VOCAL - Washington

03/26/2026

Please join us for our Black Wellness Week Gathering! Elevate Black Wellness Momentum Professional Strategy Partners

03/05/2026

Involuntary Treatment is not the answer. Thank you Dr. Susan Collins for this thoughtful article.
thehttps://theconversation.com/what-decades-of-research-reveal-about-involuntary-substance-use-treatment-and-why-evidence-points-elsewhere-268841?utm_medium=article_native_share&utm_source=theconversation.com&fbclid=IwY2xjawQWysVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR5fH4NpsqRrM-FrDkoutpDQJ_ZoL4CUhOAHgSbUfStUUC2HoDeZP2_Snb6XyA_aem_nm7IRBIys1aZAtTbineVqw

Many cities are considering involuntary substance use treatment as a solution to drug use among the homeless. But research doesn’t support this strategy.

02/11/2026

SSB 6296 Concerning Involuntary Treatment (Salomon, Dhingra)
This bill died in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on February 6.

Thank you for your efforts to speak out against this measure! Education about this policy will occur during the interim. Stay tuned to ways you can be involved!

02/06/2026

Contact your legislators Washington State!

Washington’s proposed budget currently includes funding for Recovery Navigator services — but with a 10% reduction. For many communities, even small cuts can mean fewer peers, fewer connections to treatment and housing, and fewer people getting help when they are ready.

Recovery Navigators help individuals and families navigate the behavioral health system, access life-changing resources, and build stability through peer support. These services save lives and strengthen communities across our state.

TAKE ACTION TODAY!!
Contact your state legislators and ask them to fully fund the Recovery Navigator Program and protect these essential recovery supports.

Here’s how:

1️⃣ Visit 👉 app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder
2️⃣ Enter your address to find your legislative district
3️⃣ Click on your legislators’ names
4️⃣ Click the yellow “Email” to send them a message

Tell them why recovery support services matter to you, your family, or your community.

Your voice matters. Your story matters. Advocacy from the recovery community helps shape real policy decisions.

01/31/2026

⏰ ATTN COMMUNITY MEMBERS & ACTIVISTS ⏰

🚫 Oppose SB 6296 (Involuntary Treatment expansion)

SB 6296 tinyurl.com/SB6296 quietly expands Washington’s ITA system by allowing more people to file involuntary treatment petitions, even when a crisis responder has declined detention. This pushes our state away from community-based services and back toward institutionalization, rolling back decades of progress under the Olmstead Act. Instead of investing in housing, peer support, and voluntary care, this bill expands coercive systems that remove choice and due process. We need systems of care that support people in their own communities, not policies that pull them out. Support community care and choice, not coercion.

Take action by 9:30 AM Monday, Feb 2:

📝 Sign in CON on SB 6296 using this link: tinyurl.com/SB6296-SignIn
🎤 Sign up to testify (remote or written) before the deadline via link here: tinyurl.com/SB6296-Testify

01/29/2026

Join us Friday Feb 6th for our next Community Kitchen: Bread + Belonging. We’ll be hearing from friends and advocates with VOCAL-WA regarding upcoming legislation to pay attention to, what it means for our communities and how we can advocate for harm reduction through legislative advocacy.
We’ll also be hosting a virtual watch party of WAISN’s next online Rapid Response training, for those interested in participating.

needing a warm meal? tired of cooking for yourself and/or the sweet humans in your house? looking to meet new friends or be in community with some old ones? come have dinner with us on the First Friday of the month!! this is a FREE Family Friendly monthly gathering to support building community and feeding bellies.

Bring a dish to share if you'd like to or just eat what we're serving up! this month we're excited to have dinner from Ramirez Mexican Restaurant.

When: Friday February 6th 5-8pm
What: Free community dinner + learn about legislative initiatives impacting our communities. Join an (optional) watch party for WAISN’s Rapid Response training in our main building starting at 6pm
Where: Friendship Hall, YWCA Olympia 220 Union Ave SE 🧡

Thank you to support from the South Puget Sound Community Foundation and Inspire Olympia for partnering with us to bring this monthly dinner series to our community!

01/20/2026

VOCAL-Washington & Poverty Action Network representing the 22nd Legislative District on MLK Advocacy Day.

01/07/2026

Louisville Metro Council Member Shameka Parrish-Wright has decided not to run for reelection to the District 3 seat, launching a bid for mayor instead.

10/13/2025

Saturday s King County Candidate Forum at the Rainier Beach Community Center reminded us what true community engagement looks like. From powerful questions to honest dialogue, our neighbors showed up ready to make their voices heard and hold local leaders accountable.

We came together to highlight the issues that matter most from safety and housing to equity and opportunity and to discuss real, actionable steps toward building a better King County for us all.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, to the candidates who participated, and to all the organizers and volunteers who made this event possible. 💪🏾

10/04/2025

🫵🏾 What matters most to you in our upcoming election!? ☑️ We’re bringing light to the issues that impact our community at NEXT SATURDAY’s King County Candidate Forum. 🗣️

Join us to meet the candidates, ask questions, and discuss the actionable steps being taken to transform our city for the better!

♥️ This forum is a space for civic dialogue, voter empowerment, and communal connection ahead of the upcoming King County General Election.

All community members are encouraged to participate!

Gather with us! 👋🏾

🗓️ Saturday, October 11 from 12 PM - 2:30 PM
🏢 Rainier Beach Community Center
📍 8825 Rainier Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98118

RSVP today at the link below! ⬇️
https://urbanleagueseattle.jotform.com/252546401795158