Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council Minutes

Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 12:00 noon 1:30 p.m.
PROGRAM:
EISCC Eastside Emergency Services report. Gerald Wright, Hopelink and 2010 Legislative Issues. Nancy Amidei, University of Washington.

Location:
Bristol Hall, ST. Margaret's Epsicopal Church, 4228 Factoria Blvd. Bellevue (Across from Newport High School)

Call To Order:
The meeting was called to order and conducted by EISCC Co-President JoAnne Way.

Opening Prayer:
The meeting was opened with prayer offered by Karen Mae Smith of St. Madeline Sophie Catholic Church in Bellevue. In particular this month we pray for EISCC Co-president Lloyd Van Vactor who is recovering from surgery.

Minutes:
The minutes of the November 10, 2009 meeting were approved as circulated.

Self- Introductions
Self introductions were made by 22 members and guests.

Treasurer's Report:
EISCC treasurer, Pat McDermott (425) 643-7759.
At 11/30/2009 cash balances total over $209,000. Operating results are as expected. Nothing unusual was noted during the month..

Congregations For The Homeless Report:
Steve Roberts, Executive Director, (206-295-7803 or stever@cfhomeless.org) reported that the program has 30 men in the shelter and 43 in housing. All are receiving Christmas presents donated from congregations.

The shelter has been busy with the holiday coming and the dental van, the King County Library tech van, and stylists from Bellevue's 7 Salon all visiting.

In addition, CFH is operating the Bellevue Severe Weather Shelter.

Congregations for the Homeless is still in need of more blankets now that the weather is colder, but they have received enough hats and scarves for their needs. If you can help with blankets, please contact Steve.

CONGREGATIONS FOR KIDS:
Nancy Jacobs (425-883-6406 or bnjacobs@verizon.net) reported that thank you letters to donors to this year's Good Start Back to School drive have gone out and that a local high school provided the program with 50 computer memory sticks that will be distributed to needy students in the Bellevue School District.

THE SOPHIA WAY:
Sophia Way Executive Director Helen Leuzzi (425) 417-7575 or director@sophiaway.org, reported that December 9th marked the Sophia Way's one year anniversary. The shelter is full and they have 15 women in housing.

Hard work has resulted in success and several mentions of the program in the local media. The Seattle Times has profiled them (view it at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010502093_bellevuehomeless14m.html), and the Bellevue Reporter featured them as well (http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/bel/community/78787922.html). Finally, the program was featured on KOMO 4 News (http://www.komonews.com/opinion/kenschram/79230702.html#idc-container). Even more information (including a video) is available on their website at www.sophiaway.org.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

EISCC Legislative Coordinator Nancy Bent (nancybent@comcast.net) provided information about the new United States Department of Agriculture study on food security in the U.S. which included the following excerpts from an article in Slate magazine by Sandy Stonesifer:

With Thanksgiving right behind us, the last thing most of us are thinking about is hunger. In fact, when we do, many of us think of hunger as something suffered only by citizens of "poor" countries. But while actual starvation is rare in the United States, the recent USDA study on food security you're referring to highlights the fact that hunger is not just a faraway problem.

The survey found that 14.6 percent of American households--49 million people--were food-insecure at some point during 2008, the highest number since the survey was first conducted in 1995. In what I find to be an even more staggering view of food insecurity in the United States, a study published in early November showed that 49 percent of all Americans receive some form of food aid by the time they turn 20. And according to the latest participation-rate data, only about 67 percent of eligible Americans actually take part in the food-stamp program.

With these high numbers, you won't be surprised that there is an increasing number of people seeking supplemental food from food banks and soup kitchens. Unfortunately, the rise in clientele coincides with a drop in corporate donations as struggling companies keep a closer eye on their inventory. Vicki Escarra of Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief charity and network of food banks in the United States, said that while demand is up 25 percent to 40 percent, donations have risen only 18 percent. So the first thing you can do to help is to donate food, time, or money to your local food bank. Feeding America's food-bank locator can help you find your local provider. Multiply your efforts by organizing a holiday-themed food drive or replacing some of your family gift-giving with monetary donations to a local food bank.

There are three vital hunger-related bills you should know about right now. The first is the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Extension Act of 2009. This would extend, and make permanent, a tax incentive for farmers to donate excess food inventory to charity. The second is the School Food Recovery Act, which will allow schools to donate excess food to food banks. The third, and most important, is a bill to amend the National School Lunch Act, which serves more than 30 million children nationwide. A reauthorization of the school lunch act is required every five years and is scheduled to be voted on in early 2010. Sens. Michael Bennet, Sherrod Brown, and Bob Casey are co-sponsoring an act they would like incorporated into the renewal--the Hunger Free Schools Act, which claims to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles in the school lunch program and serve an additional 3 million children in need.

President Obama made a pledge to end childhood hunger by 2015. In order to do this, the administration and Congress must ensure funding and support for food banks and nutrition programs. Understanding and advocating for the importance of hunger prevention and relief programs is one of the most important things you can do to make sure this happens. It may sound trite, but contact your representatives and let them know your concerns about hunger on a local and national level. Follow upcoming legislation and find more ways to advocate for change at Feeding America's online Hunger Action Center. The full article is available at http://www.slate.com/id/2237129/

Cheri Kilty (425) 556-147 or ckilty@ywcaworks.org, reported on the wide range of services that the YWCA provides on the Eastside.

Supportive Housing:

The YWCA provides one-on-one support and goal setting for residents of YWCA Family Village at Redmond and at housing units in Issaquah and Bellevue.

They also provide referrals to community partners and resources as well as assistance transitioning to affordable permanent housing.

The YWCA Family Village at Redmond provides 20 units of transitional housing, and a day care center and Headstart program.

Family Village serves families of all configurations - single parent, two-parent, and grandparent led families. Lately they have been seeing more families that have never had trouble maintaining housing before, but because of job loss are now forced to seek shelter.

Affordable Permanent Housing:

YWCA Townhouses: In addition to the supportive transitional housing, the YWCA operates two permanent housing properties: the Summerfield Apartments in East Bellevue and a family townhome project. In addition, ground has been broken for a new YWCA Family Village in Issaquah which will provide 143 units of affordable housing for working families, people with disabilities, and seniors.

Employment:

The YWCA operates Eastside Employment Services which: o Assists homeless and low-income job seekers to secure livable wages o Provides individual coaching for resume building, job searching, and interviewing o Holds workshops and provides vocational/technical training referrals o Has a resource room with current job postings, reference materials, Internet and telephone access In addition Working Wardrobe provides free work and interview-appropriate clothing for low-income women.

Child Care:

The Family Village Child Care Center provides a safe and nurturing setting for children (up to 5 years old) living at Family Village and from other low-income Eastside families. The Family Village Child Care Center addresses the special needs of children who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence, abuse, and health problems.

Drop-in Day Center:

Angeline's Eastside Women's Center (located at the Bellevue First Congregational Church in downtown Bellevue) is a daycenter for single, very-low income and homeless women. Free services include daily hot meals and snacks; showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities, phone, computer and Internet access; on-site employment assistance and referrals to community resources.

Community Mental Health Counseling:

The YWCA East King County is now offering licensed mental health counseling for adult men and women. Medical coupons are accepted. Please call (425) 922-6192 for information and appointments.

GET INVOLVED

Donate:
Make a cash or in-kind donation. For example, the Angeline's Eastside Women's Center is in need of
travel-sized toiletries, razors, bathrobes, laundry soap, warm clothes, and books for their lending library.
Make an in-kind donation of gently used clothing.
Donate a vehicle.
Make a bequest.
Volunteer:
Make a difference in the lives of women and children.
Sort donations or coordinate craft projects.
Participate on committees
Provide office help
To volunteer or for more information, please contact (425) 556-1354 or log on to ywcaworks.org/volunteer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

EISCC members may share announcements pertaining to their congregations/agencies. If you wish these announcements to appear in the minutes, please provide them well in advance of any event that you are publicizing and to help ensure accuracy please provide them in writing to the recording secretary. Among the announcements at the December 8, 2009 meeting were:

EASTSIDE HUMAN SERVICES FORUM:
Advocacy has made a difference in saving some human services this year, especially for victims of domestic violence. We have staved off some cuts. However, there are some real strains. There are 35,000 people on the waiting list for basic health insurance and although they are adding to the list, no one is being processed. The premiums are being doubled.

The budget for 2010 is "ugly" and the budget for 2011 is described as "unimaginable." General Assistance - Unemployable will disappear. Most of the three million dollars being cut from the King County human services budget will come from programs that assist the elderly, or youth, or that provide referral services. A smaller portion will come from the domestic violence services. The county views all children under 18 as the responsibility of the state. Nationwide, homelessness in general is up by 10%, but runaways have increased by 40%. An example of the local impact: Friends of Youth has 2 shelters for runaway youth. They and the 7 other shelters in the county will lose funding. Friends of Youth is planning to consolidate their 2 shelters, serve fewer youth and cut counseling frequency by half.

This might be a good time for faith communities to consider what additional help they might extend to seniors and children. There are many possibilities for working together to provide needed assistance.
More information is available at http://www.eastsideforum.org/.

SHARE THE DREAM:
The annual Share the Dream Concert, a musical celebration of the life and enduring legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will take place Sunday January 17, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church (1634 19th Ave in Seattle). The program features soul-stirring performances by the Total Experience Gospel and Black Nativity Choirs, Mount Zion's Inspirational Chorus, and Tacoma's Allen AME Church Choir. Although there is no charge for admission, a freewill offering will be accepted to benefit the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle & King County.

More information is available at www.emergencyfeeding.org or call Brian at (206) 329-0300.

BELLEVUE GOODWILL OFFERS COMPUTER CLASSES:
Seattle Goodwill Industries Job Training and Education Program's mission is to provide "quality, effective employment training and basic education to individuals experiencing significant barriers to economic opportunity." Job Training and Education locations from Bellingham to Burien offer various classes designed to meet the needs of their individual communities. The Bellevue location, which opened in November of 2008 at the corner of 148th Avenue NE and NE 20th Street, offers Computer and English as a Second Language classes.

Current Computer Skills classes include Computer Fundamentals, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel. Current English classes include Levels 1-4, and a weekly Talk Time. Classes are held twice a week for 1.5 hours per class in 8 week session. Both day and evening classes are available. Five 8-week sessions are offered each year in January, March, May, August, and October. Registration for classes generally takes place 2-3 weeks prior to each session, with on-going English class enrollment throughout each session.

In addition to classes, one-on-one help and workshops are offered in resume and cover letter creation. A bi-weekly Job Lab offers students and community members an opportunity to receive support in online job searching and application completion. All of the JTE Program offerings are focused on helping individuals increase their Computer and English skills to become more job-ready. All classes and services are free, but participants must register before they attend.
Contact Bellevue Goodwill Job Training & Education Center, 14515 NE 20th St, Bellevue, WA 98007, (425) 289-0040 or 1(877) GIVE4GOOD or www.seattlegoodwill.org.

CLOSING PRAYER: The meeting was closed with prayer by Betty Spohn of Newport Presbyterian Church.


Brian Anderson, EISCC Secretary