In 1997, the Washington State Legislature cut $35 million from the state’s General Assistance - Unemployable (GAU) program, which at the time provided cash assistance and medical coverage to about 17,000 Washingtonians who were unable to work. As of 2024, this program, now called the Aged, Blind or Disabled Cash Program (ABD), continues to offer cash assistance to low-income people who are over 65, blind, of unable to work due to a health condition.

This image accompanied a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article about the 1997 cuts to the GAU program. It shows Elizabeth Gordon (left) and Susan Varner at the Jubilee Women's Center in Capitol Hill. Gordon and Varner were both recipients of GAU aid and relied on it for almost their entire income.

The Jubilee Women's Center is a transitional home for women experiencing crisis, abuse, or poverty. Open since 1983, Jubilee provides aid with physical and mental health, legal issues, employment, financial education, and affordable housing, among other services.

Caption information source: "Dark days loom for those already struggling in life," by Rachel Zimmerman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 7, 1997, page A1.
Caption information source: Jubilee Women's Center website at https://jwcenter.org/