August 2023 Care & Closure Monthly Newsletter

A Message from our Care & Closure Project Team

Care & Closure: a plan for youth healing, accountability, and community safety. This is King County’s effort to expand community-based alternatives to secure youth detention and close the youth detention center – centered on youth well-being and care, accountability, and community safety. We share project updates and upcoming opportunities to be involved in the effort each month. 

Join the Advisory Committee Meeting Mark your calendar for our next Advisory Committee this Monday, August 28 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. The meeting will be virtual and open to the public. You can find more information about the meeting and previous meetings on the Care & Closure website.   The Advisory Committee has launched subcommittees to bring in more unique perspectives to this work and focus on developing recommendations. The subcommittees are centered on three elements of this work:   Identifying alternatives to secure youth detention and placements   Strengthening community infrastructure   Engaging impacted communities  We are still seeking impacted youth, family members, and harmed community members to be part of the subcommittees and use their experiences to shape the recommendations. You can express your interest through our Care & Closure Subcommittee Interest Form, and community members can receive $50/hr compensation for participating.

Check Out Our Interim Report

We recently submitted an interim progress report on the Care & Closure initiative to the King County Council. The report highlights the findings from engaging nearly 1,200 impacted youth, family members, and community members. It also highlights how we are imagining a more robust continuum of care to meet the needs of youth and their families. You can check out the Care & Closure Progress Report: Executive Summary and dive into the Care & Closure Progress Report: Full Report. 

Get Connected at Upcoming Resource Fairs  We had a great time tabling at the Reconnect to Opportunity Back to School Resource Fair last week!   We look forward to seeing more folks getting connected to resources in the coming weeks. Stop by our table and check out other great community resources at the events below.   Saturday, August 26 from 11 am to 2 pm; Backpacks + Back to School & Resource Fair, MLK Memorial Baptist Church, Renton [flyer]  Saturday, September 16 from 11 am to 2 pm; Nurturing Resourceful Communities, Filipino Community Center, Seattle [flyer]  Do you know of other community events that we should attend? Let us know!

What We're Watching