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Director's Note – August 2023
I hope this beautiful, sunny summer finds you well. Programmatically, it’s the busiest season for the Human Services Department (HSD) as we provide children, youth and young adults resources and opportunity during this critical out-of-school time. As a funder, our community-based partners are doing incredible work in youth success, affordability, and livability, addressing homelessness, public health, community safety, and healthy aging. All corners of our investment areas are valued.
Still, these days, I find myself thinking a lot about our community safety partners who are working tirelessly to prevent and disrupt violence throughout the year. Thank you for your leadership and service.
Free summer meals for kids
HSD works with many organizations to ensure that nutritious food is available to people who need it. From home-delivered meal programs for older adults to communal meals to help people gather in friendship to providing summer meals for school-aged youth, HSD is proud to fund food and nutrition programs—one of the ways that we support affordability and livability and promote public health. Please be reminded of the free meals and snacks available to our children and youth; learn about the various locations throughout the Seattle region. No child in Seattle should go hungry.
SYEP prepares youth for success
It has been such a privilege to meet and work with so many incredible HSD Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) interns each summer. We cannot provide this opportunity without all the partnering employers throughout the city. Thank you! See photos of some of our summer interns below. Also, applications are now open for SYEP’s school-year programming called Foundations and Pathways programs. Follow the links for more information.
Learn more about what’s happening at HSD and in our community below. Until next time, please take good care.
Best,
Tanya Kim
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 HSD’s Aging and Disability Services division is designated by the State of Washington as the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for Seattle-King County—one of 13 AAAs throughout Washington state and one of 600+ throughout the country. An important responsibility of each AAA is creation of a four-year Area Plan that summarizes community strengths, challenges, needs, and emerging trends identified by older people, adults with disabilities, caregivers, and providers. Development of the Area Agency on Aging Plan for 2024–2027 is now underway. Click on the link to learn more, including information about public hearings you can attend to provide feedback.
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Read this month's Civic Coffee Recap on Gardening and Nutrition for Older Adults to learn about how you can bring more balance to your diet. Gardening is a great hobby and good way to enjoy physical activity. For those who have physical limitations, there modifications that can help, including raised garden beds that require less bending over, planting in containers instead of in the ground, and using timers to water plants.
Note: The June 28 Civic Coffee hosted by the Greenwood Senior Center was recorded for those who were unable to attend in person.
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Employee Spotlights: This month, we spotlight Michael Mathewson, who supports the Youth and Family Empowerment Division Director and leadership team. His support touches on, facility management and safety, a little bit of HR, IT/phone coordination and technical assistance, and purchasing.
Our other spotlight is on Tara Vallimont, a Senior Youth Development Counselor with the Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Her job includes establishing program procedures, collaborating with internal and external partners, overseeing daily operations, assisting with recruitment and outreach of youth, and facilitating workshops and learning sessions.
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Community Corner: This month's featured partner, REST, exists to create pathways to freedom, safety, and hope in order to end sex trafficking.
In Seattle, we estimate that 2,000–3,000 adults and minors are commercially sexually exploited every day. Traffickers use a mixture of manipulation, violence, and intimacy to keep someone loyal.
REST creates spaces where survivors can step out of the exhaustive work of making money and surviving, have basic needs met, and really rest, in order to decide and work towards their personal goals.
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Summer is Here, and so are Free Meals for Kids!
For some children, summertime with no school isn't just fun and games. It's a time when the safety net of school-provided meals disappears, leaving them vulnerable to food insecurity.
HSD’s Summer Meals Program has 62 meal sites across the city. It’s designed to make free, nutritious meals readily available to all children under the age of 18—without the need for identification or proof of residency. The program runs through Friday, August 25, 2023.
Text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 304-304 or visit www.FreeSummerMeals.org to find a map and information in 10 languages.
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Will you help us share the news?
We're making a big push to get the word out to kids, teens, and families because the program is still under-utilized even though the meals for kids are free and located at sites all over the community. These include designated community centers, parks, schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, and other community places throughout Seattle and parts of King County. The more parents, children, and teenagers who know about where sites are located, the more children will come to eat.
Share the following message on your social media platforms:
Did you know? Seattle's Summer Food Program offers FREE meals to children and youth (under age 18) at 62 locations, now through August 25. No ID, proof of residency, or application is required. Help spread the word so every child in Seattle can eat healthy meals this summer. Find a meal site near you at www.FreeSummerMeals.org. #SummerMealsSeattle
Who Doesn’t Like a Good (Age-Friendly) Discount?
Did you know that Age Friendly Seattle has a program that offers a range of discounts at area attractions, businesses, restaurants (and more!) to people aged 60 or older, as well as adults aged 18–59 with qualifying disabilities? The Gold and FLASH Cards have been around for decades, but in the past couple of years, we’ve worked to put cards into the hands of more eligible people and to revitalize discount offerings.
Learn more about recent improvements to the online discount directory and how staff have reached out to the business community in this AgeWise article about the Age Friendly Seattle Discount Program.
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HSD Announces Funding Awards for Food Systems Services
The 2023 Food Systems Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was released in late February with the goal of strengthening Seattle’s coordinated food system to increase food security and access to nutritious and culturally relevant food for low-income Seattle households. In alignment with the Seattle Food Action Plan, HSD commits to values-based purchasing, which seeks to align public dollars with core values such as equity, community health, local economy, environmental sustainability, and fair labor.
Click here to read about the results of the RFQ, which releases $1,768,928 of HSD General Fund dollars to support the Seattle Food Committee and Meals Partnership Coalition.
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Social Security: Serving People on the Autism Spectrum and Their Families
Monday, Aug. 14, is the 88th anniversary of the Social Security Act of 1935. Social Security is committed to reducing barriers and ensuring people who are eligible for benefits receive them. The Social Security Administration provides income security for diverse populations, and that includes people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.
Many parents and caretakers of children with disabilities lose work hours and income because of their children’s care needs. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides monthly financial support to low-income families with children who have developmental and behavioral disabilities. These include ASD and physical impairments. For more information, visit www.ssa.gov/ssi.
People with ASD may have questions about how ASD affects their employment options, and may see their ASD as a barrier to employment. Employers have started to recognize that many people with ASD can bring a variety of skills and strengths to the workplace. The Ticket to Work (Ticket) Program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security and want to work. The Ticket Program helps people get vocational rehabilitation, training, job referrals, and other employment support services. For more information, read www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10061.pdf.
We recognize the need to support, understand, accept, include, and empower those on the autism spectrum. Share this information with friends and family and help us spread the word on social media!
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Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Summer 2023
On Human Interests: HSD Announces Funding Awards for Farm to Preschool Program Coordination and Food Procurement Services
On AgeWise King County: We ❤ Aging—Anti-Ageism Training Coming Soon
On Public Health Insider: It’s Summer! Let’s Swim, Safely
On Benefits.gov: Which is Right for You, Medicare or Medicaid?
News from KCRHA: As funding for shelter ran out, partners stepped up emergency response
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