San Juan County Listening Forums

San Juan County Department of Health and Community Services is working with Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Community Services Division (CSD), Opportunity Council, and the three local Resource Centers to host three Community Listening Forums throughout the county.

These forums come as a result of DSHS’s Economic Service Administration’s goal of decreasing poverty in half by 2025 in a way that eliminates disparities. The focus of these forums is to communicate the unique economic hardships and barriers that face San Juan County residents, and explain the systems currently in place to help alleviate these hardships.

DSHS would like to explore the following topics:

• What are the main drivers of poverty in San Juan County and is it changing?
• What are the most promising community-led programs to reduce poverty and create intergenerational opportunity? Be prepared to share specific information on how you see these programs working.
• Is there a role for the state to play in supporting your efforts? The state hopes to learn about innovative local best practices employed to promote intergenerational opportunity and develop better relationships between state policies/programs and the unique needs of local communities.

The forums will take place on San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez Islands on the following days and times:

• San Juan: Tuesday, November 6^th; 12:30-4:00 pm at the San Juan Island Grange (152 1^st Street)
• Orcas: Wednesday, November 7^th; 8:00-11:30 am at Emmanuel Episcopal Parish (242 Main St)
• Lopez: Wednesday, November 7^th; 1:30-5:00 pm at the Family Resource Center (23 Pear Tree Lane)

If you would like to attend, please RSVP by sending your name and which island forum you will be attending to: [email protected]

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