Western

Homeless
Outreach
Media Kit

Compiled May 2016 by:

Evan Keen, Jillian

Powers, Kathrine
Braseth

Table of Contents
Media Backgrounder
FAQ

2
6

Logo and Tagline

Story Ideas

11

Media Clip

12

Western Homeless Outreach

Media Backgrounder
Press contact: Jillian Powers (253) 886-8261
Powersj2@students.wwu.edu

Overview
Western Homeless Outreach is an Associated Students club on Western Washington
Universitys campus, WHOs central mission is to build relationships between Western students
and Bellinghams disenfranchised population by engaging in community service. The club has
about 10 members who attend weekly meetings to discuss new ways to get involved in the
community. WHO was founded in 2011 and hosts a quarterly event in the Viking Commons
named Be Our Guest which invites students to share their leftover meals with those in need.
WHO also facilitates an annual event named Distribution where clothing, food, and basic
toiletries are given to the homeless in Bellingham.

Current Activities
WHO is involved with community outreach and has attempted to partner with local churches to
help feed the non housed. Upcoming events for WHO include a recent officer election for the
2016-2017 school year. WHO recently hosted a bake sale on vendors row to fundraise money on
Friday, April 15. WHO will be hosting their quarterly event Be Our Guest on Friday, June 3 at
5 p.m.

Key terms
Disenfranchised: deprived of power, marginalized.

Facts
Hyper-local:

According to Whatcom Homeless Service Center 11% of people ages 18 to 24 were homeless

in 2014. (Whatcom County Homeless in Numbers 2015)

End Homelessness, another club fighting homelessness on Westerns campus created the

invisible homeless campaign in 2015 and set up five displays around Westerns campus
showing statistics of the homeless community in Whatcom County. (Homepage 2013)
Local:

553 people were homeless in Whatcom County in 2014. 51 percent were female. (Whatcom

County Homeless in Numbers 2015)

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22 percent of homeless households are families with at least one child. (Whatcom County

Homeless in Numbers 2015)

The top 5 causes of homelessness are:

No affordable housing
Mental illness
Insufficient living wages
Domestic violence
Medical bankruptcy (Whatcom County Homeless in Numbers 2015)
Regional:

The University of Washington is taking steps to host a tent city on campus for 90 days

during winter quarter in 2017, they hope to reach a consensus by the end of spring quarter.
(Graf 2016)

Approximately 250 homeless people in Seattle were left to find different forms of shelter

when Seattle Housing and Resource Effort closed down due to financial reasons (Lee 2016)

Washington is the 23 hungriest state in the nation. 1 in 5 residents of Washington relies on

rd

local food banks. (Hunger in WA 2015)

National:

Youth homelessness is often caused by family conduct, including divorce, neglect and abuse.

(Hunger in WA 2015)

Communities across the United States respond to homelessness with programs such as

emergency homeless shelters, transitional housing, rapid re-housing and permanent supportive
housing. The HEARTH Act passed in 2009 aids these programs. (The State of Homelessness in
America 2016)

In 2015 Hawaii had an estimated 7,620 homeless people. Governor David Ige signed an

emergency proclamation. (The State of Homelessness in America 2016)

In January 2015 564,708 people were homeless in a given night. (Hunger in WA 2015)

International:

In Langley, British Columbia over 160 high school students are left without beds or shelters.

(Culbert 2016)

In 2013 the Government of Canada announced a $600 million budget for the five-year

renewal plan of the Homeless Partnering Strategy. (News CBC 2013)

200,000 Canadians experience homelessness in a given year. (News CBC 2013)

150,000 Canadians use homeless shelters at some point. (News CBC 2013)

Short bios

President: Maddie McKercher, a Communication Sciences and Disorders major will be

graduating this spring. McKercher has been a part of WHO for three years and found out about
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the club through the red square info fair. McKercher has volunteered approximately 100 hours
for the club over the last two years and has recruited five dedicated members. Since joining
WHO, McKercher has been able to grow the club significantly and create connections with the
community and other homeless outreach groups. She joined WHO because It is an issue that is
often oversimplified by stereotypes and I want people to understand that it is a complex issue
that can impact people from all walks of life, McKercher said.
Contact: (360) 518-6625

Vice President: Jade Jo, an English major joined her freshman year after catching a WTA

bus during the Be Our Guest event. She will be the president for the 2016-2017 school year.
Contact: (425) 495-4064

Budget Authority: Vivian Edwards, an English literature major joined her freshman year

after hearing about the club at the red square info fair. Her biggest accomplishment has been
helping create a better understanding for students and residents of Whatcom County around the
issue of homelessness. Edwards has committed approximately 40 hours during her time with
WHO and said that homelessness is a big issue in the Bellingham community. I am passionate
about homelessness because it is an issue that people are aware of, but seem to ignore, Edwards
said. Homelessness affects many people for many different reasons. As a member of the
community, I think I have a duty to give back.
Contact: (360) 970-5492

Community Outreach Officer: Jackie Fitzpatrick, a human services major joined WHO

because it connects with her career path. She has been able to connect and empathize with those
who have experienced homelessness first-hand. Fitzpatrick has committed approximately 70
hours to community service for the club and wants to help create awareness of what barriers
those who are homeless need to overcome. I am passionate about homelessness because it's an
issue that is often overlooked and ignored, Fitzpatrick said. Our society in general has a
preconceived idea about what homelessness is like and how it occurs.
Contact: (425) 420-7167

Boilerplate
Associated Students Western Homeless Outreach was founded in 2011 at Western Washington
University in Bellingham, Washington. The club engages in community service and outreach
both on Westerns campus and throughout Whatcom County by volunteering, donating and
hosting events. For more information, please visit
https://orgsync.com/44529/chapter
Stay up to date with WHOs current events and activity follow us on Facebook.

Sources
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Culbert, Lori. "No Shelters, Beds for More than 160 Homeless High School Students in
Langley." Vancouver Sun. 2016. Accessed April 17, 2016.
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/no-shelters-beds-for-more-than-160homeless-high-school-students-in-langley.
Gaetz, Stephen, Tanya Gulliver, and Tim Richter. "The State of Homelessness In Canada 2014."
Homeless Hub. Accessed April 17, 2016.
http://www.homelesshub.ca/sites/default/files/SOHC2014.pdf.
Graf, Heather. "UW Seeking Feedback about Proposed On-campus Tent City." KING. Accessed
April 17, 2016. http://www.king5.com/news/local/seattle/uw-seeking-feedback-aboutproposed-on-campus-tent-city/128970152.
"Homepage2013." Whatcom Homeless Service Center. Accessed April 17, 2016.
http://www.whatcomhsc.org/.
"Hunger in WA." Hunger Information and Facts in Washington State. Accessed April 17, 2016.
http://www.northwestharvest.org/hunger-in-wa.
Lee, Jessica. "Dozens of Homeless Camp out at County Building after SHARE Closes Its
Shelters." The Seattle Times. 2016. Accessed April 17, 2016.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-nonprofit-closes-more-thana-dozen-homeless-shelters-displacing-hundreds/.
News, CBC. "30,000 Canadians Are Homeless Every Night." CBCnews. 2013. Accessed April 17,
2016. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/30-000-canadians-are-homeless-every-night1.1413016.
"The State of Homelessness in America." End Homelessness. Accessed April 17, 2016.
http://www.endhomelessness.org/page/-/files/State_of_Homelessness_2015_FINAL_o
nline.pdf.
"Whatcom County Homelessness in Numbers." Whatcom Homeless Service

Center.

Accessed April 17, 2016. http://www.whatcomhsc.org/whatcom-county-homelessness-innumbers/.

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Western Homeless Outreach Top 10 FAQs

1. What is Western Homeless Outreach?
Western Homeless Outreach is a Western Washington University Associated Students Club founded in
2011 to help the homeless population in Whatcom County. Our mission is to help those in Whatcom
County that dont have a roof over their head.
2. What kind of events does WHO put on?
Good question. Our main quarterly event is called Be Our Guest which we work on throughout the
whole quarter. We also have periodic Distribution events where we gather money through fundraising to
buy supplies for Whatcom Countys homeless population. These supplies range from food to toiletries
which we distribute to various homeless shelters in Whatcom County.
3. Wait, what is Be Our Guest?
Be Our Guest is our major quarterly event where we give, and urge others, to give their guest meals to
Whatcoms homeless population. We also coordinate with the Whatcom Traffic Association busses to give
rides to those who wish to attend this event. We spend a large portion of our quarter gearing up for this
event through advertising, fundraisers and finding those to share their guest meals.
4. How do I join WHO?
We are so happy that you are interested. It is incredibly easy to join; we meet every Monday at 6 p.m. in
Bond Hall room 114. All you need to do is show up to one of these meetings and express interest and then
you are officially a member of WHO. Once joined you will receive updates on upcoming events by joining
the email list, helping with events and connecting with other members.
5. Can I join if Im not a Western student?
WHO is looking for any and all help possible, which means that regardless of whether or not you are a
student at Western you can still be a part of WHO.
6. Whats the homeless situation in Whatcom County?
Homelessness is a major issue in Whatcom County. As of 2014, Whatcom County had 533 registered
homeless citizens. 52 percent of this population is unaccompanied adults and youth with the median age
being 34. 18 percent of all homeless people in Whatcom County are under the age of 10.

WESTERN HOMELESS OUTREACH - 6

7. Can I help if I cant join the club?

Of course. WHO is consistently putting on bake sale fundraisers where all the proceeds go to donating
supplies to Whatcoms homeless population. Outside of WWU there are plenty of homeless shelters where
you can donate. Lighthouse Mission Ministries, the largest homeless shelter in Bellingham, is run entirely
off of donations and does a lot of great work for the homeless community.
8. Can I volunteer if I cant commit regularly?
Absolutely! Many of our members cant commit full time because of work, school and other factors. All
you have to do is let us know when you can volunteer and we will work with you to find something that fits
your schedule.
9. Are there service-learning opportunities with WHO?
Yes! There are opportunities for service-learning within WHO but an instructor must first approve any
service-learning.
10. Who can I contact for more information about WHO?
You can connect with WHOs president Maddie McKercher at whowwu@gmail.com. You can also learn
more through our Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WesternHomelessOutreach/?fref=ts.

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Brand Assets:
Two different fonts are used to represent Western Homeless Outreachs style and
personality. A Serif and Sans Serif that is consistent in representing the serious yet lighthearted undertone of our club.

This is Century Gothic

This Sans-Serif font is to be used for all titles and headings for any
and all Western Homeless Outreach materials. When using this font
it must always be bolded to represent the seriousness of the issues
WHO encounters. This font must also be used with the logo and
tagline to create consistency and easy identification of WHO
material and affiliations.

This is Georgia
This Serif font is to be used for body paragraphs and any subsequent writing that is not a
title, heading or tagline. Georgia is easily recognized and represents a light-heartedness
that our club emulates. This scholarly but inviting font represents our clubs mission of
educating students on issues of homelessness and reinstating our tagline that our door
is always open.

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Black: #000000
The color black is used as the base color for Western Homeless Outreach
and can be identified by the black door. This creates a simplicity to the logo and an easy
visual to what WHO offers.

Western Homeless Outreach

Blue: # 0957C3

This pantone shade of blue is used as the title color for Western Homeless Outreachs
logo. This sky blue color gives a sense of trust and reliability to our image.

Guidelines:

This is our logo. It must be used in all print materials affiliated with Western Homeless
Outreach to keep consistency and easy identification of our brand. This logo must be
used in promotional materials, public service announcements and any other printed
WESTERN HOMELESS OUTREACH - 9

material dealing with our club. The colors used must be black #000000 for the door and
blue 0957C3 for the title of our club. The use of other colors is prohibited.

The tagline Our Door is Always Open may be used with the logo when appropriate.
The tagline may also be used without the logo, only in affiliation with Western Homeless
Outreach.

Our logo may NOT be used upside down, sideways or anything other than right side up.

WESTERN HOMELESS OUTREACH - 10

Story Ideas

Feature story on current Western Homeless Outreach president, Maddie

McKercher.
News story on the Be Our Guest quarterly event, focusing on how it came to be

and what it takes to put on an event of this scale.

First person features on a weekly Western Homeless Outreach meeting.
Profile on a Whatcom County homeless resident who attended Be Our Guest.
Visual story layout: Infographic showing statistics on homelessness in
Washington and Whatcom County (Compare and contrast Washington state and
Whatcom County homeless population).

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Media Clips
Mayor requests state of emergency for homelessness in
Washington
January 21, 2016 / Robert Johnson / 3549 views

A man experiencing homelessness smokes a cigarette at Maritime Heritage Park, Jan. 20. // Photo by Daniel
Liddicoet
Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville is leading the charge to request that Gov. Jay Inslee declare a state of
emergency throughout Washington state for the increasing homeless population.
The effort was announced at a Bellingham City Council meeting on Jan. 11. Linville and her supporters on the
Bellingham City Council hope by declaring a state of emergency, support systems for the homeless will receive
more state and federal funding.
The 2015 Point-in-Time Count, which records the number of homeless individuals on the street at a given point
in time, found that at least 651 people were homeless in Whatcom County, a 17.7 percent increase from the
amount in 2014.
The next Point-in-Time Count is scheduled for Jan. 28.
Washington would become the second state in the U.S. to declare a state of emergency regarding
homelessness, following Hawaiis lead. A state of emergency was declared in Hawaii in October, just days after
one of the nations largest homeless encampments situated in Honolulu was cleared.
Seattle and King County also declared state of emergencies for homelessness in Nov. 2015.

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One of the purposes behind this letter is to encourage state officials to activate some statewide programs to
address homelessness, said Bellingham City Council member Michael Lilliquist on Monday, Jan. 16.
Western sophomore Cody Stephens researched homelessness in Bellingham during professor Tara Perrys
Interpersonal Communication class last quarter when the class spent November devoted to Homelessness
Awareness Month.
Stephens believes declaring a state of emergency is the appropriate step in acknowledging the homeless
crisis, though he hopes the mayors statement truly results in change.
I really hope it makes more people aware of the [homeless] epidemic but also brings a lot of hope about how
much we, as a state with a good amount of resources, are capable of fixing it, Stephens said.
A cart filled with essential supplies for a person experiencing homelessness sits in Maritime Heritage Park, Jan.
20. // Photo by Daniel Liddicoet
Homelessness and a lack of affordable housing
In the letter, Linville called for increased investment in services to bring people indoors and prevent more
people from falling into homelessness.
This could be accomplished through two legislative actions: allocating significant resources to the
Consolidated Homeless Grant, which provides secure permanent housing for people who are homeless or are
at-risk of becoming homeless, and giving the government more flexibility with the use of state and federal
Medicaid dollars, Linville wrote.
A complication surrounding Bellinghams affordable housing is due to college students living near campus,
Stephens said.
An issue we have here is that students cant afford to live on campus so they move off campus, he said.
Renters very clearly would rather trust college students with a lease than trust someone who is coming off the
street. I think more affordable housing needs to made around Bellingham.
Ron Buchinski, executive director of Bellinghams Lighthouse Mission Ministries, has been working with the
homeless in shelters for close to 30 years.
The missions building on 910 West Holly St. can house up to 160 people, and reaches full capacity every
night, Buchinski said.
Buchinski believes the key to a successful homeless outreach program starts with temporary shelters, he said.
It takes millions and millions of dollars to build apartments for individuals and family people, but what do we do
in the meantime? he said.
A Washington State Department of Commerce study conducted in 2013 found almost half of the funds for
short-term housing are collected through auditors document recording fees.
As more of these government documents are moved to online formats, the funds for short-term housing are
expected to decrease by 62.5 percent in 2017, according to the study.
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This would significantly reduce the resources available for emergency shelter, rent assistance and transitional
housing, and could potentially end the rent assistance program and result in the closure of state-subsidized
shelters, according to the Washington Department of Commerce.
If they are cutting funding for short-term housing, I think that shows the need for shelters, Buchinski said.
However, some on the Bellingham City Council believe permanent housing options are essential to ending
homelessness.
We have a lot of programs, but we still have major problems here with housing, Councilmember Terry
Bornemann said. If you look at what our average income is compared to the cost of housing, [you see] how
few available units there are.
In response to the decrease in funding, the Bellingham City Council considered endorsing a new tax during
itsJan. 11 meeting.
If the city were to push that forward, it would have to be voter approved, Councilmember April Barker assured.
The homeless population of Whatcom County face difficulties that do not affect people in other areas. Other
than the enduring the Northwests characteristic cold and rainy weather, Bellinghams homeless population has
a very high percentage of mentally ill compared to the national average, Buchinski said.
What Bellingham has already tried
The City of Bellingham has already made several attempts to reduce the amount people without shelter in
Whatcom County.
In 2008, a 10-year plan was set in place to end homelessness, focusing on the homeless youth and community
re-entry for individuals released from prison, substance abuse treatment and psychiatric hospitals.
In 2012, the Bellingham city low-income housing levy was placed on the 2012 ballot and approved by voters.
The levy increased the citys property tax about $3 million per year to fund local housing programs and services
for low-income families.
Linville hopes support at the state level will allow more local jurisdictions to adequately address the homeless
crisis, she wrote in her letter.

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