Shelter

Employment Assistance Programs: Information and Coalition Update from January 16 Zoom Call

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Although The Coalition cancelled our January Membership Meeting in recognition of the extra strain severe weather conditions put on people experiencing homelessness and on service providers, and the real difficulties of winter travel in our large county, we did host a ZOOM call to update members on the 2020 Legislative Session priorities, click HERE to visit our State Legislative Advocacy page see many ways you can take action! We had a great panel of staff from Employment Services Programs who were going to present at the meeting, and we will be rescheduling these presenters for a future Coalition meeting. In the meantime, we wanted to share programmatic and contact information for these employment and job readiness training programs so that your programs and clients can access these important resources. Please contact the programs below directly if you or your clients have any questions about their services. Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) serves people with disabilities between the ages of 16 to 80, and helps with gaining, maintaining and advancing in employment. Eligible clients must have a permanent disability (intellectual, mental and/or physical in nature) and barriers to employment. In order to refer, client must make contact themselves for intake unless they need assistance to call, and in that case, a case manager can set up the appointment if they let the front desk staff know the customer cannot make the initial contact. To request an intake, call 253-372-5900, or reach out to your local Work Source office for a referral. Please contact Allesandria Goard for more in-depth information on the services and nuances of the DVR program. Pioneer Human Services   Roadmap to Success is a job-readiness program for formerly justice involved individuals who are seeking full time employment To be eligible for the …

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2019 April 18 Membership Meeting Summary and CEA conversation materials

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Thank you to sixty-three people who joined us on April 18 for our lively meeting, including a walk through the Coordinated Entry For All process and the opportunity to give feedback on what is and isn’t working about Interim Dynamic Prioritization. Coalition staff were pleased to share news that we are hiring for our new Administrative Coordinator position, and invite people to participate in Project Cool (for information about getting backpacks for students who are experiencing homelessness, email Hillary). We sent Hallie, our Member Services Coordinator, off to her new job in Olympia with hearty thanks and well wishes. And, you got LOUD for Housing by contacting your lawmakers in Olympia asking them to #BudgetForHousing! We know that about 40 people used the email action alert during the meeting, and others made calls – thank you! Materials/Handouts from meeting: April 18 Meeting Agenda Coordinated Entry Deep Dive handout from Joanna (including CEA experience flow, CEA Priority Pool workflow, definitions, and prioritization formula). Prints best on 8.5 x 14 paper. Mobility Policy Handout also available online here. Mobility Request Form also available online here. Africatown International Diversion Fund Information. More diversion information available on All Home’s website and Africatown International’s website. CEA April Newsletter Coordinated Entry for All (CEA) Deep Dive Joanna Bomba-Grebb from Coordinated Entry For All prepared a chart of how the CEA process, from assessment to housing, currently works. Thanks to staff from member agencies, including Solid Ground and DESC, for attending the meeting to share their perspectives about how each piece of the process actually works day to day on the ground. Our discussion on the process and continuous improvement was still continuing when the meeting ended at 11, so we decided that we will set aside some time at our Thursday, June 20 Membership meeting (9 …

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Continue Support of the White Center Shelter

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As we head into a holiday that for many people is synonymous with home and family, let’s turn our attention to White Center. The former public health clinic stands empty, and King County, which owns the building, had hoped to open a shelter in that space on November 1st for 70 people. Three weeks later the shelter has not been opened. That means that 70 people have been outside when they could have been inside for 21 days. In the language of shelter providers, that means 1,470 empty bed-nights. Community members have every right to be notified, to have their questions answered, and to be assured that the shelter will be well run. But not opening the doors to an empty building when there are not only thousands of people homeless does not seem to fit our community’s ideals. We wrote a letter to our community partners in White Center, and we invite you to write your own, using our postcard template, or your own words. Thanks to King County elected officials and staff, as well as community volunteers and our member organizations for your determination to see the people behind the numbers, and to respond with urgency. We strongly support efforts to increase safe shelter and affordable housing across this region. This is a very good time for all of us to think about how we can help answer the question: how can we bring more people inside, and help them secure a home?

Take Action! Support the Proposed Bellevue Shelter!

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The City of Bellevue and King County are working in partnership with Congregations for the Homeless and Imagine Housing to create a permanent men’s shelter which would include 100 emergency beds, a day center and cafeteria, as well as 50 units of permanent housing. We fully support the proposed shelter, but not all community members do. Read this Seattle Times article for more information about the proposed shelter and discussions it has sparked. We encourage you to express your support to the City of Bellevue and King County! Monday, Nov. 28th at 6pm at Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue): The Bellevue City Council will receive an update on the proposed shelter and permanent supportive housing project at an extended study session. The meeting will begin with a 30-minute period for oral comments to the council. We encourage you to show up to this meeting and publicly express your support! If you can’t show up on the 28th, send advocacy postcards to the Bellevue City Council and King County Council (note that you need to put it in an envelope to send, it’s too big to be mailed on it’s own)! (Click here for a pdf of the postcard). Or email your comments directly to the Bellevue City Council at eastsidemensshelter@bellevuewa.gov or to key King County Councilmembers Claudia Balducci (claudia.balducci@kingcounty.gov) and Reagan Dunn (reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov). For more information on the shelter including facts on homelessness in Bellevue, community outreach efforts and FAQs, visit the city’s webpage here.

Severe Weather Shelter 2016: October 13 – October 18 information

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Major rain and windstorms expected to hit Western Washington October 13 – 16, 2016  Two strong Pacific storm systems are expected to affect the area. Please circulate and share this information with your clients, guests, and people you know who are staying outside and want to find temporary shelter inside from the high winds and major rain. Severe weather shelters tend to be opened in King County when the temperature is below 32*, this weekend the following shelters will be open due to the rain and wind storms. If these resources don’t work, encourage people to call 211 for other possible options. Click here for more shelter information from 211. This post will be frequently updated with the most recent information. If you know of new or updated information please contact hillary[at]homelessinfo[dot]org. _________________________________________________________________________ SEVERE WEATHER SHELTERS – Updated 10/17/2016 at 10am Please share information about severe weather shelters with your clients and the community.  Check back for frequent updates about openings. SEATTLE: King County Administration Building Shelter & 420 4th Ave Shelter – expanded capacity (50 additional spots in Admin Building) Location:  500 & 420 4th Avenue Downtown Seattle (Between Jefferson and James)  Line up for the shelter in front of the loading dock garage door at the corner of 4th and Jefferson. Dates open (with expanded capacity): Thursday, 10/13 – Tuesday, 10/18, (Both Admin Shelter & 420 4th Ave open regularly every other night with 50 beds each) Time: 7pm to 6am Capacity: 100 beds in Admin, 50 beds at 420 4th Ave Population: men (pets welcome at 420 shelter) Seattle City Hall Shelter Location: 600 4th Ave Dates open (with expanded capacity): Thursday, 10/13 – Tuesday, 10/18, (Open regularly with 75 beds every other night) Time: 7pm to 6am Capacity: 81 beds Population: men & women Seattle Severe Weather Shelter  – PRINT & POST THIS FLYER Location: Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion, …

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Accessing Coordinated Entry for All at King County 2-1-1

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At last week’s Coalition on Homelessness General Membership Meeting, Coalition members were joined by Danielle Winslow from All Home who discussed with us the Coordinated Entry for All (CEA) program, which is run by King County. The goal of CEA is to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to housing in the most efficient way. It does this by using a standardized assessment tool to matches the right level of services and housing resources to the individuals seeking these resources. To learn more about the basics of the program and where Regional Access Points are located, visit www.kingcounty.gov/cea. To schedule an appointment for a CEA assessment, people need to call King County 2-1-1 to set up an appointment for an assessment. 2-1-1 is currently experiencing high volumes of calls and appointments are filling fast. Alex Williams with King County 2-1-1 sent us some tips, information, and realistic expectations that people should have when calling 2-1-1 to access CEA. CEA Access and Information at King County 2-1-1 as of September, 2016  General Information on 2-1-1 King County 2-1-1 is open to receive calls Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. CEA assessment appointments are made on Wednesday mornings. Dialing 2-1-1 on a cell phone will connect you to the 2-1-1 that serves the area where your phone is based. You can also call King County 2-1-1 directly by dialing (206) 461-3200 or toll-free at (800) 621-4636. If your cell phone connects you to another 2-1-1 contact center in Washington state, they can transfer your call to King County 2-1-1 if you are calling during our hours of operation. Specialists at King County 2-1-1 can assist callers in English and Spanish. To use an interpreter for other languages, push ‘5’ when prompted after calling 2-1-1. This option will connect you to a Specialist who speaks …

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Some good news: Additional shelter that we’ve been pressing for will open this week!

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Thanks to advocacy, King County, & the City of Seattle, 100 additional men will soon have overnight winter shelter.    King County is expanding men’s winter shelter in the Administration Building from 50 to 100 spaces, and opening 50 more winter-only spaces in a vacant county-owned building. King County Men’s Winter Shelter  – 500 4th Avenue Open Every Night November 1 – April 15, 2016 Location:             King County Administration Building – 500 4th Avenue Downtown                                Seattle (Between Jefferson and James) Operator:            The Salvation Army Capacity:            100 men (100 beds available starting on Monday night, 12/28/15) Hours:                 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM Access:               Line up for the shelter in front of the loading dock garage door at                                  the corner of 4th and Jefferson. NEW SHELTER: King County Men’s Winter Shelter  – 420 4th Avenue Open Every Night December 26 – April 15, 2016 Location:             420 4th Avenue, Seattle (Between Jefferson and James) Operator:            The Salvation Army Capacity:             50 Men Hours:                  7:00 PM to 6:00 AM Access:                Line up for the shelter in front of the loading dock garage door at                                 the corner of 4th and Jefferson. Please Note:  The shelters are located across the street from to each other.  To facilitate the line up for the shelters there will be only one line for accessing both shelters.  The shelter line …

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