I’m an Advocate: Shelly Cohen

Shelly Cohen has advocated for a number of causes. Here, he holds an advocacy card that customers signed expressing their support for QFC workers during the UFCW 21 Stand With Our Checkers Campaign in 2013. Image credit: Alex Garland.

Happy holidays! We're delighted to regale you with the wise words of yet another inspiring advocate. Shelly Cohen is a Real Change vendor who has a lot of experience advocating at the city and state level for affordable housing, a service animal protection act, and other causes.

Homelessness, Poverty and the Brain: Mapping the Effects of Toxic Stress on Children

Children born to healthy moms do better in life. With moms who are eating well, getting enough rest and supported by a caring family, they are brought into the world ready to thrive. Image from istockphoto.com

Early inequality sets the stage for intergenerational poverty. Chronic intense stress during the sensitive developmental period of childhood can permanently alter how the brain responds to stress, holds memory and learns. In this second post in our "Homelessness in the Classroom" series, Perry Firth explores the effects of stress on children's development and health.

Hungry, Scared, Tired and Sick: How Homelessness Hurts Children

Almost half of the 30,000 students who are homeless in Washington state are in fifth grade or below. This trend holds nationally. This means that these very
young children are less likely to get the developmental supports they need to learn and function
well during middle childhood. Image from Children’s Defense Fund. — Almost half of the 30,000 students who are homeless in Washington state are in fifth grade or below. This trend holds nationally. This means that these very young children are less likely to get the developmental supports they need to learn and function well during middle childhood. Image from Children’s Defense Fund.

Impoverished children are climbing mountains before they can walk. From lack of housing to hunger and violence, poverty places adult demands on child-sized shoulders. Stability is crucial to the health and well being of a child. But in this post, this first part of our series on homelessness in the classroom, we’ll see how poverty and homelessness create an unstable world for children.

From Soldier to Civilian: Standing Up for Women Veterans

Our “From Soldier to Civilian” blog series is examining barriers that veterans, and women veterans in particular, face as they re-enter civilian society. We’re also sharing suggestions from experts – veterans themselves – on making the transition easier and helping women who served avoid homelessness. In this post, community counseling graduate student and frequent Firesteel contributor Perry Firth explores some of the barriers faced by women veterans, including military sexual trauma, and shares information about Seattle’s upcoming Stand Down event for unstably housed veterans.

Policy Matters: “Don’t Forget the Bigger Picture for Women and Families”

YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish CEO Sue Sherbrooke's Crosscut.com opinion piece lays out how state budget negotiations will affect families like YWCA client Vangie and her son. Photo credit: YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish

This month in Olympia, Washington's lawmakers will come together to hammer out a budget agreement. With investment in social safety-net services and the Housing Trust Fund on the line, our legislators' decisions will have a huge impact on YWCA clients and other community members across the state. In a guest opinion piece published today on Crosscut.com, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish CEO Sue Sherbrooke asks state budget negotiators "to step back from the revenue and expense line items for a moment and look at these big-picture budget matters with an eye for the bigger picture."

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