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Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council Minutes P.O. Box 662, Bellevue, WA 98009-0662September 8, 2009
Next Meeting: CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order and conducted by EISCC Co-President Lloyd Van Vactor. OPENING PRAYER: The meeting was opened with prayer offeredSteve Roberts of First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue and Congregations for the Homeless. SELF-INTRODUCTIONS: Self-introductions were made by 33 members and guests. ›MINUTES: The minutes of the July 14, 2009 meeting were approved as circulated. TREASURER'S REPORT:EISCC Treasurer Pat McDermott . Steve Roberts of First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue and Congregations for the Homeless. NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE: The nominations committee presented the following slate of candidates to serve on the EISCC Executive Committee in the coming year:
Co-Presidents: Lloyd Van Vactor, JoAnne Way › The Sophia Way
Sophia Way Executive Director Helen Leuzzi reported that since the program began in December of 2008 the Sophia Way has: * Served more than 4,000 meals As the one year anniversary of the Sophia Way approaches, a celebration is definitely in order! Please save the date for their anniversary celebration on Wednesday, December 9th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. More details will follow in the very near future. The next year will be critical to their ability both to maintain and increase services. The continued support of EISCC congregations is essential! Currently, the Sophia Way is in need of a few more volunteers in the area of committee work both with their residential housing efforts and in fund development. If you are interested, please contact Helen Leuzzi at ( 425) 417-7575. › Congregations For Kids:
Chair Nancy Jacobs (425) 883-6406 reported that the 14th annual Good Start Back to School project was a big success. CFK provided supplies and backpacks to 1497 students in 28 different Bellevue Public Schools. That is 265 more than in 2008 - a 22% increase. The value of this year's project is estimated at $43,340 before taxes. Congregations for Kids was cited as a model program in a Seattle Times editorial that appeared in the August 25, 2009 edition of the newspaper (view it at.) CFK would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to ensure that needy kids in the Bellevue School district will be off to a good start in the new school year. Today's Program: CONGREGATIONS FOR THE HOMELESS: Steve Roberts, Executive Director, (206) 295-7803 or stever@cfhomeless.org reported on 15 years of making a real difference in our community. In the past year alone (July 1, 2008 to July 1, 2009), CFH served 129 men in their homeless shelter. 47 men moved into permanent housing and five men graduated from CFH housing. Currently, there are more than 40 men in the permanent housing provided through CFH. The past year has also seen CFH move into new offices (located at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 2650 148th Ave SE in Bellevue), as well as the addition of new staff, a new shower trailer for the shelter program, and the countywide launching of the Landlord Liaison Project, which allows landlords to relax eligibility criteria in return for assurances that persons enrolled in the project will receive case management and the financial support they need to be successful tenants. New Volunteer Coordinator/New Volunteer Opportunities -Longtime CFH life coach and all round volunteer Stacey Witte has been hired for the position of Volunteer Coordinator. Stacey is looking for volunteers to provide the following services:
CFH Funding Sources -EISCC/CFH Treasurer Pat McDermott reported that in addition to funding received through contracts with the cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish and Woodinville, as well as with King County, through its 15 years CFH has also received between $20,000 and $40,000 a year in support from congregations. In 2009, funding for CFH will top $500,000. Changes at the CFH Shelter -CFH Shelter Director David Johns Bowling reported that one of the improvements to the operation of the nightly shelter was a change that now requires the onsite shelter managers to remain awake and on duty all night long. This provides complete coverage during all shelter hours. In addition, CFH has hired a graduate of the program, Barrett Compton, as backup site manager working four nights a week to support the regular site managers during the peak times of 6:45 to 9:45 p.m. Case Management is Key - One of the elements that makes CFH such a successful program is the case management provided to the men in the program. With three case managers on staff and a team of 12 volunteer life coaches each supporting, mentoring, and guiding the program participants, the case management provided by CFH greatly increases the chances that the men will make a successful transition from hopelessness to hope. Working closely with a host of other social service agencies, CFH case managers and life coaches help remove barriers such as addiction, mental health issues, and unemployment that could get in the way of success. The Transition from the Shelter to Subsidized Housing -The CFH Housing Program led by Director of Housing Sterling Bentsen and New Associate Director of Housing Jerry Ringer has been successfully locating new apartments for the men and keeping CFH's two houses full. The program now has over 40 men in permanent housing and has a success rate of over 95% for men completing a full year of housing stability. Bellevue's Severe Weather Shelter - Last year's severe winter saw increased hardship for many in our community, but no segment was more greatly affected than those without homes. In order to make sure that those without proper shelter had someplace to go during the worst of the winter, the city of Bellevue turned to CFH to manage their severe weather shelter. Just one more way that CFH professionals were able to look out for the marginalized in our midst. CFH would like to thank EISCC and its member congregations for all the support they have received throughout their 15 years of service, not only for the vital financial support, but also for their prayers, for hosting the shelter, volunteering to bring meals, and all the ways that EISCC has helped CFH provide the many services that the men need as they come out of homelessness. ANNOUNCEMENTS: LEGISLATIVE COORDINATOR: EISCC Legislative Coordinator Nancy Bent noted that the lives of people served by EISCC member congregations and agencies are greatly affected by the actions of local and national government. Nancy asks that EISCC members who are aware of important bills or referendums that are coming up for discussion to make her aware of them. Nancy can be contacted at nancybent@comcast.net. EISCC LEGISLATIVE COORDINATOR: NAMI Eastside is sponsoring a fall Visions for Tomorrow education course in Redmond for parents and direct caregivers of children and adolescents diagnosed with mental illness. The course is free and will present information about brain biology and a variety of mental health disorders, including autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, conduct disorder, depressive disorder, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Other topics include psychotherapy treatments, coping skills, and self care. The course will begin on Monday, September 21, 2009 and will be offered for nine consecutive Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The course ends on November 16, 2009. Classes will be held at The Family Resource Center, 16225 NE 87th ST, Redmond, 98052. Pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, please call NAMI Eastside at (425) 885-NAMI (6264) or contact info@nami-eastside.org. HERO HOUSE: Save the Date! Hero House, a program that provides educational, vocational, and social opportunities to its members -adults recovering from mental illness -will present their 2009 Gala and Silent Auction on Sunday, November 8, 2009 from 2:00 to 5:00pm at the North Bellevue Community Center located at 4063 148th Ave SE. This year they are featuring renowned stage and screen actor Jon Cypher, of Hill Street Blues and Major Dad. The Gala is intended to show appreciation and more importantly to raise money for the clubhouse. This year's fund raising is crucial as the economic crisis has caused Hero House to lose much of the funding upon which it has depended to carry out its mission. For more information about the Gala, please contact Hero House at 425-614-1282, EASTSIDE MONTH OF CONCERN FOR THE HUNGRY: Join your neighbors and friends to help fill local food bank shelves and feed your neighbors in need this Autumn. The cities of Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah, Sammamish, and Mercer Island are committed to supporting the efforts of local food banks and emergency feeding programs by coordinating with the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle & King County, Hopelink, World Impact Network Renewal Food Bank, ARAS Foundation Sammamish, Issaquah Food Bank, and the Mercer Island Food Bank. September 26 - October 24, 2009 has been declared "Eastside's Month of Concern for the Hungry" and citizens are urged to help those who are hungry by donating non-perishable items. For a list of "most-needed" food items, the locations of the many convenient food drop off sites, and ideas about how you, your family, and your congregation can help, please visit http://www.eastsideforum.org/fooddrive/. TOGETHER WE BUILD: Together We Build is an Interfaith Coalition of Christians, Jews, and Muslims seeking to find common ground and learning from one another as we work together to build houses for low-income families in East King County, Washington. The 8th Annual TWB project for Habitat for Humanity will take place at Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Washington, on October 9-11 and October 15-17, 2009. The Youth Build Date will be October 12, 2009. Additional congregations are invited to be a part of this project. The first planning meeting is scheduled for the end of this month. For additional information, please visit www.togetherwebuild.org or call Habitat for Humanity of East King County at (425) 869-6007. KITH: Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing invites you to "Spend an Evening Under the Tuscan Moon." This, the seventh annual KITH Dinner, will be held on Saturday, October 3rd at Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church in Kirkland. This gala evening "Under the Tuscan Moon", will feature a lush Italian theme with delicious dining and libations, plus featured speaker Robert Fulghum. Robert Fulghum has published seven best-selling books including All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. There are currently more than 16 million copies of his books in print, published in 27 languages in 103 countries. Proceeds from the event represent a large portion of the funding for KITH programs that the help homeless families on the Greater Eastside. For more information visit http://www.kithcares.org/news/dinner2009.htm, or call 425-576-9531, ext. 101. HOPELINK NEEDS VOLUNTEERS! Hopelink relies upon volunteers for such jobs as sorting food in its food banks; helping adults learn to read, do basic math, study for the GED exams or learn English as a second language; providing child care and homework tutoring to children in our housing facilities; delivering food to homebound clients; or answering phones and helping with administrative tasks. Hopelink's new Kirkland/Northshore center in the Totem Lake neighborhood is in particular need of volunteers for its new grocery store-style food bank. Hopelink asks new volunteers over age 16 and volunteers between the ages of 12 and 16 with parent/guardian supervision to register to attend a mandatory orientation. To register, please visit www.hope-link.org/takeaction/volunteer or call (425) 869-6066. Registration for orientation is necessary as space is very limited; seating is first-come, first-served so please arrive at the orientation session promptly. You will receive a registration confirmation email or phone call. Afternoon and evening sessions are available:
CLOSING PRAYER: The meeting was closed in prayer Karen Mae Smith of St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic Church in Bellevue. |
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