This past 2025 legislative session, ETS was proud to show up and represent two important advocacy days at the Washington State Capitol: Recovery Advocacy Day (RAD) on February 6 and Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day (HHAD) on March 14. These events offered meaningful opportunities for ETS staff to join statewide coalitions, speak directly with legislators who represent their district, and champion the priorities that matter most to our clients and communities.
Recovery Advocacy Day
Organized by the Washington Recovery Alliance (WRA), Recovery Advocacy Day (RAD) brought together hundreds of recovery advocates from across Washington state to ask lawmakers for their vote to support pro-recovery legislation. Joe Conniff, REACH Reentry Program Supervisor at ETS, led our staff to participate alongside people from across Washington State who are working toward and supporting recovery on the individual level and in their communities.
RAD 2025 Legislative Priorities included:
- Expand recovery housing through the capital budget
- Increase access to peer support services
- Generate targeted revenue to fund the behavioral health system
Together with our partners, we met with dozens of lawmakers and staff and reminded lawmakers that recovery is real and ongoing and that recovery-oriented services, including housing, peer support, and access to care, must be fully funded and protected.
Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Day
Just over a month later, ETS staff headed back to Olympia for Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day (HHAD), organized by the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, the Washington Housing Action Fund, and with leadership from the Resident Action Project, a statewide network of people directly affected by housing injustice.
Thanks to a partnership with the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH), our teams traveled together to the Capitol via the Advocacy Express Bus, where we built connections, learned best practices for speaking with lawmakers, and enjoyed connecting with new, like-minded folks along the way.
Once at the Capitol, the day included morning district group meetings and orientation; a rally for housing justice on the Capitol steps, featuring speakers from various organizations; lunch and community building; and in-person lawmaker meetings focused on housing policy solutions. Watch this reel to learn why REACH was involved at HHAD.
HHAD 2025 Legislative Priorities included:
- HB 1808: Invest $536M+ in the Housing Trust Fund – Fund more affordable homes
- HB 1858 & Budget Request: Backfill $253M for emergency shelter
- HB 1334: Remove King County’s 1% property tax cap – Empower local solutions
- SB 5148: Require local governments to address housing needs
Why ETS Advocates
As a direct service provider working at the intersection of behavioral health and street-based outreach, ETS knows that policy change is essential to achieving long-term change. These advocacy days offered a chance for our staff to share the realities faced by our clients, elevate their voices, and push for the funding and systems needed to help people survive and thrive.
We are grateful to the staff who joined these efforts and represented ETS with purpose and heart. Whether you were telling a recovery story, joining a rally chant, or meeting face-to-face with lawmakers, your voice made a difference.
Looking Ahead
We look forward to continuing our advocacy work and supporting policies that align with ETS’s mission: transforming lives and communities through innovative and effective addiction services.
Want to help make a difference? Learn how you can get involved and support ETS’ mission.
Big thanks to everyone who made this year’s advocacy efforts so meaningful!
