During my visit to First Place School I am distracted. Dawn Mason, a former WA State Representative, leads me through the halls on an informal tour. Her flowing skirt brushes against the walls as she walks. This place is another kind of home to her.
Don’t ask me how bad her living situation was. You couldn’t imagine it. The level of abuse she had no choice but to tolerate, the job that kept her out until the wee hours, and not in your favorite part of town. Bussing to and from for low wages, and caring for three young daughters all the while.