Featured Advocates

Two Worlds Collide: Inequality in America

A “Sleep Out” in Washington, D.C.’s Freedom Plaza during Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week in mid-November. Photo Credit: Laura Tarnosky, <a href="http://streetsense.org/article/covenant-house-advocates-freedom-plaza-sleep-out-previews-vigil/#.VlzIkmSrRz9" target="_blank"><span class="s1">Street Sense.</span></a>
A “Sleep Out” in Washington, D.C.’s Freedom Plaza during Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week in mid-November. Photo Credit: Laura Tarnosky, Street Sense.
Seattle University student Lindsey Habenicht recently interned as a reporter with the Street Sense street newspaper in Washington, D.C. Because the internship was unpaid and housing costs were outrageously high (even for a shared bedroom), Lindsey also worked at Nordstrom in an affluent part of Virginia. She found it "eye-opening, jarring, and heart-wrenching" to go back and forth between settings of poverty and abundance, and also to watch her department store co-workers display a lack of empathy for a woman who was experiencing homelessness and spent time in the store. Lindsey reflects on her experience, takes a look at the national War on Poverty, and shares how we can all take action to address an economy that is out of balance.

Homelessness: A State of Emergency

Doris O'Neal manages a domestic violence program at YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish. Image credit: KUOW.
Doris O'Neal manages a domestic violence program at YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish. Image credit: KUOW.
Doris O'Neal, who manages a domestic violence program at YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, told KUOW about her clients' experiences with homelessness. KUOW interviewed Doris after a press conference Monday at YWCA headquarters during which Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine declared that homelessness is in a state of emergency in Seattle and King County. Listen to the story on KUOW's website.

Helping Survivors of Domestic Violence: A “Cyber-Advocate’s” Story

Watch on YouTube.com
"Domestic violence is a global pandemic. One person cannot stop it alone, but each of us can do something to make a difference. Everyone can be an advocate, learning the facts, the realities that victims deal with, and talking with family or friends, breaking the silence," writes Firesteel intern Carissa Daniels. In this inspiring post, Carissa writes about her volunteer work as a "cyber-advocate" for survivors of domestic violence.

From Victim to Survivor to Advocate

Watch on YouTube.com
We all have a lot of advocacy to do to ensure that all community members -- including survivors of domestic violence -- have the opportunity to live in a safe, healthy, affordable home. To inspire you to take action, we're sharing a moving post by Firesteel's first advocacy intern, Carissa Daniels. A survivor of domestic violence who experienced homelessness with her daughter, Carissa is now a strong voice for ending domestic violence and its devastating effects.

“This Hits Close to Home”: Advocate Shines Light on Hidden Student Homelessness

Brandy Sincyr, Homeless Student Advocate and Program Assistant at Columbia Legal Services, recently created a report that highlights state data showing that schools are under-identifying students experiencing homelessness. Photo courtesy Columbia Legal Services.
Brandy Sincyr, Homeless Student Advocate and Program Assistant at Columbia Legal Services, recently created a report that highlights state data showing that schools are under-identifying students experiencing homelessness. Photo courtesy Columbia Legal Services.
In the 2011-2012 school year, more than 14,000 Washington students experienced homelessness without their schools knowing. This means they didn't get the resources and protections that are available to all homeless students. Brandy Sincyr, a homeless student advocate and program assistant at Columbia Legal Services, shares a personal story that illustrates why it is so important to close the gap in identifying homeless students.
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 13