Letter to the Editor: Thank you for camping

Jobs, Journalism, Justice

Real Change Vendor

Articles by Lisa Sawyer

A leading voice on the policy, Nan Roman is CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Her strategies for ending homelessness have been adopted across the U.S.

Ending homelessness should be easy

By Lisa Sawyer | December 4, 2019

Nan Roman knows more than most people about ending homelessness. As the longtime director of the nation’s most influential homeless advocacy organization, she believes that real solutions are within reach. Real Change vendor Lisa Sawyer interviewed the National Alliance to End Homelessness director when she was here in October to keynote Washington Low Income Housing Alliance’s annual statewide conference.

When did you begin working on homelessness and what keeps you involved? ...

Real Change vendors and housing advocates reflect on their experience in Olympia

By Lisa Sawyer, Shelly Cohen, and Anitra Freeman | March 27, 2019

More than 600 activists turned up in Olympia on Housing and Homeless Advocacy Day, Feb. 28, to push for affordable housing. The event was coordinated by the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA), but about a dozen of the activists were affiliated with Real Change, and three of them have written about their experiences.

Lisa Sawyer, Real Change vendor and 11th Legislative District Lead: ...

Rent is too damn high. Landlords are too powerful. Joins us in Olympia to fight for fair housing

By Lisa Sawyer and Shelly Cohen | February 20, 2019

COMMENTARY

Housing and Homeless Advocacy Day is the biggest lobbying activity of the year. There are plenty of ways to contact your legislators, but advocating in person is the best way to be an effective voice. ...

Lisa Sawyer, Real Change vendor and homeless advocate. Photo by Jon Williams

Homeless advocates in Washington and California convene to learn from one another and share their experience

By Lisa Sawyer | August 29, 2018

I’ve been a Real Change vendor for going on five years. I am homeless and also an advocate for homeless people, working with Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance and the Resident Action Project (RAP), a coalition that is building power to change policy through storytelling, organizing and civic action. RAP has been in operation for three years and serves people with housing instability or homelessness. ...

Vendor Lisa Sawyer bangs a gong to raise awareness of homelessness at City Hall in January 2017. Photo by Jon Williams

Real Change vendor attends statewide homelessness conference

By Lisa Sawyer | May 30, 2018

My name is Lisa Sawyer. I have been a Real Change vendor for more than four and a half years now. I have been a homeless advocate going on five years. I am also a member of the Resident Action Project’s Statewide Steering Committee Member at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance.

The Alliance hosted the 2018 Conference on Ending Homelessness in Yakima in May, and I attended. These are a few observations I made while there. ...

Lisa Sawyer right, with Gov. Jay Inslee and Mindy Woods at the Governor's Mansion.

What we accomplished in the Washington Legislature this year

By Lisa Sawyer | March 21, 2018

I am a Real Change vendor, a homeless advocate and a Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA) Resident Action Project (RAP) statewide committee member. RAP has been going on for two years. Just in these two years we accomplished a lot, pushing bills that will help homeless and low-income people by building more housing and making it easier to rent an apartment.

It took six months of hard work to figure out what would work well to combat homelessness, not just for the city of Seattle but the state of Washington, and then get those policies into action. ...

Automatic voter registration could help homeless people make their voices heard

By Lisa Sawyer | January 31, 2018

Since I started experiencing homelessness six years ago, I’ve moved more times than I can count. That, as you might guess, makes life pretty complicated. Along with all the more obvious challenges that come with housing insecurity, there’s one in particular that I care deeply about, and that needs our attention now more than ever: voting access. ...

Lisa Sawyer, a Real Change Vendor, checks along the 520 offramp in Seattle, looking for campers. Photo by Ted Mase

All Home conducts its second Count Us In census of homeless people

By Lisa Sawyer | January 31, 2018

Commentary from a Real Change vendor

Early in the morning on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, about 1,000 volunteers and guides traveled throughout King County to count all the homeless people who were sleeping outside after the shelters were full and closed. We count homeless people in lots of ways, but this count, called Count Us In, is the most important one because the results can influence federal funding for homelessness efforts. We need more funding because there is not enough for shelter and affordable housing. ...

In their own words: Lisa Sawyer

By Lisa Sawyer | December 20, 2017

Lisa is a member of our Homeless Speakers Bureau, a group of homeless and formerly homeless people who speak in the community about their personal experiences with homelessness.

My name is Lisa Sawyer. I have been homeless for about six years now. When I was younger I was very active. I used to go to a local Boys and Girls Club over in Rainier Vista. I was a part of an arts program through a local museum. I was in a drill team called the Miss Dangerettes. I worked as a day camp counselor at the Boys and Girls Club and at Brighton Elementary. I even graduated from Cleveland High School. Hello, class of 2005. ...