On Friday, June 24, 2022, women and birthing people across the country found themselves in a nightmare scenario. Early in the morning, they had made their way to local clinics to terminate their pregnancies, many traveling long distances and overcoming financial and logistical barriers to accessing an increasingly jeopardized service. At 9:00 a.m. ET all of that changed. Doctors and providers were forced to turn patients away in droves — the service they had come to receive was now illegal.

The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, takes reproductive rights back over 50 years. By eliminating federal protections for abortion access, millions have been thrust into a reality in which where they live now determines their ability to access life-saving and deeply personal healthcare services. The implications of this decision will be felt across a swath of issue areas as BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ folks, and those with low incomes bear the brunt of the fallout. Justice Clarence Thomas’s opinion especially creates a dangerous precedent that indicates the Court may be reconsidering cases that protect same-sex marriage and contraception access.

While attacks on bodily autonomy impact us all, for BIPOC women and birthing folks the impact is disproportionately devastating. Read full blog post here>>>

Water is life.

However, here in Washington State, thousands of Washingtonians are facing the potential shutdown of their water services. According to the Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts, there has been a 196% increase in the number of households with outstanding water and sewer balances and 6,480 households may have their service disconnected once the moratorium is lifted in Washington. Based on a report from the Association of Washington Cities, the total amount of money owed since the pandemic began is $15.7 million.

This is a crisis, one that Byrd Barr Place is committed to addressing. Through a partnership with the Department of Commerce, the new Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) assists households whose incomes are at or below 150% the federal poverty level and notice of disconnection. For these households, water and utility costs take up a much higher proportion of their incomes, putting them at a higher risk for water disconnection. The goal of the program is to help Washingtonians with low incomes maintain affordable, dependable utility services and avoid shut off. 

This application cycle, initiated in January 2022 and running through September 2023, has already begun Continue reading here>>>>

• Tuesday, August 5th is the last day to submit a request form for an A/C unit
• Friday, August 12 is the last day to submit an Low Income Home Energy Assistance or Rental Assistance application IN person or online
• Monday, August 8 is the last day to submit applications by mail to 722 18th Ave - Seattle, WA 98122