All Things CEH - September 2014

Local News & Action

Click here for September All Things CEH Calendar

25 Cities

Coordinated Assessment for Single Adults

The recently created Single Adults Task Force is making progress in building a coordinated assessment process for single adults experiencing homelessness.  As required by both HEARTH and the Department of Commerce and pursuant to our own goals, we aim to have a coordinated assessment process in place by the end of 2014.  In March, CEH was invited to participate in the 25 Cities Initiative, a national push to jumpstart efforts to place single adults -- including homeless veterans and the chronically homeless -- into permanent housing.  This as an opportunity to help organize and plan our local efforts to create a coordinated system for single adults. 

The initiative asks each community to identify the major hurdles for housing single adults and set short term goals to make quick progress on the most pressing issues. In King County, a group of 13 stakeholder agencies  prioritized three action steps: testing an assessment tool, quickly matching single adults to the appropriate resources, and creating more housing resources such as building relationships with private market landlords to house single adults experiencing homelessness.

So far, team members have agreed on an assessment tool and are already using it to connect single adults with housing resources. By September 30, the initiative is on track to have completed 160 assessments, and will be matching at least 20 clients to housing resources. CEH will also be partnering with the Rental Housing Association to find 50 private market units to match single adults experiencing homelessness with housing and appropriate resources.


IAC retreat

Working towards the next strategic plan

On August 4th, CEH’s Interagency Council (IAC) took a full day to review the community input we received from over 150 participants at our annual conference to set forward a path for our next strategic plan. From this feedback, the IAC identified three new objectives to drive the next plan:

  • A dedicated focus on creating income and employment strategies for homeless people
  • Housing people quickly and moving them swiftly through the system, making room for others
  • Work aggressively to change public policy, influencing the systems that often deliver people into homelessness, including foster care, prisons, mental health facilities and hospitals

By January, CEH aims to have a new strategic plan which will help shape our homeless system to adapt as community needs change, engage a broader range of regional partners, utilize data to drive decision making, and which has a relentless focus on ending disparities.

The above graphic visually maps the day's planning process. View a higher resolution version of it here


Free Dental, Vision and Medical Care at Healthfest

From Thursday, October 23 to October 26, Healthfest will offer free dental, vision, and medical services at Key Arena. Service is first come, first serve and patients are not required to bring ID or proof of citizenship to receive care from licensed medical professionals. Click here more information.  

healthfest

Story of Local Homeless Family Broadcast on 'Morning Edition'

On August 22, NPR broadcast the story of a local family’s experience of homeless to hundreds of stations across the country as a part of 'Morning Edition.' Seattle mother and daughter, Kris and Erika, spoke about living out of their car after their family became homeless and the impact this had on Erika's schoolwork and future expectations. Kris and Erika had the opportunity to tell their story as part of the "Finding Our Way" project, a collaboration of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle University, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington and YWCA focused on recording the stories of homeless and formerly homeless families in the Puget Sound region. Listen to their story here.

Kris and Erika

DESC to Create More Supportive Housing to Serve Seattle’s Most Vulnerable

Seattle-based nonprofit housing provider DESC will create new units of permanent supportive housing in the Interbay neighborhood downtown.  Slated to open in the fall of 2015, the units will serve 97 people who are experiencing homelessness and live with health issues.  In providing this permanent supportive housing, DESC will use a Housing First approach, which ensures the housing needs of individuals and families are met first with access to individualized services that address the precise issues that tenants are facing.  Learn more about the project here.

DESC

"Don Quixote & Sancho Panza: Homeless in Seattle," at The Central Library Sept. 13

The Seattle Public Library will host a 30-minute preview of eSe Teatro's upcoming play "Don Quixote & Sancho Panza: Homeless in Seattle," followed by a "Dialogue on Dignity" discussion, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 in the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave. The play is a comedic adaptation of Cervantes' classic 17th-century novel, "Don Quixote." It depicts the friendship of two homeless Latinos who meet in an emergency room in modern-day Seattle. Together they face the perils of chronic alcoholism and mental illness head-on as they navigate the winding streets, shelters and health care system. Watch a Seattle Channel special on the play’s creation here.

Don Q
FUNDING & RPF’S

Funding for Rapid Re-Housing, Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing and Shelter Diversion for Homeless Households

The King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is making available approximately $4.4 million in annual funding for 2015-2016 for rapid re-housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and shelter diversion programs for programs serving homeless households in King County; including homeless youth or young adults, single adults, families with children and households fleeing domestic violence. A workshop to assist applicants will be conducted at 10:00 am, Monday, August 11, 2014, at the Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Avenue S., Tukwila, WA 98168. View the complete RFP by clicking here, registering your organization, and finding the RFP listed under “Technical Services”. Forward questions to linda.mckinly@kingcounty.gov.

CEH Committee Updates

Click here for printable All Things CEH Calendar

Governing Board

Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, October 22 / 8:30 - 10:30am / Seattle City Hall, Bertha Landes Conference Room

Agenda Topics: TBD

Recent Meeting: Wednesday, July 23

Discussed: Annual Conference Report Back, Employment Opportunities for People who are Homeless, 2015 Legislative Agenda


Interagency Council (IAC)

Upcoming Meeting: Monday, September 8 / 2 - 4pm / Greenbridge Career Center, 9720 8th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
NOTE: second Monday of the month

Directions

Agenda Topics: Data & Evaluation Target Setting, CEH Legislative Agenda, SHA Rental Standards, 25 Cities progress

Recent Meeting: Aug 4, IAC retreat


Consumer Advisory Council (CAC)

Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, September 17 / 6 - 7:30pm / Plymouth Congregational Church

Agenda Topics: IAC Retreat Report Out, SHA Rental Standards, Target Setting, Focus Group Planning

Recent Meeting: CAC Picnic

POPULATION AFFINITY GROUPS

Family Homelessness Initiative Information Sessions

The Family Homelessness Initiative staff host monthly information sessions on the 3rd Wednesday of the month to talk with local stakeholders (providers and funders) about the work of the Initiative. This is an opportunity to hear about current projects, what is coming up next, to ask questions and provide input. NOTE: Beginning July 2014, these sessions will be held from 9:00-10:00am and immediately followed by the Family Housing Connection (FHC) feedback session.

Reoccurring: 3rd Wednesdays each month 9:00 – 10:00 am at varying locations
Next meeting: September 17th at the 2100 Building, 2100 24th Ave S., Seattle, WA - Community Room A
Immediately followed by FHC feedback meeting from 10:00 to 11:00am

Contact Triina Tennelo for more information: 206.263.9110 or triina.tennelo@kingcounty.gov or visit the Initiative website for more information: 

Youth & Young Adult (YYA)

The monthly YYA Stakeholder Forums provide a monthly opportunity to hear about the changes planned for our homeless youth and young adult system in King County.  Please check the YYA Webpage for updates. For more information on the Comprehensive Plan to Prevent and End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness in King County contact Megan Gibbard (megan.gibbard@cehkc.org) or visit the YYA Webpage. To be added to the YYA stakeholder email list, which provides bi-weekly updates on the initiative, email Carrie.Hennen@cehkc.org.

Homeless YYA Initiative Advisory Group- Tuesday, September 2, 2014 9:00 AM-noon, (13116 NE 132nd St, Kirkland.) Every four months the YYA Advisory Group meeting is opened to all stakeholders and the meeting time is extended.

YYA Lunch & Learn: Promising Practices Addressing Youth Homelessness in London- Monday, September 8, 2014, Noon – 1pm (Chinook Building, 401 5th Ave, Seattle, Room 121.) Youth and young adult homelessness on the streets of London was visible, pervasive, and entrenched as recent as the 1990’s. Today, young people “sleeping rough” on the streets of London has been effectively ended. Save the date and spend your lunch hearing about how youth homelessness was addressed in London and the UK.

Megan Gibbard, Youth and Young Adult Program Manager, was one of five Transatlantic Practice Exchange participants selected by the National Alliance to End Homelessness to visit the UK from the US. She spent two weeks in May with DePaul in London acquiring promising approaches in the areas of family reunification/mediation and immediate night-one intervention for homeless youth and young adults. The aim is to leverage these lessons learned to further catalyze system change in King County – deepening our work in these two practice areas.

YHC at Year One: Learnings and Reorientation- Wednesday September 17, 10am- noon, Tukwila Community Center (12424 42nd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98168) OR Wednesday September 24, 1-3pm (2100 Building 2100 24th Ave S, Seattle)
Join CEH and the YHC team for one of these two meetings in September. We will share data on the first year of YHC, review lessons learned, correct misconceptions, communicate about changes and next steps in year 2 of YHC, and review opportunities for community feedback and training. Leadership, supervisors and front line staff from all agencies and all interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend.

Related Community Updates

South King County Forum on Homelessness

Contact: Manuela Ginnett, manuelag@multi-servicecenter.com or Jo Cherland, johannac@ccsww.org. The SKC Forum on Homelessness meets the 1st Wed. of every month at 9–10:30am at Kent Commons, 525 – 4th Ave N. SKC Forum on Homelessness web address: http://kentwa.gov/content.aspx?id=2728

Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, Sept 3, from 9:00 to 10:30am at Kent Commons (525 – 4th Avenue N.)


North King County Housing Stakeholders Meeting

Contact: Kelly Rider at kelly@housingconsortium.org. The NKC Stakeholders group coordinates homeless housing & service activities in North King County. Typical Schedule: Quarterly, 2nd Wednesday, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, (brown bag) Shoreline City Hall

Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, September 10th, 11:30am-1:30pm,  Shoreline City Hall


Eastside Homelessness Advisory Committee (EHAC)

Contact: Arthur Sullivan ASullivan@bellevuewa.gov. EHAC coordinates homeless housing & service activities in East King County. Typical Meeting Schedule: 2nd Thursday of the month, 2:00pm – 4:00pm, First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, 1717 Bellevue Way NE (just south of 520)

Upcoming Meeting: Thursday, September 11, from 2:00 to 4:00pm, at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue (1717 Bellevue Way NE)


Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness (ITFH)

The ITFH works among, between, and within the faith community and seeks to create the political will to end homelessness using targeted education, outreach and advocacy. Typical Meeting Schedule: 3rd Wednesday of the month, noon-1:30pm at St. Mark’s. Contact: Bill Kirlin-Hackett at itfh@comcast.net or (425) 442-5418.

Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, September 17, 2014, Noon – 1:30p.m. at Saint Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E, Seattle


University District Conversation on Homelessness

Contact: Nathalie Gerhke. Monthly Gathering share thoughts and strategies on local and regional concerns around homelessness. Typical Meeting Schedule: 2nd Monday of the month, 9 – 11:30 am. Meetings rotate throughout the U District, and frequently at University Congregational Church though location may change.

Upcoming Meeting: Monday, September 8, 9:00-11:30am at University Presbyterian Church, 4540 15th Ave NE, Seattle


University District Service Provider’s Alliance

Contact: udsp.spt@gmail.com U-District Service Provider’s Alliance share information relevant to working with homeless youth and young adults, program updates, and neighborhood updates. A service provider debrief follows each meeting. Typical Meeting Schedule: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 11am-12:30pm

Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, September 10, 11am-12:30pm at Street Youth Ministries


Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH)

The General meeting is the 3rd Thurs of each month, 9-11am at E Cherry YWCA. Learn more and sign up for meeting reminders at www.homelessinfo.org

General Meeting: Thursday, September 18, from 9:00 to 11:00am, E. Cherry YWCA 2820 E. Cherry St.

SKCCH Youth & Young Adults: Tuesday, September 9, from 10:00-11:30am, at Capitol Hill Library 425 Harvard Ave. E.

SKCCH Single Adults Advocacy: Thursday, September 11, from noon to 1:30pm, Plymouth's Simons Apts 2119 3rd Ave.

SKCCH Families with Children: Wednesday, September 24, from 9:30 to 11:00am, E. Cherry YWCA 2820 E. Cherry St.