Anna Moore, 42, Ballard, Drowned

James Dolan, 73, Seattle, Fall

Randy Leonard, 52, Seattle, Overdose

Matthew Crook, 41, Normandy Park, Suicide by drowning

Chad Venegas, 32, Auburn, Shot to death

Brandi Lambert, 35, Downtown Seattle, Infection

Jeffery Kukkonen, 29, West Seattle Junction, Overdose

Dereje “Teka” Beri, 29, Ship Canal Bridge, Suicide by car

Robert Hansen, 58, Seattle, Natural causes

Tyree Bellinger, 27, White Center, Shot to death

Jason Gaspaire, 33, Seattle, Overdose

David Jensen, 51, Seattle, Overdose

John Huff, 35, West Seattle, Asphyxia

Carlos Candia-Morale, 41, Highway 99, Hit by car

Peter Radford, 27, Lake Union, Drowned

Lee Wheeler, 47, West Seattle, Overdose

That’s why United Way’s Community Resource Exchange, or CRE, is one of the most powerful direct service events we organize here in King County. I am incredibly excited that our fifth CRE is less than a month away. This year’s event will be taking place Friday,  September 24th from 9AM to 2PM at QWEST Field

What is the CRE?

Not just another nonprofit acronym. The CRE is a mega-event where people who are experiencing homelessness can come to receive a wide variety of services all in one place and all in one day.  Because everything is gathered under one roof, what would normally take days is done in a few hours. Last year, we  had over 1,100 homeless families and individuals from all over King County (not just the downtown core) come to the event.

Services We Have Offered

We’ve always had a little bit of everything available at the CRE. Here are some examples of the services we have had in the past:

• On-site benefits applications (things like food stamps, low-cost healthcare, etc.) by DSHS
• Community Voicemail Accounts from Solid Ground
• Long-Distance Phone Calls from AT&T
• Employment Searches and Counseling by YWCA WorkSource
• Haircuts by Northwest Hair Academy
• Free dental care by Medical Teams International and the UW Oral Health Collaborative
• Mini-Manicures
• Footwashing
• A hot meal provided by Farestart
• A“store”  filled with everything from socks to sleeping bags to hygiene kits. Guests have been able to stop by and grab what they need.

This year, we are also proud to introduce some new features at CRE, including a “Tell Your Story” corner utilizing NPR’s StoryCorps and a fully staffed restaurant experience (with hosts and waiters).

Obviously, this is only a small sample of what has been at the CRE. We work with over 70 organizations for this huge event. The CRE always has a great mix of vital services as well as quality-of-life services. We are constantly trying to improve and increase capacity for what we can offer.

Engaging Volunteerism

With an event that has 70+ agencies and 1,000+ guests, you could imagine we need an army of people to make it all run smoothly. And we do have an army — an army of volunteers! We usually have 200-350 volunteers that help in different capacities.

A handful of volunteers organize donation drives. They take a lead at their workplaces, at their places of worship, or in their community groups and collect supplies for our care packages and “store”. The work they do is vital; without them, there wouldn’t be any care packages or a “store”.

Another group of volunteers come out the day before the event to help set up. The biggest job that is done that day is sorting through the donations and setting up the store. It’s a fun, relaxed day with pizza and mingling (and sorting!).

The biggest bulk of our volunteers come on the actual day of the event. Volunteers greet the guests, answer questions, assist agencies, run the store, and handle the outtake process. Our volunteers really make sure the whole CRE runs smoothly!

The CRE volunteer experience is unique because we really encourage the volunteers to sit and talk with the guests. They can play board games, eat lunch together, or just chat. People going through homelessness all have diverse backgrounds and unique stories to tell. Our volunteers get to take all of that in first-hand. For many, it’s an eye-opening experience.

September 24th, 2010

On Friday, September 24, we are hosting our fourth Community Resource Exchange. We really hope to make it an even better one than our last. If you are a service provider and want to get involved with the CRE, please email cre@uwkc.org as soon as possible!

• Here’s an interesting thought.  How crazy am I to even think this cold work??  Go to town, naysayers!
• Last Sunday, YouTube featured our old friend Mark Horvath and his invisiblepeople.tv site on their main page to help bring some social media exposure to the issue.  Successful?  I stopped counting at 500,000 views.  Mark continues to give voice to the people who we too often ignore at our convenience.
• And along the lines of what one day can do, United Way of King County will host it’s 5th Community Resource Exchange on September 24th as part of our annual Day of Caring.  You can help by conducting a Supply Drive and dropping off your collections at our downtown office by Friday, September 10th.  For the Tweeters among us (you know who you are), be sure to follow us throughout the day on September 24th at #uwkcdayofcaring.

A penny saved...

Now is not the best time to be a government bookkeeper. It seems that every level of  public administration–federal, state, and local–is confronting the worst budget environment in recent memory. As deficits balloon and public debt levels skyrocket, the instinct to slash and burn what many feel is a bloated, unwieldy public sector becomes all the more appealing.

In this type of climate, it’s often easy to forget that well-designed, strategic public spending– and private philanthropy for that matter–can often SAVE LOTS OF MONEY down the road. And, as some recent statistics about the hidden costs of homelessness bears out, United Way’s emphasis on permanent housing provides a perfect example.

Here is some of the most compelling data:

• Emergency shelter is much more expensive than permanent housing. The cost of an emergency shelter bed funded by HUD’s Emergency Shelter Grants program is approximately $8,067 more than the average annual cost of a Section 8 Housing Certificate. Another recent HUD study found that the cost of providing emergency shelter to families is generally as much or more than placing them in transitional or permanent housing. This just reflects savings in the cost of shelter; it does not take into account potential savings from other areas such as health care.

• The University of Texas conducted a two year study and reported each homeless person cost taxpayers $14,480 per year, primarily for overnight jail. Other studies have put the cost of a bed in a state or federal prison at $20,000 per year.

• A Los Angeles study (where 10 percent of the nation’s homeless are located) found that placing four chronically homeless people into permanent supportive housing saved the city more than $80,000 per year.

• Five studies quoted in Opening Doors produced evidence of reductions in the utilization of major services before and after homeless persons were entered into supportive housing programs.

And these statistics don’t even begin to describe the second and third-order benefits of permanent housing: cleaner and safer downtowns; the utilization and renovation of unused commercial and residential real estate; shorter waiting times in acute care centers and emergency rooms.

This is not to detract from the moral imperative of making sure the most vulnerable among us have a roof over their heads. But, as the evidence clearly demonstrates, compassionate policy can also be smart policy.

Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (District 36) on changes to Disability Lifeline

Last Friday, nearly 60 people representing government, the public, educational institutions, nonprofits and business attended “Disability Lifeline: A Community Conversation” hosted by United Way of King County, State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle City Council Member Tim Burgess. The meeting gave voice to the changes facing the old GA-U program (now called Disability Lifeline) and provided the community an opportunity to generate creative solutions to help ease the transition for people that will be dropped from the program due to new time limits instituted by the legislature this year (24 months in a 60-month period).

As of July 1, DSHS identified and reviewed the cases of more than 4,400 people statewide that have received DL benefits for at least 20 months. Nearly 40% appear to meet the federal disability standard for SSI and 1,000 new expedited Medicaid (DL-X) approvals were obtained. According to Doug Houser, DSHS Region 4 Social Services Coordinator, when the time limits go into effect in September, nearly 60% statewide – 930 in Seattle and King County – will lose their DL benefits since they don’t appear to meet the federal disability standards and will have exhausted their allotted time on the program. In the next six months another 800 people will lose their benefits, with more following each month thereafter until June 30, 2013 when the time limits are set to expire.

DL recipients facing September termination will receive a notice from DSHS in the upcoming weeks outlining the reason for termination, their Fair Hearing rights and referral resources. DSHS indicated a willingness to work with providers that have clients whose benefits may be about to expire to ensure that all information relevant to their case has been considered, but indicated that a release of information would be required.

Panelists fielded comments and questions on a range of issues from how the housing voucher program was going to work to the management of incapacity evaluations, the process for negotiating contracts and fair hearing rights. DSHS was encouraged to continue the process of allowing current mental health contractors to complete medical evaluations under the Early SSI Transition Project and to proactively work with providers who have clients about to be terminated from the program.

In addition, ideas were generated in small group discussions on how to best prepare agencies and clients facing termination and how to monitor the effects of Disability Lifeline on the community. Recommended suggestions included:
• coordinating legal advocacy services
• educating clients about DL changes before they receive a termination notice
• using 2-1-1 as a referral and data source
• collecting exit data from private and nonprofit housing providers on where people terminated from DL benefits are moving
• collecting arrest and emergency room visit data
• shifting funding if needed to respond to needs
• working with private landlords to ensure continuity of housing for those facing termination from DL benefits

State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson who sponsored the bill and led the effort to push the Security Lifeline Act forward during this difficult legislative session ended the meeting by saying that “we need to wrap a blanket of care around those that are about to lose their benefits” and echoed comments from a concerned citizen who reminded everyone that our community should have a coordinated response in place to ensure that individuals losing their benefits don’t fall into homelessness.

The next community conversation is planned for sometime in late September/early October. If you would like to be on the invite list, contact communityservices@uwkc.org

Background: This year the legislature passed the Security Lifeline Act (ESSHB 2782), which created a number of new programs, but most importantly renamed the General Assistance-Unemployable, Disability Lifeline – a program that provides $339 in cash and medical benefits to very low income people unable to work due to a temporary physical or mental health disability. For the first time, Disability Lifeline sets a time limit on receipt of benefits to 24 months in past 60 months, requires participation in chemical dependency treatment and vocational rehabilitation when deemed necessary, establishes an early SSI Transition Project that focuses on early identification of SSI potential, and creates a housing voucher program.

Help us pass this critical piece of legislation by emailing or calling Senator Patty Murray, toll free at (877) 210-5351 and by emailing or calling Representative Jay Inslee at (800) 422-5521. Both are strong supporters of the Calling for 2-1-1 Act. The message to each is:

Message to Senator Patty Murray:
Thank you for being a champion of the Calling for 2-1-1 Act. As a Member of the Senate HELP Committee, please help us pass this critical legislation by urging Senator Harkin to bring S. 211 to a vote in committee. Thank you.

Message to Representative Jay Inslee:
Thank you for co-sponsoring the Calling for 2-1-1 Act. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, please urge Chairman Waxman to expedite passage of H.R.211 by bringing it to a vote in committee. Thank you.

On June 22, the federal government unveiled the first ever national plan to prevent and end homelessness.  The plan, which was developed primarily through the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, defines clear strategies and benchmarks for ending homelessness for individuals and families.

While hundreds of local communities have been working to end homelessness, without the commitment of the federal government the work at the local level becomes significantly more difficult.  We’ve recognized for a long time that ending a problem as complex as homelessness will require unprecedented levels of cooperation and collaboration.  Ending homelessness requires the dedicated work of non-profits, business, government, and other institutions.  Having a firm commitment from the federal government will make a significant difference in whether or not we are ultimately successful.

To view the federal plan please go to: http://www.usich.gov/.

SEATTLE/KING COUNTY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS MAKING SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS

The Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County is making process.  The Committee to End Homelessness recently released its annual report detailing both the challenges the plan faces and the milestones that have been reached.

Here are some examples of last year’s successes:

• Preventing homelessness for over 5,000 people through emergency assistance programs throughout the county.
• Helping more than 4,700 individuals in more than 3,350 households to leave homelessness
• Reducing the point-in-time count of people on the streets and in emergency shelter by four percent
• Opening 1,065 new units of housing or dedicated subsidies – our highest production year ever
• Creating a system-wide coordinated entry into programs for chronically homeless individuals

To view the entire annual report go to: http://www.cehkc.org/progress/ReportAnnual.aspx

When I heard last fall that Cyndy’s was closing, I had the same reaction as a lot of other folks in the area.  I couldn’t believe it.  But given that the owner was looking to retire after nearly 40 years, I felt I could understand.  Then it started circulating that the potential lot buyer planned to put in a strip club.  Uh, oh.  Neighborhood activists worried that a strip club would “harm the character of the neighborhood and serve as a magnet for crime.” Thankfully, that fell through, in part due to the diligence of the local morals squad in identifying an obscure city zoning law prohibiting ‘adult cabarets’ within 800 feet of certain institutions (schools, parks, etc).  A private school existed 742 feet away.  Cyndy’s re-opened (for the time being), and everything seemed right again.  But the spot was still for sale…and then an interesting thing happened.

The Downtown Emergency Service Center put in a proposal to build an affordable housing development on the property.  Their intention was to create another Housing First site, similar in nature (if not clientele) to the successful venture at 1811 Eastlake.  So I wondered, how would the neighbors react to THIS?  Apparently, my cynicism was unfounded for once :-).  By all accounts, many of the people attending the open forum at Cyndy’s earlier this month warmed up to the idea after hearing from DESC’s ED Bill Hobson.  And I was pleasantly surprised in reading many of the reader comments to this excellent re-cap (something that I usually find extremely depressing).

Well done, North Seattle!

FareStart graduate proudly poses with his Ozanam House supporters

Kenneth Wiley, a formerly homeless gentleman who shared his story with us last fall, recently checked in to share some great news. He graduated from FareStart on May 27 after attending classes there for several months every weekday throughout the spring. Along with his certificate of completion, Kenneth received the “Food Lover’s Companion” book and a set of professional knives.

FareStart is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Over the past 18 years, it has provided opportunities for over 3,500 people to transform their lives, while also serving over 4 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children.

At the graduation celebration, Kenneth shared his newest poem, and continues to work on his collection of autobiographical poems. He’s confident in his talent, and determined to one day have his work published.

Kenneth’s favorite new recipes include hummus and avocado dip, but his perennial favorite hasn’t changed. He makes a mean seafood gumbo, and has promised to prepare it for me sometime soon.

What are his post-graduation plans? “I’m shooting for a job at the Seattle Hilton. They have wonderful benefits. I worked for them in New Orleans.”

Kenneth is hoping to land a job as a cook there, but adds: “I’ll wash dishes if I have to. I just want to get my foot in the door.” Congrats, Kenny!

FareStart graduate Kenneth Wiley poses with his new set of professional knives

At our annual Breakfast on June 2, United Way of King County President and CEO Jon Fine opened the event with a report on the progress United Way is making to relieve hunger, end homelessness and to support children and families.

Some highlights of his speech:

• In the area of hunger relief, Jon discussed our new cannery project, which will enable surplus fruits and vegetables to be canned. It’s the first project of its kind in the Puget Sound region. When the cannery is fully operation, it will have the potential to produce 10,000 cans of food a week for local food banks. That’s more than half a million cans a year!
• Jon shared the story of Bo Knox, who became homeless because of health problems, and is now living in permanent, supportive housing.
• He highlighted efforts to support families with special needs children born with mental and physical disabilities by telling a story about a young boy named Noah who was diagnosed with autism.
• Jon talked about how he and his daughter participate in United Way’s Volunteer Reader Program and their experiences reading to preschoolers.