12736 33rd Avenue NESeattle, WA 98125

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W I N T E R 2017 N E W S L E T T E R

W I N T E R 2017 N E W S L E T T E R

“How can I get into housing?”

This is one of the most common

questions we are asked at

North Helpline. It is also the

question we have the hardest

time answering. Beyond referring

people to call various shelters

or agencies and get put on

any number of waiting lists for

housing, there isn’t a lot we can

do. Now, with Coordinated Entry

for All, we are finally able to offer

a more streamlined, hopefully

tangible, avenue toward

housing for people experiencing

homelessness.

Coordinated Entry was developed

by All Home (formerly the

Committee to End Homelessness)

to address the homelessness and

housing crisis in King County.

Housing specialists are stationed

at various Regional Access Points

(RAP) throughout the county to

assess the needs of those eligible

for homeless services, and to

help them navigate the path to

stable housing.

North Helpline is proud to be an

agency that connects neighbors

to housing specialists one day

a week. In hosting housing

specialists at

North Helpline,

more adults,

young adults,

couples, and

families living

homeless can

move themselves

one step closer

to safe housing

without having

to leave the food bank.

Coordinated Entry has been

underway since 2012 for families

experiencing homelessness,

and since 2014 for youth. In the

coming year, single folks will

receive recommendations as

well. “Part of the reason for the

wait was geographic fairness,”

RAP Housing Specialist Tsukina

Blessing explains. Certain RAP

locations opened later in the

north and east sides of the

county, and it has taken time to

implement.

As Housing Specialist, Blessing

interviews unsheltered people

to assess their vulnerability.

Interviews can take between 30

to 45 minutes for most single

people, and up to an hour for

Get in shape? Support local businesses? Meet new people? Be more charitable?

Regardless of what your New Year resolution is, the Lake City Wellness Pass will make it possible! Lake City Future First

MAKE YOUR 2017 RESOLUTIONS LAST WITH A WELLNESS PASS

Because of you, 2016 was a transformative year for North Helpline.

14% more food was distributed in the Food Bank, and Emergency Services doubled its financial assistance to prevent evictions and utility shut offs.

Thank you!

and North Helpline have teamed up to create this all in one resolution buster.

Each pass grants entrance to a number of local fitness businesses, and a total of $1,500 worth of savings. From salsa

STAY IN TOUCH

Facebook.com/ north.helpline

Twitter.com/ NorthHelpline

Instagram @northhelpline

northhelpline.org

SAVE THE DATE!

Empty Bowls

2/26 - Sunday

1-4pm

At St. Matthew’s Parish

(1240 NE 127th Street)

Mark your calendars &

get your tickets today!

northhelpline.org/events

PCC Packaging Party

3/8 - Wednesday

7 pm

Help repackage and

prepare bulk donations

from PCC for the

food bank. To sign up

email: volunteers@

northhelpline.org

dancing to yoga to Kung Fu—there is something for everyone!

Wellness Passes are available for $50 each until February 28. Purchase your pass online: http://bit.ly/2h6H6pg

families and couples. Once

vulnerability is determined,

people are put into the

“community queue” or waiting

pool for housing.

How long the average wait time

can be between assessment and

housing placement is a question

that remains to be answered.

“There is not enough housing

for homeless people at this

point,” Blessing shares. “With prices skyrocketing around Seattle, it seems more people are entering homelessness than leaving.”

Blessing and other Housing

Specialists do not promise

housing (Continued on page 3)

COORDINATED ENTRY MEETS PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, AT NORTH HELPLINE

Get your 2017 Wellness Pass by February 28!

32 W I N T E R 2017 N E W S L E T T E R W I N T E R 2017 N E W S L E T T E R

THANK YOU, FRIENDS OF NORTH HELPLINE!This past holiday season we were overwhelmed by your kindness: Adamek Household · Anderson Household · Anschell Household · Atwell Household · Augustin & Menconi Household · Aylesworth Houeshold · Bawden Household · Bent Household · Berlin Household · Bicknell Household · Bledsoe Household · Boomhower Household · Bowersox Household · Bradwell Household · Brewer Household · Brown Household · Bruzas Household · Chang Household · Chanslor Household · Chapman Household · Cheils & Devlin Household · Cheng Household · Cleland Household · Conklin Household · Cook Household · Cornelissen Household · Degi Household · Derham Household · Dietz Household · Duffell Household · Eaton Household · Eskola Household · Evans Household · Felt Household · Forseth Household · Foster Household ·

Fredericks Household · Fritschel Household · Fuller Household · Gallagher Household · Gilbert Household · Gray Household · Guangorena Household · Gueco Household · Hall Household · Hamerly Household · Hammer Household · Hardie Household · Harris Household · Hathaway Household · Hayashida Household · Haynes Household · Henriques Household · Huff Household · Jacobsen Household · Jain Household · Johnson Household · Kading Household · Kageyama Household · Kawabori Household · Keating Household · Keefe Household · Kessler Household · King Household · Koala Household · Koski Household · Landis Household · Larson Household · Levison Household · Little Household · Londborg Household · Madeleine & Schantz Household · Manor Household · Martin Household · McCutcheon Household ·McPhail

Household · Miller Household · Mohr Household · Monger Household · Monillas Household · Moore Household · Motzer Household · Munger Household · Murray Household · Ng Household · Papson Household · Pedersen Household · Perkins Household · Peterson Household · Questad Household · Rajesh Household · Rankin Household · Reed Household · Rohrs Household · Romeo Household · Rowberg Household · Rubens Household · Russo Household · Sellereite Household · Sirotak Household · Skurdal Household · Starkovich Household · Strausz Household · Swanson Household · Tapp Household · Tator & Copeland Household · Tien Household · Tindall Household · Tsutsumi Household · Tully Household · Van der Toorn Household · Vander-Linden Household · White Household · Wies Household · Young

Rick joined the North Helpline staff in November

2016 after volunteering in the Food Bank for

a number of months. His new role is Office

Coordinator, managing the Grocery Rescue Program.

After many years in IT, Rick worked as an Organic

Farm and processing plant inspector for operations

certified under the US National Organic Program.

Rick moved to Seattle from Michigan in 2015, and

likes to get into the mountains to go hiking on

weekends.

McKenna is a proud lifetime resident of the PNW

and Hunger Intervention Program board member.

She is North Helpline’s first ever Client Services

Specialist, ensuring a welcoming environment for

all who walk through the Emergency Services and

Food Bank doors. McKenna and her family live

in the Lake City area and enjoy volunteering in

our community. Her favorite foods include tacos,

summer berries and most anything spicy. McKenna

COMINGS & GOINGS: NORTH HELPLINE IS GROWING!

their homes, and annual financial reviews.

Jolene became a volunteer in 2001, shortly after

the Food Bank had opened, and enjoyed sorting the

food donations. When she heard that North Helpline

was in need of a bookkeeper, Jolene graciously

stepped up to volunteer her CPA skills.

We are grateful for Jolene’s many years of service to

North Helpline, and hope to see her in a different

capacity at North Helpline - perhaps at the sorting

table where she started her volunteer work!

Jolene’s shoes will be difficult to fill, but fill them

we must. If you or anyone you know is interested in seeing how North Helpline operates from behind the scenes, and has bookkeeping experience, please contact our Executive Director, Kelly Brown, at 206-367-3477 or kellybrown@northhelpline.org about becoming our next key volunteer!

to anyone. “There is no way to

know how long it might take,”

she explains.

While Coordinated Entry cannot

promise housing, it is leaps and

bounds above the old systems.

Before, there was no one process

to connect a homeless person

with all of the available housing

or shelters that exist, and no

housing specialists to explain the

various options available. The

vulnerability index is a key part

of Coordinated Entry, intended

to ensure equity and inclusion in

connecting people to housing.

Benefits of Coordinated Entry are

its comprehensive approach of

screening people using the same

criteria, and having one waiting

pool for housing rather than

several waiting lists. Those who

are living homeless are saved the

time and confusion of bouncing

from agency to agency, and the

frustration of having to recount

personal or painful details of

how they became homeless with

each agency they turn to for help.

Unsheltered people in need

of housing in King County can

call 2-1-1 for an appointment

to speak with a Specialist, or

walk in to community locations

like North Helpline. Housing

Specialists will continue to be

present at North Helpline, during

food bank hours, Saturdays from

10-1 pm.

is also a huge Seattle sports fan. Go Hawks!

Now, with a total of six staff positions North

Helpline feels bigger than ever! We are delighted

to have added Rick and McKenna to our team.

They have greatly added to the responsiveness of

North Helpline, and what we are able to offer the

community.

Madeline accepted an opportunity with the

nonprofit Scarecrow Video in January. While she

is excited for the next chapter, it is difficult to say

goodbye after three years with North Helpline.

Madeline shares, “It has been a privilege and

incredible learning experience to have worked

alongside such a dedicated team of smart and

compassionate staff, volunteers, and board. I will

also miss seeing our visitors on a regular basis, who

I’ve come to know in handing out sandwiches and

no-cook bags over the years. Thank you all for your

unparalleled kindness.”

In March we will sadly say goodbye to one of our

key volunteers, Jolene Brewer. For the past fifteen

years, Jolene has volunteered at North Helpline,

every Thursday, as our volunteer bookkeeper. As you

can imagine, the role is a critical one responsible

for managing North Helpline’s budget, payroll,

issuing checks to keep north Seattle families in

A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER

The 2016 holiday season was

one to remember, in part due to

the record breaking amount of

children aged 18 and younger

who received gifts from North

Helpline: 673! In the weeks

leading up to the holidays we

also distributed 144 coats, 60

blankets, 48 sweatshirts, 60 hats,

38 pairs of gloves, and 480 pairs

of socks.

A huge thank you to the many

organizations and individuals

who brought warmth to your

neighbors, donating toys, gifts,

and winter weather clothes as

the temperatures began to drop.

Mayor Murray prepares to hand out food as AnnaJoy explains his volunteer station

Welcome Rick!

Welcome McKenna!

Household · Zitnik & Strand Household · Tubs Gourmet Subs Inc. · Northhaven Resident Council · Haller Lake Community Club · Wedgwood Hair Studio · Seattle Tree Preservation · Avalon Bay Communities Inc. · Boeing Employee Credit Union · Western National Mutual Insurance · Kroger · Microsoft · Kawabe Memorial Fund · The Family Home Foundation · Edwards Mother Earth Foundation · Cambia Employee Giving Campaign · Norcliffe Foundation · St. Alban’s Episcopal Church · Diaconete of Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church · Wedgwood Presbyterian Church · Lake City Christian Church · Seattle Mennonite Church · Prince of Peace Lutheran Church · Fraternal Order of the Eagles- Mother Aerie · American Legion Auxiliary · and many, many others! Thank you, friends!

THANK YOU JOLENE!

On December 24 Mayor Murray

paid us a visit to volunteer and

greet everyone in the Food Bank.

It was the fourth year that the

Mayor celebrated the holidays

with us, which has become a

welcomed tradition in the Food

Bank. The holidays are our

busiest time of the year, but this

past season was the smoothest

yet thanks to our many generous

volunteers and donors!

Jolene will step down as bookkeeper in March

COORDINATED ENTRY (CONTINUED)