Frequently Asked Questions

The stipend is intended to help provide economic relief to homeless service workers who work in an industry that is struggling with staffing shortages and worker retention.

The authorizing legislation for this program defines "eligible entity" as an organization that state agencies or local governments grant or subcontract to provide homeless services under their homeless housing program as defined in RCW 43.185C.010. The list of eligible entities for this program is from the annual homeless housing project inventory completed by local governments and submitted to the Washington State legislature via the Dept. of Commerce.

List of eligible organizations (updated 3/16/2023)

If you believe an eligible organization is missing from this list, please contact the program administrator.

Full-time, part-time employees or independent contractors working directly on-site with persons experiencing homelessness or residents of transitional or permanent supportive housing.

An eligible homeless service worker must meet all of the following criteria:

• You are currently employed at an ‘eligible entity’, or eligible organization
• You are a homeless service worker employee living in Washington State
• You have an immediate economic need (you can self-attest to this)
• Your income is at or below 80 % of your area median income
• You work full-time or part-time directly on-site with persons experiencing homelessness or residents of transitional or permanent supportive housing.
• Please note: Applicants do not need to be 18 years of age or older.

The last day to submit application for Stipend #1 is June 2, 2023.

Applicants awarded Stipend #1 on or before December 22, 2022, will be sent instructions viatheir registered email to apply for Stipend #2 approximately five months after their award date.

1. Log into your FORWARD account, go to ABOUT 

Check/update my address (if needed) and my INCOME information (required). In the DOCUMENTS section uploaded your pay stub for THE SAME eligible entity as Stipend

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2. Wait for the email to tell you that your application is active to apply in the portal. When you log into the FORWARD portal and click on MY APPLICATION, you will see if you are eligible to apply for Stipend #2 if the STATUS is “Eligible for Next Application."

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3. Click on PROGRAMS and you will see the INVITATION ONLY Stipend #2 application. Complete the application and SUBMIT it. Make sure you have uploaded your pay stub (required) and corrected W 9/ID (if needed, optional)

You received an email from forward-notification@livestories.com on the date you were approved. The email you receive to notify you to apply for Stipend #2 will contain your approval date in red. As well as the date you can expect to be approved for Stipend #2. You can also check the approval date of your application by emailing stipendwa-support@livestories.zendesk.com

Applicants approved for Stipend #1 after December 22, 2022 ARE NOT eligible for Stipend #2.

Log into your FORWARD account and update the address in both the CONTACT tab and the MAILING ADDRESS section.

Applications for the second stipend payment must be approved no later than June 9, 2023.

The last day to submit application for Stipend #2 is June 2, 2023.

If your W-9 was filled out incorrectly, it will need to be amended.

In that case, our staff may call you from a number you do not recognize. We will never ask you for private information, only how to properly re-submit your W-9. Please keep an eye out for this phone call. Please sign, date, and upload the completed form into the Forward application platform

Once your application is approved, you can expect payment within 2-4 weeks.

LiveStories, a U.S. company, created FORWARD to simplify the management of assistance programs. With FORWARD, local governments and non-profits can connect households and businesses to resources, collect applications, process payments, and drive equity. Contact the program administrator.

Visit the Contact page to reach the Program administrator.

The approval process can take up to 60 days from the time of application.

You will receive an automatic email message from the program administrator at the time of approval. You can also contact the program administrator to learn about the status of your application.

Once your application is approved, you can expect payment within 2-4 weeks.

If an application was denied, written notice of the denial will be provided to the applicant. Applicants denied have the right to file a grievance if they disagree with the program administrator’s (LiveStories) decision. The Grievance Procedure will be included in the written notice for denial.

Read the program’s grievance policy here.

No, you are responsible for paying any and all taxes associated with your stipend. You will receive an IRS Form 1099 from the program administrator to file with your annual federal personal income tax for 2022 and/or 2023 (depending on when you receive stipend payments).

To prevent disruption of income-based social services, please consult with your service provider(s) to ensure this stipend will not affect your benefits eligibility. (For example, if you are a recipient of SNAP benefits, please check with DSHS on the impact of this additional income on your food and/or cash benefits eligibility.)

Please use this tax bracket calculator to determine your tax liability.

Yes, Geocko, Inc. is the parent company of FORWARD.

If you were awarded a stipend payment in 2022, an IRS tax form 1099 reporting that payment has been mailed and/or emailed to you from GEOCKO, INC. The email will come from a service called Track1099 1099 & W-2.

Anonymous demographic data will be collected for applicants receiving a stipend payment over $1,000. This data includes recipient age, gender, length of time at the current agency, salary/wage, educational attainment, race, ethnicity, and geographic location.

LiveStories, the program administrator of the FORWARD platform is committed to protecting your privacy and will never share or disclose your information without your consent. Click here for FORWARD’s Privacy Policy.