2020 was a year marked with immense loss and hardship in our King County community. More than ever before, 2020 was a time to pull together – to unite in support of one another. The Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) providers and partners, while faced with unforeseen challenges, did just that. VSHSL’s community partners remained adaptive, responsive and resilient, seizing opportunities and taking immediate action to provide critical services to the levy’s priority populations.
Read the first fully digital VSHSL Annual Report.
U.S Army Veteran William Ingram and King County Veterans Program Social Service Professional Sherrie Hetherington
The Collaborative Case Management (CCM) Pilot Program, the first of its kind in the nation, blends federal Veteran housing vouchers with King County Veterans Program supportive services to make stable housing possible for more than 140 local Veterans.
To increase utilization of federal housing vouchers to house more local Veterans, King County, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the King County Housing Authority have joined forces to develop a pioneering new program to aid local Veterans. The CCM will combine the power of VA and their federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers, the expertise of the King County Veterans Program social services staff, and housing units coordinated through the King County Housing Authority to help Veterans experiencing homelessness connect to safe and stable housing.
Learn more about the Collaborative Case Management Pilot program.
Even as the number of new COVID cases in our region goes down, another crisis is looming. The economic downturn brought on by the lingering pandemic has left tens of thousands of individuals and families unable to pay rent and living on the brink of homelessness.
To meet as much of this need as possible, King County is administering a 2021 Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program (EPRAP) to pay back rent and keep thousands of households safe and stable in their homes. Recognizing the urgency, King County is working as fast as possible to enroll and process applications in a new rental assistance program for 2021. A total of $145 million is available to assist households in need.
Learn more about the EPRAP program.
VSHSL’s interpretation service providers have resumed delivering in-person services for verbal and non-verbal languages. Online services are still available. VSHSL can support VSHSL-funded entities in translating program materials and providing interpreter services to VSHSL clients to help meet the needs of communities we serve or wish to better reach. Services include those for persons who are hearing or vision-impaired.
Learn more about free translation and interpretation services for VSHSL-funded providers.
This summer new virtual workshops will be available at no-cost for VSHSL-funded providers to attain and maintain competency in key skills relevant to their work.
Workshops include: Motivational Interviewing – July 20 | 1 – 4pm Compassion Fatigue – August 4 | 1 – 3:30pm De-escalation – August 11 | 1 – 3:30pm Trauma-Informed Care | August 25 1-4pm Mental Health Literacy | September 14 1-4pm
Click here for more information about each workshop and to register.
Looking for a way to serve your community? The VSHSL Advisory Board currently has vacancies on each committee. The board consists of three committees that represent a VSHSL priority population: Veterans, Seniors and Vulnerable Populations. Board members are nominated by nominating entities and then apply to fill vacancies. The VSHSL Advisory Board oversees the distribution of VSHSL proceeds and advises King County on matters that uniquely affect each of the VSHSL’s priority populations.
Learn more about which committees and nominating entities have board vacancies and how to apply.
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