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Articles by RC Staff

New report shows Washington residents are more likely to be downwardly mobile

By RC Staff | January 22, 2014

Economic inequality is an oft-heard phrase around the nation these days. In a Dec. 4, 2013 speech, President Obama called growing inequality and a lack of upward mobility as “the defining challenge of our time.”

It’s a subject that hits close to home: While Washington state residents are as likely as the average American to move up the economic ladder, they are more likely than the average American to move down, according to a new study by the Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI). ...

Rally, march to honor MLK includes call for higher minimum wage

By RC Staff | January 22, 2014

Thousands of people attended a Jan 20 rally to honor Martin Luther King Jr. at Garfield High School. Speakers such as King County Councilmember Larry Gossett and Aaron Dixon, founder of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, both told the overflow crowd the time had arrived for unity. “We gotta find a common cause,” Dixon said. ...

Artistic merit

By RC Staff | January 15, 2014

The Tree of Life sculpture at Victor Steinbrueck Park is a North American semifinalist for the International Award for Public Art (IAPA). The 13-foot tall, stainless steel sculpture, designed by artist Clark Wiegman, is a gathering place to remember King County homeless people who have died outside or by violence. The IAPA award honors public artworks that demonstrate “positive long-term or potential impacts” in the areas or neighborhoods where they’re located. The sculpture’s site overlooking Puget Sound was the former home of a soup kitchen, according to the Seattle Times. ...

Home for the holidays

By RC Staff | December 19, 2013

After months of being homeless, the Kingston Food Bank has a new home. ...

King County ends practice of holding suspects for federal immigration authorities

By RC Staff | December 12, 2013

King County will end the practice of detaining people accused of minor crimes for the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Secure Communities program.

Effective Jan. 1, King County Jail and the Maleng Regional Justice Center will no longer hold undocumented immigrants for immigration authorities unless they have been convicted of a serious offense, such as violent assaults or sex crimes, or mid-level offenses such as residential burglary or DUIs. ...

Images along the path of giving

By RC Staff | December 4, 2013

Real Change volunteer photographer Ted Mase spent his Thanksgiving holiday walking and taking pictures. He began his journey at the Millionair Club where volunteers handed out warm clothing for a yearly Survive the Streets clothing give-away. Next stop, Occidental Park, where a group of women who love to cook gathered to feed park residents for the second year in a row. Mase’s journey ended at ...

Seattle Parks facilities now Safe Places for youth in crisis

By RC Staff | December 4, 2013

Young people in need of help can now find it at Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities, which have joined King County’s Safe Place program. Youth 12 to 17 who are experiencing a crisis will find assistance at 26 community centers, eight indoor pools and three teen life centers operated by Seattle Parks and Recreation. These places are marked by yellow, diamond-shaped decals. ...

What do Eastside candidates say about affordable housing?

By RC Staff | October 16, 2013

The Eastside is often seen as an affluent community, but increased housing costs have nonetheless affected residents. Housing is defined as affordable if its occupants spend no more than 30 percent of their income on it.

More than a third of East King County households pay more than what is considered affordable, and 14 percent pay more than half their incomes for housing, according to A Regional Coalition for Housing, an affordable housing nonprofit. ...

Event will offer free housing, employment and medical services to homeless veterans

By RC Staff | September 4, 2013

Homeless veterans are in for some good news: A one-day event will provide medical, dental, housing and employment assistance for free.

On Sept. 11, more than 70 social service providers will participate in the Third Annual Seattle Stand Down, a community-driven response for veterans in need. Representatives from local businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions will offer employment opportunities, housing resources, legal aid, referrals to substance abuse counseling and haircuts — all for no cost. ...