Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Because it's still summer I'm offering an addition to your summer book list. "Evicted" is a gripping, deeply researched, and compelling read. Matthew Desmond follows the lives of several families and individuals in the Milwaukee area. This timely, important book is one we're all reading at the Helpline and it's spurring important conversations.
 
Most of us will never experience what it is like to live with the chronic financial stress our clients and the people vividly profiled by Desmond confront. Like other working class kids, when I was a college student I supported myself with minimum wage part-time jobs, worrying that I never had enough money and rationing groceries to pay rent. But I had a safety net. If something had happened -- an accident, losing my job -- I had parents who would, and could, help me in a minute. And I knew my situation was temporary; once I graduated I would find a good job with good pay.
 
It is powerful and sobering for me and the Helpline team to see more and more people coming in under real economic stress. They share stories about their financial reality -- barely making enough to pay bills and unable to afford even necessities like prescriptions, forget having money for simple extras like buying their kids birthday presents. As we continuously confront this stark challenge facing so many of our clients we started looking at what we could do to help stabilize their financial situation to prevent future emergencies.Clearly there was a need for services that would lead to increased self-sufficiency. If someone is unstably housed and chronically financially stressed it also impacts their emotional, physical, and mental health well-being -- and that of the whole family.
 
One year ago we started offering case management to a limited group of clients. This work has had a very positive impact, and from it we've learned that some clients would also benefit from shorter-term supportive services. It is our goal to expand offering supportive services -- financial literacy, help completing benefits applications, counseling to work towards employment -- to every individual who comes to us in need of financial assistance. This service is critically important and has become a central part of our homelessness prevention work.
 
Services like this add to our costs because they require more time; they are not a one-time fix. But the long-term impact of offering case management and supportive services will result in a decreased need for financial assistance. We count ourselves as incredibly lucky to have a community that understands the need and supports us in so many ways.
 
On Saturday October 21st you'll have a chance to support us in a very tangible way and have a great evening. Our annual Taste of Queen Anne is a wonderful way to support the Helpline with this amazing demonstration of neighbors helping neighbors. You'll be part of the important work the Helpline has been doing for over 35 years -- work that is needed more today than ever. And the Taste is lots of fun! Over 15 of the area's best restaurants come together to serve up their signature dishes, plus there's a fabulous live auction with awesome prize packages (including a trip to Hawaii), live music, and complimentary wine and beer. The Taste is always a terrific, lively event that's a perfect way to spend an evening with friends and neighbors. We have already had tremendous response from our business community ensuring that the cost of the entire event is covered, plus some. Now all we need is you. Please join us to continue this community's impressive tradition of preventing homelessness and making this a great city for EVERYONE.
 
Warmly,  
Lisa
Lisa Moore, Executive Director
   
TASTE OF QUEEN ANNE REGISTRATION OPEN!



Register now: TASTE OF QUEEN ANNE.
FUN RUN RAISES OVER $35,500 

Another fantastic Fun Run, thanks to everyone who helped us exceed our goal by raising a whopping $35,525! Many many thanks to our generous sponsors including our Presenting sponsor Metropolitan Market Queen Anne & Magnolia, our Leaders HomeStreet Bank and Queen Anne Lutheran Church (who also generously hosted the event!) and so many others; for a full list please visit our website. We had tremendous support from in-kind donors who provided refreshments and more, an amazing group of about 60 volunteers who ensured the whole event went off flawlessly, and of course everyone who participated by walking, running, and strolling around the Crown of Queen Anne. Congrats to winners: First Place Woman - Kristin Sauter, First Place Girl - Elizabeth Woods, First Place Man - Alec Block, and First Place Boy - Gavin Harwood. Last but not least, special recognition to Helpline Board Member Krijn de Jonge who somehow manages millions of details and produces a fabulous event every year. If you haven't yet checked out the times and great photos (thanks to the awesome Marty Perlman), please visit our website: QueenAnneHelpline.org. See you next year!

VOLUNTEER PROFILE - Hollis Giammatteo

Hollis has lived in Seattle for over thirty years, and in Queen Anne for sixteen, and in that time she has enjoyed volunteering for a handful of neighborhood organizations, such as Literacy Source and the Ballard Food Bank. Her past career included co-founding The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia which still thrives, publishing a memoir The Shelf Life of Ashes, as well as writing for various publications. She first learned about the Helpline when she worked at Queen Anne Book Store ten or so years ago; the bookstore was very active in the community, particularly as it pertained to children's activities and literacy.  She describes herself as an avid, if obsessive, gardener, and has enjoyed connecting with friends and neighbors in her capacity as a Master Gardener.
 
Hollis is enjoying her role as a Helpline front desk volunteer, greeting folks upon their arrival and orienting them to our services, and because she is still new to this role, she keeps learning about the myriad resources that the Helpline offers.  "I take pleasure in helping and in fitting in with the tone of the Helpline, set by the caring and capable staff. I believe in compassionate engagement at the local level, and this is what drew me to the Queen Anne Helpline." We greatly appreciate Hollis's commitment, her friendly and respectful treatment of everyone, and her compassionate engagement! 
CLIENT STORY - Timing is Everything

Megan, a single mom living in Magnolia, visited us needing some help with rent after losing her job a few months ago. Fortunately she secured a new job, but she found herself in a scary situation resulting from bad timing that we see all too often in our office: her unemployment benefits ran out a few weeks before she found her new job and she would not receive her first paycheck from the new job until about 3 weeks after she started (add to that, her rent increased by $150/month). For individuals and families who have been living paycheck-to-paycheck and do not have the luxury of a savings account (nor financially well-off family or friends who can help), just a few weeks with no income means you can't pay rent on time and can lead to an eviction notice. This situation is exactly what we want to prevent -- more evictions, more people unhoused. So, by sending $800 to her landlord we were able keep this mom and her toddler in their home, providing peace of mind until Megan's first paycheck comes and she can go forward on her own.
THANK YOU!
  
Heartfelt thanks to the following groups or individuals for their fantastic support!
 
As part of this year's Night Out festivities on August 1, Matt in Uptown and Deirdre in Queen Anne both hosted a drive for clothing and other items our clients need. Great idea!
 
Julie Schlosser, her son and a couple of other young neighbors organized a lemonade stand with the proceeds coming to us; they raised $90! Thanks, friends!
 
Ann Sharma put the word out to her friends and family and coordinated a food and hygiene drive for us. They all took shifts staffing a table outside Trader Joe's (on a very hot day, no less!) encouraging shoppers to purchase an extra item or two to donate to our food pantry and/or hygiene bar. They filled four large bins plus several additional sacks! The next day they brought everything to our office and packed the food into bags that we can easily distribute to clients in need, as well as restocked our hygiene bins. Great work! We've already distributed dozens of the food bags (especially the snack bags).

 
District 7 Neighborhood Action Coalition member and Queen Anne resident Kim Raymoure has started organizing quarterly clothing drives for our clients via several tech companies in town (Extrahop, Google, and Skytap). The first delivery of men's and women's clothing just arrived! Such a simple -- yet meaningful -- way to help our neighbors. Thank you! 
HELPLINE WISHLIST
Men's casual pants - jeans, etc.
Men's and women's black pants (for work)
Towels
Backpacks
All hygiene items, especially shampoo
Snacks -- granola bars, cheese and crackers
Peanut butter
Tuna
Canned vegetables

 

Our mission: To improve the lives of our neighbors 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