Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council Minutes

Next Meeting: Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 12:00 noon -1:30 p.m. EASTSIDE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAM & EASTSIDE HOMELESS ADVISORY COUNCIL: COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO PRESSING NEEDS Meeting location: St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 3030 Bellevue Way NE in Bellevue. The church is located just south of Highway 520 on Bellevue Way.

The meeting was opened and conducted by EISCC Co-president Marilyn Rands.

Brian Anderson (425) 653-1652. The minutes for the May 13, 2008 meeting were received.

EISCC and CFH Treasurer Pat McDermott (425) 643-7759 was unable to attend the June meeting. Although he sent word that nothing unusual was noted for the month, the May 2008 financial report will be distributed by email when available.

CFH Executive Director Steve Roberts (206) 295-7803, reported that the shelter is currently full and will be moving from Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bellevue to St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina in July.

The recently purchased replacement trailer has been outfitted with lockers and storage for the new sleeping mats. A painting party is being organized to paint the interior of the trailer on June 14th at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue.

Steve reported that discussions are now underway regarding the possibility of adding an additional trailer that would include shower and laundry facilities.

CFH’s housing arm, Eastside Interfaith Housing, reports that their Rose Hill House is full occupied and that they are looking for available apartments.  CFH has money available for rent buy-downs and other subsidies, but not enough rental units are available even at full rent.  Part of CFH’s mission is to make the landlord/tenant relationship work for its clients.  CFH case workers offer ongoing support to clients, helping them learn the skills they need to successfully transition to permanent housing and holding them accountable.  CFH also offers landlords rent guarantees and a 24-hour phone service designed to address any problems they have with a CFH client within one day of receiving a complaint.  Congregations are encouraged to reach out to landlords in their congregations that are willing to see how a partnership with Congregations for the Homeless can be a real win/win for both the landlord and the entire community.  For more information, please contact Steve Roberts , (206) 295-7803.

SELF-INTRODUCTIONSwere made by 19 members and guests..

PROGRAM:
CITY OF BELLEVUE NEEDS STUDY:

Alex O'Reilly, City of Bellevue Human Services Planner and editor of the bi-yearly Bellevue Needs Study was on hand to present the findings of the latest study.

Girl Scouts is the pre-eminent organization devoted solely to girls. Grounded in the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law, it offers girls a safe, supportive environment.

Partnering with caring adults, girls design fun and challenging activities that empower them to discover, connect, and take action around issues that concern them, serving more than 27,000 girls ages 5-17 in Western Washington.

Affordable Housing: Issues

• Almost 70% of residents identify this as a major/moderate issue.
  
• Large  % of renters and homeowners pay more than 30% of income on housing.
  
• Over 1,800 homeless housing units are needed.
  

Health & Dental Care: Issues

• Affordability of medical insurance and care #2 problem of residents.
• 9% of Eastside residents lack health insurance.
• The need for dental care and mental health services increasing

Older Adults: Issues

·      Living longer and needing more funds for long term care, caregiver support

·      Lack of transportation is a major barrier to mobility and access to social services

·      More emphasis on aging in place health promotion

·      Increase in reports of adult abuse

Immigrants and Refugees: Issues

·      25-30% of population speak a language other than English; 70 languages spoken in the Bellevue School District.

·      Continued need for ESL and citizenship classes, interpreters

·      Eastside Public Health Clinic provided 12,590 interpreted visits in 2206, doubling in 4 years

·      Legal services, employment, childcare, health care all complicated by cultural and language barriers.

Veterans: Issues

·      Numbers in Bellevue unclear but impact is expected to begin with increased need for services, such as mental health and domestic violence prevention.

·      Veterans and Human Services Levy bringing additional funds to the county

·      Need for accurate data to define the actual numbers is critical

Emergency Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations: Issues

·      Critical gaps have been discovered in response system

·      Older adults, people with disabilities and residents speaking other languages than English are most at risk

·      Staff members are participating on a number of city and county wide task forces.

Other Issues

·      Domestic violence reports to the Bellevue Police are down, but services still much in need

·      Low-cost legal assistance continues to be a gap

·      Research points to importance of early learning related to success in school and in life

·      High cost of gas and food becoming an issue (Spring 2008)

Next Steps

Human Services Commission is considering these issues and others for the next funding cycle and will make recommendations to the City Council for 2009-10 funding this fall.

The entire report is available at http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/humanservices_needs_update.htm.

REFRESHMENT COORDINATOR:  Betty Spohn (425-451-3651) is taking over the role of EISCC Refreshment Coordinator.  Volunteers are needed to help supply refreshments for the July EISCC meeting.  If you can help, please contact Betty.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
EISCC members are allowed to share announcements pertaining to their congregations/agencies at each EISCC meeting. If you wish these announcements to appear in the minutes, please remember to make them well in advance of any event that you are publicizing and, to help insure accuracy, please provide them in writing to the recording secretary. Among the announcements made at the June 10, 2008 meeting:

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE: The yearly observance of the International Day of Peace will take place on September 21, 2008 at Bellevue Community College.  The event is still in the planning stages, but will be moving indoors this year.  Stay tuned for further updates.

STANDING AGAINST TORTURE:  Sonneva Wood of the Eastside Friends Meeting announced that a group of Eastside Quakers will be meeting June 13, 2008 to discuss his position on torture.  For more information about this issue, please visit the WA Religious Campaign Against Torture at http://www.wrrcat.org/.

CONGREGATIONS FOR KIDS: Congregations for Kids (now operating as a constituent agency of EISCC) is gearing up for its 13^th year of providing backpacks, school supplies, and warm coats to needy Eastside kids.  Over 2,000 backpacks will be assembled for distribution in the Bellevue School District.  Watch this space for more information about how you and your congregation can be part of this ministry.

CLOSING PRAYER:  A closing prayer was offered by Betty Spohn of Newport Presbyterian Church of Bellevue. 

Submitted by Brian Anderson, Recording Secretary