Empowering Communities

Hi! My name is Dori Buttleman and I am a rising Senior BBMB major with minors in Sociology and Math. This summer, I have had the amazing opportunity to intern at the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health in the Homeless Housing Program. During my internship, I have been able to learn about and help with many of the projects in the Homeless Housing Program. 

The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health is a joint public health and human services department aiming to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of communities within Walla Walla County through prevention, promotion, and protection. Some of the responsibilities of the Homeless Housing team at the Walla Walla DCH include working to develop the 5-year Homeless Housing Plan for the County, overseeing the Coordinated Entry system for the County, conducting the annual Point in Time Count, and being the fiscal agent for document recording fees as well as various other state and federal contracts. During my first few weeks of this internship, I was able to focus on learning about all the different grants that the County manages, and how homelessness resources are distributed at the Federal, State, County, and City levels. 

The next 5-year Homeless Housing Plan for Walla Walla County is due in December 2025, so I have been able to be a part of the pre-development stages of the plan, including planning for focus group discussions with various stakeholders involved in the homeless response system to gain input on what needs to change about the system. Although I won’t be present for the focus group discussions, I have been able to provide feedback on their structure and questions, and have helped prepare materials for participants. 

I have also been able to witness the initial conversations surrounding Walla Walla County’s launch into being a Built for Zero community. Built for Zero is a movement of 105 communities throughout the US that are dedicated to measurably and equitably ending homelessness. Walla Walla County has already been a part of something similar as an Anchor Community through A Way Home Washington, which specifically focuses on achieving functional zero for youth and young adult homelessness. As a Built for Zero community, Walla Walla County will choose to focus on single-adult homelessness. I have been a part of conversations about what being a Built for Zero community will look like in Walla Walla, and how it will mirror what the Anchor Community Initiative team is doing for the youth in the County. I have observed how the Anchor Community Initiative works in Walla Walla by being a part of weekly case conferencing and observing the core team strategy retreat. 

Another project I have been a part of is advocating for the passage of HB 1590 by the Board of County Commissioners. HB 1590 would create a new 0.1% sales tax in Walla Walla County, and the revenue would be used for affordable housing and behavioral health facilities. I have been able to be at some of the meetings of the HB 1590 workgroup, and have worked to create a document to present to the Board about why the tax is needed in Walla Walla County. 

Recently, I have also been working on developing a training series for local service providers so that service providers can have the chance to collaborate and collectively understand the different funding sources, theories of care, and tools involved in the homeless crisis response system. With the help of community partners, I have also created a spreadsheet with available resources to people experiencing homelessness or housing instability in Walla Walla. 

Through this internship, I have learned so much about how the homeless response system works in Walla Walla County. I have been able to look at homelessness through a public health lens, which is what I am interested in pursuing after Whitman. I am very thankful for the Whitman Internship Grant for making this possible, and to my supervisors for involving me in everything and answering my many questions!