 Sometimes it takes grace, tenacity and passion
 Every year, each King County Councilmember gets to present the Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service to someone who has responded to Dr. King’s question, “What are you doing for others?” through outstanding community service. This year, I presented the District 6 medal to Linda Hall. After a long career in housing and human services, she led the siting and building of the first and only permanent men’s shelter in East King County.
There are very few things I’ve worked longer and harder on than this first-on-the-Eastside permanent emergency shelter for men. It’s been a long time coming and a labor of love for so many.
For years, leaders at Congregations for the Homeless, the organization that would operate the shelter, and in the human services community had tried to site this shelter in Bellevue but encountered logistical obstacles and community concerns that sometimes made it seem impossible. When Congregations for the Homeless brought Linda onto their team to lead the effort she went to work with her grace, tenacity, and passion for helping others. In the end, she not only finally sited the shelter in the Eastgate neighborhood, but also created and executed a vision that nobody could have imagined at the outset of the effort. Linda brought together partners at Inland Group, Horizon Housing Alliance, and Plymouth Housing to plan and build an entire housing campus that includes a welcoming 100 bed men’s shelter and day center, 92 units of permanent supportive housing, and 353 units of workforce housing.
While many people worked to make this project a reality, Linda’s dedication is what got us across the finish line. Thanks to her, hundreds of people will have a safe, affordable place to call home and, each year, 1,500 men experiencing homelessness on the Eastside will have access to the shelter and services they need to start on a path to stability.
 Click here to watch the KCTV video honoring Linda Hall
Celebrating Juneteenth
 On June 19, 1865, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved Black people in the Confederate States, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas and announced that the enslaved people there were free. This day, when enslaved people in the furthest reaches of the Confederacy learned they were free, became known as Juneteenth and has long been celebrated in the Black community as an independence day.
In 2023 you can participate in celebrations across the Eastside that mark this historic date from 1865:
Saturday, June 17, 11:30-4:00: Eastside Honoring Juneteenth at Juanita Beach Park, Kirkland, organized by Sheila Stanton, Commissioner with the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs, and Eastside For All
Monday, June 19, 11:00-3:00: Eton School Juneteenth Community Celebration at the Eton School Main Building, Bellevue
Monday, June 19, 12:00-4:00: Juneteenth Community Celebration at Mercerdale Park, Mercer Island, hosted by the Mercer Island High School Black Student Union
Tuesday, June 20, 6:30-8:30: City of Bellevue’s Second Annual Juneteenth Celebration at Bellevue City Hall (registration encouraged)
 With abundant greenspace and farms nearby, in King County you are never far from farm fresh, local food. And now Farmers Markets are back! 37 farmers markets are open in King County right now.
King County farmers markets offer a variety of local produce and artisan foods, including fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, cheeses, milk, jams and jellies, wines and sauces, breads, seafood, and plants and flowers. Plus, they’re a lot of fun to visit!
Find a Farmer’s Market near you today!
How Should Our County Grow?
 The once-a-decade update to King County’s comprehensive plan is happening now and through July 15 you can comment and provide your input to help refine its final form.
The Plan is important because it guides County policy for the next 20 years for regional services throughout the county, such as transit, sewers, parks, trails, and open space, as well as for local services, land use, and development regulations in unincorporated King County.
Your input on the proposals included in the Comprehensive Plan will be used to help refine and finalize the King County Executive's Recommended 2024 Update, which is anticipated to be submitted to the King County Council in December 2023.
Learn more about the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update:
Comment by July 15, 2023, by email to CompPlan@kingcounty.gov or via an online feedback form here:
Spread the word!
Please forward this email widely and invite others to sign-up to my email updates to receive important and timely information for District 6 constituents.
Sincerely,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
District 6
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