As the number of people on Mercer Island grows, the City's Youth and Family Services Department (YFS) is struggling to keep pace with the increase in demand for services. Revenues from the City's general fund are just a small portion of the YFS budget, which relies heavily instead on the MIYFS Foundation and revenues from the City's Thrift Store. " We haven't had the funds to scale up to meet growing demand," says YFS Director Cindy Goodwin. "Instead, we triage."

As an example:  there is currently a two-month waiting list for community-based mental health counseling, primarily driven by referrals from the growing school population. With the opening of the new Northwood Elementary School,  YFS needed to add a mental health counselor, the Department's only staff addition in several years.

A strategic planning assessment by YFS last year identified the kinds of community needs that aren't being met. More families have more complex needs, which might encompass job loss, legal services, mental health counseling or other services. "What they need is wraparound services and someone who can stay involved with them for a longer period of time," says Goodwin.

YFS shifts resources and personnel to serve the most critical needs first. Providing mental health counselors in all Island schools is a top priority, alongside mental health counseling and emergency assistance. For seniors, "helping the most vulnerable comes first; supporting aging-in-place seniors comes after that," says Goodwin.

In recent years, YFS has relied on the MIYFS Foundation to fund the growth in its annual budget, and the Foundation has committed to providing ten percent of total needs, equating to $200,000 in 2017. The Foundation's biggest fundraising event of the year is the Annual Breakfast, slated for February 7, 2018.

Save the date! Plan now to join 600 community-focused Islanders at the sixteenth Annual Breakfast hosted by the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) Foundation. 

Whether you are new to the Island or a traditional attendee, this lively, dynamic community celebration is always inspirational, informative and entertaining -- and a true local tradition!

 

This fundraising event will be held  Wednesday, February 7, 2018 from 7:30am to 8:30am (coffee and registration at 7:00am) at the   Mercer Island Community and Event Center. The breakfast is free, but attendees will be encouraged to make a donation to the Youth and Family Services Foundation at the event.  Register now and reserve a seat, or find other ways to donate on the event webpage.   

 

All proceeds from the event directly support  MIYFS, the human services department of the City of Mercer Island.  MIYFS touches every member of our community through counselors in the schools, senior outreach and advocacy, affordable family counseling, drug and alcohol prevention programs, arrested youth and early intervention programs, family assistance, and a City-owned thrift store.

 

For questions about the event, contact Sari Weiss, Youth and Family Services Development Officer at sari.weiss@mercergov.org, or call (206) 275-7756.