Annie Wright’s Habitat for Humanity board traveled to Olympia last Thursday for Advocacy Day, a day where hundreds of people come together to advocate for housing and homelessness rights.

Thanks to senior Zyaire Cheatham’s mother, Dana, who is the assistant to Senator Rebecca Saldaña, the group met with many of their legislators, including the only two senators that are women of color in Washington State, Rebecca Saldaña and Manka Dhingra, and Jake Fey, our district’s representative.

Each meeting, though short, was informative and personal. The group discussed certain bills that they felt passionate about such as the recently passed House bill 1570 which states that when you buy a home, you pay an extra $100 instead of $50 that goes toward a housing fund for homeless people.

Senior Caitlyn Bell, the president of the Habitat for Humanity board, said “I think it is super important for us as housing advocates to take part in Advocacy Day because then we understand the inner workings of housing legislation and what our government is actively trying to do in order to combat the housing crisis. This then enables us to advocate for something that we are very passionate about, which we need to do.”

Advocacy Day is just one event in a pool of many other activities in which the Habitat for Humanity board is engaged in. They attend weekly meetings, talk with their local representatives, plan how to advocate and educate people about housing rights, and plan local builds.

On March 10, the board has planned to go on a build in Tacoma. Email Caitlyn Bell ([email protected]) for more details and information if you are interested in volunteering or joining the Habitat for Humanity board.