Policy & Practice | April 2021

A JOURNEY BEGINS O

n a dreary Pacific Northwest afternoon in spring 2015, a group of advocates expressed disappointment with the recently passed state budget. Five years after the Great Recession more than one in four Washingtonians were still struggling to make ends meet. Inequality was soaring, but the state continued to cut programs people relied on to meet their foundational needs, like cash, food, and housing assis- tance. Balancing the budget on the backs of people with low incomes was shortchanging our investments in the building blocks of opportunity all Washingtonians need to thrive. The rippling effects of poverty—such as homelessness, addic- tion, and mental illness—were on the rise and becoming increasingly more visible. Something needed to change.

Learn more about Washington State’s Blueprint in this issue’s Race Equity Champion (see page 36).

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April 2021 Policy&Practice