires, DNR and our wildfire response partners work to ensure you receive accurate information as quickly as possible. The best way to get up-to-date information on wildfires is to follow the #WaWILDFIRE hashtag on Twitter. DNR provides information about wildfires that are notable, due to location or size, on Twitter at @waDNR_fire. 

DNR and other wildfire response agencies work collaboratively to provide information about large fires on Inciweb (the Incident Information System) and through the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (see morning briefings)

Public Information Officers act as an official spokesperson for a wildfire incident and are responsible for keeping the community and media outlets informed of wildfire updates.

Local emergency management offices, such as sheriff departments or local fire districts, order and communicate evacuations when needed and other emergency activities outside of the work to combat wildfire. If you find yourself in a wildfire emergency, always follow the directions of public safety personnel. In an evacuation, use the "P's of Preparedness" to focus your efforts.

Staying Safe in Extreme Heat

Sharing information from the Administration for Community Living.

A large part of the United States has been, or will soon be, experiencing extreme heat conditions (high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees for several days). Our bodies must work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature in extreme heat, and heat-related distress can occur quickly and without warning. Extreme heat can be dangerous for all, but especially for older adults and people with chronic conditions. Take steps to prepare and stay safe using these tips from Ready.gov:

• Find air conditioning.
• Avoid strenuous activities.
• Wear light clothing.
• Check on family members and neighbors.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Watch for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
• Never leave people or pets in a closed car.

Check out the Extreme Heat Safety Social Media Toolkit and other resources from Ready.gov, the CDC and the National Institutes of Health.

It’s time to talk about poop on the beach

Warm weather is just around the corner, which means “beach time” for many, including us at the Washington State BEACH Program. You may prefer to swim in the water, kayak on top of the water, or go beachcombing next to the water — there are so many fun things to do at the beach! But before you pack your beach tote, make sure the water is clean and safe for water contact.

Swim smart – know before you go

“Each year, we begin testing the water for fecal bacteria before Memorial Day and continue weekly testing until Labor Day,” said Heather Gibbs, Ecology’s BEACH Program Coordinator. “Our goal is to make sure we are watching for possible problems on high-use saltwater beaches, so you and your family can just enjoy the day.”

Fecal bacteria comes from human and animal poop. It can cause illnesses including, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, wound infections, and ear infections. One of the best ways to avoid getting ill is to check our safe swimming map before you go. Once a week, we update the status of beaches to help beachgoers plan their trip. If a beach has high levels of fecal bacteria, we work with local health districts to post advisories or closures as needed. These advisory signs will also be posted at the beach, so look for them before you play on the beach.  

It Takes a Village

Every year, we partner with local counties, local health districts, tribal nations, and volunteer groups to monitor popular beaches throughout the state. From May to September, our partners collect samples from beaches in their area and share those results with us. Their support is vital, because it means we can test more beaches. We are thankful to all our partners and volunteers who make this work possible!

How can you help us keep Washington beaches safe?

You can help us keep our beaches open and safe. There are easy steps we all can take to keep it fun for us and keep poop off the beach:

• Use bathrooms and swim diapers — Take frequent trips with your kids to the park’s bathrooms, and put younger kids in swim diapers.
• Scoop the poop — Pick up your dog’s poop, bag it, and throw it in the trash.
• Don’t feed the birds — Feeding the birds and other wildlife can be fun, but it encourages them to stick around, ultimately bringing more poop to the beach. Pick up your trash, and don’t feed the wildlife, no matter how cute they are!
• Don’t swim sick — Avoid swimming if you’re not feeling well, especially if you have diarrhea.
• Pack out trash — Pack your trash in a bag, and throw it away in the trash at the beach or at home.

Eligible donors urged to give blood as national blood shortage continues

Más información sobre el aborto

Director - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Health Equity Program Manager

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department 

We invite you to join the Administrative Services Division as a Regular, Full-time (1.0 FTE) Program Manager to oversee our Health Equity Program.

Communications Specialist 

Washington State Senate Democratic Caucus

The Communications Specialist will also have a passion for the legislative process and good government. They will have a depth of knowledge and interest on a variety of issues that impact Washington communities.

Teen-safety speakers: a powerful experience for students and young workers

Statistics show that young workers are more likely to be injured on the job than adults are, especially when they are new to the world of work. Despite this fact, parents and young workers tend to assume that “working” is safe. Even jobs in restaurants and retail operations have potentially serious hazards, such as burns and falls.

To raise awareness among teens that safety is never a given, the Department of Labor & Industries runs a popular “Injured Young Workers Speakers Program.” The program brings speakers who were severely injured on the job as young workers to high schools, skills centers, colleges and universities around the state. A compelling video precedes each presentation to students, showing graphic reenactments of four actual workplace accidents involving teens.

Since the program began in June 2008, over 60,000 students - in all corners of the state have heard the presentations and have a new appreciation about workplace safety. In 2008, presentations were made in five schools reaching about 750 students; the program now averages 32 venues a year, reaching about 7,000 participants annually. In addition to schools, presentations also take place at worksites employing predominately young workers.

Contact information:

Want to know more about the program or how you can schedule a speaker for your school, large business or business or civic club meeting? Contact Xenofon Moniodis, L&I public affairs, 360-338-5697. Click Here to learn more.

Supreme Court Denies Bond Hearings to Detained Immigrants

We are saddened to share some breaking bad news from the United States Supreme Court. Today, the Court issued its decision in Garland v. Aleman Gonzalez, a consolidated case consisting of two class action challenges, including a suit NWIRP originally filed at the district court level in 2017 and for which we presented oral arguments to the Court in January of this year. The case challenges the federal government’s unfair policy of locking up immigrants for months or even years without bond hearings. 

Today’s decisions in this case and a related case, Johnson v. Arteaga-Martinez, overturn the Ninth Circuit and Third Circuit Courts of Appeals rulings that required a bond hearing if a person in ongoing immigration proceedings is detained longer than six months. Instead, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal immigration statute does not require bond hearings, regardless of how long proceedings take. In addition, in Aleman-Gonzalez, the Court ruled that the federal courts cannot grant class-wide relief of the type the lower courts had granted to our clients, making it more difficult to seek relief for detained immigrants.

Needless to say, we are profoundly disappointed in these rulings. With today’s decisions, the Court has turned its back on its prior interpretation of the immigration statute, which upheld a fundamental principle upon which our system was founded—that government officials may not lock up a person without at least providing them their day in court to contest whether their confinement is justified. In addition, the Court’s decision in Aleman-Gonzalez will create substantial barriers for immigrants asserting their rights in federal court in the future.  As Justice Sotomayor stated in her dissent in the case, the Court’s ruling “risks depriving many vulnerable noncitizens of any meaningful opportunity to protect their rights.”

However, we are not done fighting. The Court recognized that we have separate constitutional challenges that must now be addressed. As such we will go back to district court to continue fighting to defend immigrant rights.

Moreover, we are comforted by the fact that, over the past few years since we first brought the Aleman-Gonzalez case, hundreds of people were able to gain release from detention centers like the one in Tacoma because of the lower court rulings we had achieved. And we will continue to challenge arbitrary detention and policies aimed at punishing those who assert their right to apply for protection against deportation.

Thank you for your continued support,

Jorge L. Barón, Executive Director

Save the Date

Lakewood's SummerFest