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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am inviting you to be on the frontline of preventing homelessness by stepping up to the plate and supporting the Helpline during GiveBIG, the Seattle Foundation's online giving event now through Tuesday, May 3rd -- GiveBIG Queen Anne Helpline. With our city in the throes of a homelessness crisis and the Helpline's growing leadership tackling this serious issue, your help is more important than ever. It is fitting that GiveBIG's theme this year is "Together We Can Make an Impact." When you give to Queen Anne Helpline you are literally keeping local families, many with children, from falling into homelessness.
Thanks to you, the Helpline's impact continues to grow.
- In 2015 we helped 24% more people than the previous year. We provided financial assistance to 842 people including 285 children and prevented 505 evictions and 162 utility shut-offs. Sixty-two percent of the people we helped were families. These impressive numbers are from our new database that is giving us a better measure of our impact.
- Thanks to our powerful partnership with Compass Housing Alliance our financial assistance helped 39 families move into their new homes, and a year later they are all still stably housed. Your dollars also provided 12 previously homeless women a safe place to live while receiving services to help them get back on their feet.
- In an important new development we recently added Case Management services to help clients move toward increased self-sufficiency while decreasing their need for outside assistance.
All of this depends on your support. GiveBIG is a fantastic opportunity to support our work because a percent of all donations received that day (or scheduled in advance) will be matched by Seattle Foundation, growing the impact of your gift. Remember, for your donation to count as part of GiveBIG you MUST donate through the Seattle Foundation website. New this year, you can schedule your donation in advance beginning Monday, April 18th! To schedule your donation now: GiveBIG Queen Anne Helpline or go to the Seattle Foundation website, search for Queen Anne Helpline and click the Donate button.
JUST ANNOUNCED! Metropolitan Market Uptown and Magnolia are offering a $6,000 challenge match for GiveBIG! Last years' challenge match of $5,000 proved so successful they've decided to increase the amount they are offering. Please help us meet this fantastic challenge where every dollar you give up to $6,000 will be doubled!
We can't do this work without you! Heartfelt thanks in advance for helping so many of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Warmly,
Lisa
Lisa Moore, Executive Director
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Case Management
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We are excited to announce a new
Case Management service at the Helpline. Thanks to longtime volunteer
Liz Spaulding, who has her Master of Social Work degree (MSW), we are now beginning to offer case management on a limited basis. Our goal is to help individuals find ways to increase their self-sufficiency and in doing so, decrease their need for outside assistance. Liz has an extensive background in social work, making her a natural fit for this much-needed service for our clients, who will now get assistance in completing applications, making employment connections, or accessing other resources. Liz will work with a variety of clients, with a particular focus on families and seniors.
We are thrilled to announce that initial funding for this program comes from a generous $5,000 grant from Windermere Foundation! Thanks to them we have been able to expand our client services into this much-needed area.
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Helpline Case Manager, Liz Spaulding |
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Client Story
As the Helpline's new Case Management Program gets up and running, we are already seeing the positive impact it is having. We recognized a need for this program after a review of our Financial Assistance Program that helps clients with rent and/or utility bills up to two times a year. We started questioning why some clients were chronic repeaters at quite regular intervals. We also recognized that while assessing financial need, we only hear a small part of these clients' stories, and quite often don't get to the reasons behind their cyclical needs. By expanding into case management, we can more fully understand these deeper reasons and attempt to help these clients to be more self-sufficient going forward.
Our Case Manager Liz Spaulding began work about a month ago, starting with just a few clients we felt would benefit from more targeted assistance. Often what people need most is a patient and sympathetic ear coupled with an ability to take knowledgeable action. Liz can go deeper, helping clients identify their most pressing needs, whether that means establishing a monthly budget, assisting with a job search, or making sure a client has tapped into all types of assistance for which they are eligible (e.g., food stamps, energy discount program, etc.).
We know that each story is unique, therefore success for these clients will be uniquely different. One early success is that of Charlotte. It took only a couple of meetings for Liz to realize that Charlotte was in need of dental work, but that she had avoided it because of cost. After some research, Liz found a low-income dental clinic for Charlotte and also made sure she was enrolled in Medicaid to cover her medical costs. Charlotte has an upcoming appointment with a dentist -- quite a success! To ensure continued success for Charlotte, Liz will continue to meet with her, identifying needs and tracking goals, including aiding her in a job search and getting her to a healthier place in her life -- both physically and financially.
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Community Forums
Our first two Community Forums were a great success! These intimate gatherings of up to 16 people included business and community members, as well as staff and board members. After a quick tour of the tidy and bright Helpline offices with its shelves of packaged emergency food and the highly organized clothing bank of clean and pressed goods, the group gathered over light snacks for a rich dialogue covering Helpline services, community questions, and valuable feedback that was helpful to all who attended. We thank everyone who participated. We plan on scheduling more forums in the future, so stay tuned!
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Fun Run Scheduled!
Mark your calendars for
July 9
! That's the date for this year's
Craig Wilson Memorial Fun Run/Walk
, named in honor of longtime community member and Board member Craig Wilson, who passed away this year. It is also the kick-off event for
Queen Anne Days
, a community celebration. New this year is a route change that will have the run/walk starting at the Queen Anne Lutheran Church at 8th Ave. W and West McGraw Streets, where entrants register and pick up their T-shirts.
Sponsorships for this year's event are available by contacting the Helpline at 206-282-1540, or [email protected].
Registration will open in June, stay tuned for volunteer opportunities as well!
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THANK YOU!
Heartfelt thanks to the following groups or individuals for their recent fantastic support!
- Declan Lavery who for multiple years now has forgone birthday gifts and instead requests donations for the Helpline.
- KCTS - we are most grateful to have been selected for the second year in a row as a beneficiary of their annual Mr. Rogers Sweater Drive.
- Queen Bee and Aegis Living who selected us as their first nonprofit beneficiary on Queen Anne Hill. We received a generous check for their first trimester profits.
- Donna from Don's Daughter Donna's Barbershop who collected financial donations on our behalf when she closed up her longtime Queen Anne location in preparation for a move to Fisherman's Terminal.
- Annabel Stephenson who collected hygiene and food for us at her 9th birthday party.
- Boy Scout Troop 72 who "Scouted for Food" on our behalf and delivered 120 bags of groceries!
- St. Anne Parish Members who chose to volunteer or donate as part of their Lenten observance.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Rick Tanner
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Rick recently started volunteering as a Front Desk Volunteer at the Queen Anne Helpline after seeing the sign and being curious about what services the Helpline offered to the community. Says Rick, "As a retired elementary and middle school librarian I did my research and found that Queen Anne Helpline is a key player in making this community a better place with its compassion to all that enter the doors each day. After recently purchasing a home in the Queen Anne neighborhood, I decided I needed to become involved in a small way. Right away after moving here it was obvious this is an extremely friendly and compassionate neighborhood...It's a privilege to volunteer for such a great non-profit."
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We love having Rick here! He is so comfortable and friendly working with clients, it feels like a natural fit. He always goes the extra mile too, purchasing and bringing in food items we are low on and stepping up to take care of small tasks. Thanks for ALL you do, Rick!
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HELPLINE WISH LIST
We are experiencing an increased volume in clients, and would especially welcome donations of:
- Clean new or gently-used linens (sheets, blankets, and towels)
- Backpacks or duffel bags
- Men's casual pants - Dockers and jeans
- Warm jackets
- Food:
* cans of fruit (easy-opening is a plus)
* crackers (packaged in sleeves, like Ritz or saltines)
* granola bars
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Our mission: To improve the lives of our neighbors in need by providing emergency assistance for housing, food
and basic needs.
Queen Anne Helpline is so grateful for all of our volunteers, donors and supporters - you make our work possible and help improve the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Please consider making a donation to help support local families, seniors, and individuals. You can donate here
or visit our website:
Queen Anne Helpline
311 West McGraw
Seattle, WA 98119
206-282-1540
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Make a local impact by donating to the Queen Anne Helpline
now through Tuesday May 3rd! A percentage of all donations
will be matched by Seattle Foundation.
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STAY CONNECTED
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