Summer is in full swing and that means our Policy Team is on the road! This marks the second year in a row that EOI has embarked on trips around the state, connecting with partners, lawmakers, and members of the communities that make Washington such a great place to live. We’ve logged 900 miles so far and connected with people who live and work in Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, Sunnyside, Yakima, Vancouver, Skamania County, Pacific County, and Lewis County.  

Our top priority on these trips is to listen. We want to know what issues are top of mind for people across Washington, and then work together on policy solutions that make sense for all Washingtonians. And while the landscapes and towns we’ve visited are varied and unique, the issues the people who live in them are struggling with are very similar. We heard over and over again that the biggest struggles include the costs of healthcare, housing, and childcare; childcare availability; and paychecks that are not keeping up with these costs. Simply put, hard working people do not make enough to cover the costs of living in this inflationary economy. 

And this should come as no surprise— income inequality has been on a sharp incline since the mid-1990s. Those in our state with higher wage jobs have seen their incomes rise sharply over the past 30 years, but those in lower and middle wage jobs have received meager increases. This combined with skyrocketing food and housing prices are making it more and more difficult to live and raise a family in Washington.  

Despite their struggles, people across our state are taking care of each other and creating positive change in their communities: 

• We heard about the community college in Walla Walla working toward making their school cost free for students.  

• Poder Latinx is active in Yakima and surrounding areas educating and engaging voters, empowering the Latinx community to become agents of change.  

• In Walla Walla, Sunnyside, and Centralia we learned how organizations provide life-saving and sustaining services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault though support groups, financial literacy classes, youth programs, shelter, housing assistance, prevention programs and more. 

• In Benton & Franklin counties, Communities in Schools is laser focused on providing wrap around supports for students (like access to healthy food, physical and mental healthcare, and stable housing) so that they can succeed in school. 

• In Lewis County we talked with leaders at Gather Church, who provides an incredible amount of care to their community through a myriad of services and supports, especially for those struggling with homelessness and addiction. 

It is inspiring to see the amount of good being done in communities around the state, but this work is not easy, and nearly everyone we talked to expressed frustration at the red tape and funding roadblocks that slow or limit their good work. It’s clear from our conversations so far that now more than ever, we need policies and programs that focus on fairness, care, and opportunity for everyone in Washington State. Our work is not yet done—both on the big picture where everyone thrives in our state, but also on EOI’s travels this summer. We are heading to Tacoma, Kitsap County, and Port Angeles in August. Let us know if you want to have coffee and chat about what’s happening in your community!