{"id":656,"date":"2015-06-13T04:48:37","date_gmt":"2015-06-13T04:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/?page_id=656"},"modified":"2016-01-16T20:36:40","modified_gmt":"2016-01-16T20:36:40","slug":"november-2015-minutes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/?page_id=656","title":{"rendered":"November 2015 Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

EASTSIDE INTERFAITH SOCIAL CONCERNS COUNCIL MINUTES<\/strong>
\nP.O. Box 662, Bellevue, WA 98009-0662<\/strong>
\nNovember 10, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The meeting was held in Bristol Hall of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church beginning at 12:00 noon<\/span>.
\nWELCOME:<\/strong> The meeting was called to order and conducted by our new EISCC President Tony Copes.<\/p>\n

OPENING REFLECTION: <\/strong>Tony Copes opened with an Ojibway prayer from Earth Prayers<\/u>.<\/p>\n

SELF-INTRODUCTIONS<\/strong> were made by 23 representatives and guests.<\/p>\n

MINUTES<\/strong> of the October 13, 2015, meeting were approved as submitted.<\/p>\n

TREASURER’S REPORT: <\/strong>The Treasurer was not present at the meeting and did not provide a report.\u00a0 We are looking to replace Kimberly as our Treasurer, as she has found it difficult to attend our membership and board meetings, and it is desired that officers be present at those meetings.\u00a0 The board has drafted a tentative job description for the position and is actively seeking to recruit a replacement.<\/p>\n

REFRESHMENT COORDINATOR: <\/strong>Many thanks to Nadine Bentsen, Sandy Lewis, Diane Richards, Steve Roberts, Anne St. Germain, and Gordon Williams for providing the day\u2019s refreshments.<\/p>\n

REPORTS:<\/strong>
\nBackpack Meals: <\/strong>Jan Starr reported that approximately 100 to 120 kids are being served each week at present.\u00a0 They do need help with donations of food and the weekly packing of the backpacks at the warehouse.\u00a0 For information on needed food items, packing opportunities, or other questions about this program, visit their website at http:\/\/www.backpackmeals.org<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Congregations for Kids:\u00a0 <\/strong>Nancy Jacobs was not present and did not provide a report.<\/p>\n

Legislative Coordinator:\u00a0 <\/strong>Jean Harris noted that a Appeals Court in Texas had challenged Obama’s recent immigration policy which would allow up to 5 million undocumented immigrants to remain in the US.\u00a0 Also, there is an on-line petition circulating which is calling for election day 2016 to be declared a national holiday in an effort to boost voter turnout and increase citizen engagement.\u00a0 Many other countries already have holidays on the day of their national elections, and such policies tend to generate greater voter turnout.\u00a0 The petition can be found at signforgood.com\/electiondayholiday<\/a><\/u>.\u00a0 Jean further noted that President Obama had rejected the Keystone XL pipeline last week.<\/p>\n

Emergency Services Fund: <\/strong>Dave Bowlan said that the Emergency Services Fund that Hopelink oversees wants to know about people in congregations or in the wider community that need their assistance.\u00a0 Their annual Turkey Trot to help low-income families, seniors, and children will be held on November 22, 2015<\/span>, at Marina Park in Kirkland.\u00a0 Registration opens at 9 am<\/span> and the race begins at 10 am<\/span>.\u00a0 They will also have a holiday toy drive.\u00a0 More information on both these activities can be found at their website at www.hope-link.org<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHTS:<\/strong>
\nEastside Meaningful Movies:\u00a0 <\/strong>Dick Jacke reported that an updated list of films has been released that covers the period through March, 2016.\u00a0 This is a project of the Outreach Team at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, the Earthkeeping Team at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and the Social Justice Coordinating Council at East Shore Unitarian Church.\u00a0 The films are screened at St. Margaret’s on the third Tuesday<\/span> of each month (through May) in Bristol Hall, the very room in which EISCC meetings are held.\u00a0 Films focus on current social issues and are followed by lively discussion.\u00a0 The next film will be Fresh, looking at how farmers, activists, and entrepreneurs in the Shenandoah Valley are challenging the conventional agri-business model of food production.\u00a0 Requested donation is $5, but no one is turned away.\u00a0 Two additional films will be added for April and May.\u00a0 Watch for that announcement.<\/p>\n

King County Emergency Declaration<\/strong>: Karen Studders reported on the recent joint declaration of civil emergency by King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.\u00a0 Such an emergency declaration places powers in the hands of the executive required to address the emergency situation.<\/p>\n

King County currently has 10,000 homeless people each night according to best estimates.\u00a0 This includes folks in transitional housing, encampments, and other shelters. \u00a0Further, studies show that each $100 increase in average rents in an urban area produces a 15% increase in homelessness.\u00a0 The increase is even higher in rural areas. In Washington State, there are over 35,000 school children experiencing homelessness.\u00a0 In King County, the number is over 3,000 school children who are experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

In the declaration, there is a call to state and federal governments to increase the number of shelter beds available, They hope to establish a mobile medical van with multi-disciplinary staff to search out and serve those needing housing.\u00a0They appreciate the work that faith communities have been doing in this area, but many of those communities are already overtaxed in their efforts.\u00a0 They also hope to expand the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program, which has been funded by business.\u00a0 They realize that they also need to address detox and dependency resources.\u00a0 They are studying the possible use of currently vacant builidings and tiny houses.\u00a0 The response is expected to bring $5.3 million in funding from the City of Seattle and $2 million from King County.<\/p>\n

What can we do to help this effort?\u00a0 Karen suggests six specific things that we can do. \u00a0Individual members of EISCC and congregations and other organizations are encouraged to write and\/or call their city councils, mayors, county council members, and County Executive Dow Constantine ASAP and say:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Write cities and the county to support increased bed capacity,<\/li>\n
  2. Provide help rather than arrest for the homeless when they become involved with the criminal justice system,<\/li>\n
  3. Find public parking areas that can be used to park vehicles which the homeless occupy,<\/li>\n
  4. Sponsor a family or child,<\/li>\n
  5. Support encampments with supplies and meals, and<\/li>\n
  6. Urge local municipalities to step forward and support the proclamation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For more information on the proclamation and what you can do to help, please see the attachments to these minutes.<\/p>\n

    PROGRAM: Congregations for the Homeless. \u00a0<\/strong>
    \nExecutive Director Steve Roberts opened with a quick overview of the history of Congregations for the Homeless (CfH).\u00a0 Their first men’s shelter opened in 1993 to provide a warm, safe, hospitable place for up to 30 single men to sleep and be nourished with three healthy meals each day.\u00a0 Over the years, the shelter has added access to showers, laundry, computers, medical assistance, and dental services.\u00a0 In 2005, they were able to add a comprehensive case management and life coaching program with the intent of moving the men from homelessness to permanent housing and independent living.\u00a0 In 2006, they added subsidized housing to the programs that they offer.\u00a0 At present, this housing can accommodate approximately 75 clients.\u00a0 Beginning in 2008, the Eastside Winter Shelter was opened to help the homeless men meet the winter conditions that endanger the lives of the homeless in our community.\u00a0 In 2013, a Day Center opened to be a daytime resource for men without meals, showers, laundry facilities, computers, clothing, bus tickets, and hygiene products.\u00a0 The Day Center also helps to connect men to other resources such as the Winter Shelter.<\/p>\n

    Eastside cities have been working together with CfH to create a new shelter in Bellevue.\u00a0 CfH expresses its gratitude to the mayors of these cities for the funding that they are willing to provide to this project, and CfH suggests you thank them as well for their efforts.<\/p>\n

    Steve next introduced Dwight Jackson, the Director of Shelter Services for CfH.\u00a0 Dwight has been with CfH for a year.\u00a0 While poverty is a major factor in homelessness, Dwight stresses that the homeless are often facing challenges of emotional, spiritual, and relational issues as well.\u00a0 A new outreach program hopes to reach out to people on the streets and connect them to a safe place to stay, food, and other resources.\u00a0 What these men really need is respect, compassion, and empowerment.\u00a0 This new program is getting funding from Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Issaquah.\u00a0 They are also working closely with emergency services and police.\u00a0 If you find people that should be receiving this service, contact Dwight.\u00a0 Do note that while he will try to respond to emergencies, demand for such service sometimes exceeds his ability to respond to each immediately.<\/p>\n

    They have a flex foods program for existing outreach groups to complement their efforts.\u00a0 They have a rapid housing program to get folks off the street, attempting to divert men from the homeless system.\u00a0 They are working with the court system in Issaquah on a diversion project to take homeless men facing charges of trespass, drug offenses, or other low-level crimes to deal with the underlying issues rather than simply putting folks in jail.<\/p>\n

    Their day services are now reaching about 350 persons annually with meals, sanitary facilities and showers, and connection to services.\u00a0 The Emergency Winter Shelter opened early this year (before November 1), because King County asked for extra help in assisting the homeless.\u00a0 It opened on September 17<\/span> and served 200 people before the winter shelter began operations.\u00a0 They expect to serve 600 people this year \u2013 up from 450 last year.\u00a0 One big advantage of this shelter is that there is storage space for belongings that would otherwise have to be carried about all day by their owners.<\/p>\n

    Josh Terlouw, a former case manager and now Director of Housing, started with CfH in January.\u00a0 As he was being considered for a position, he was asked to spend some time just hanging out with the men to see how well he could relate to them.\u00a0 He clearly passed the test, and he continues to stress the importance of building relationships in working with the men now.<\/p>\n

    They have 70+ people in housing currently: six each in eight houses, ten men in Harrington House, and some for whom they provide rent subsidies.\u00a0 The men have personal rooms with access to common spaces.\u00a0 Their rooms can be locked and belongings secured.<\/p>\n

    When he was new, he had started out working in the year around shelter as a case manager, working with men to provide support, connecting them to needed services, and helping them to set goals.\u00a0 He noted that many shelters in King County are not able to provide case management to their clients \u2013 something that he believes is critical to the success of the programs at CfH.<\/p>\n

    When the men come into the year around shelter, they are connected with needed services and then begin discussions about their possible pathways to independent living.\u00a0 To move on from this shelter, they need to have been clean and sober for more than two years and have some savings.\u00a0 If they are found eligible, they can move into a room when available (note that there can be a five to seven year wait for public housing).\u00a0 They are expected to contribute 30% of their income to rent initially, and that rent is gradually increased over time.\u00a0 They continue to work with case management at this time.<\/p>\n

    Finally, David Johns Bowling, the Deputy Director of CfH, spoke.\u00a0 He thanked all of the communities in the room that had participated in any way in supporting the work of CfH over the years.\u00a0 He went on to note that the sale of the First Congregational Church building to developers will mean that their Day Center will need to be finding a new home in the near future \u2013 it appears that it will need to close at the current location at the end of April this next year.\u00a0 If your congregation or other community group knows of possible space for such a facility, please let them know.<\/p>\n

    David indicated that meals are always a need for many of their programs.\u00a0 Congregations are among their most prolific meal providers;\u00a0 Providing meals for such an effort can be a real community builder for your group, so you should consider participating!\u00a0 To schedule your donated meals, visit their website (see below).\u00a0 Finally, he indicated that the biggest bottleneck in their programs is housing.\u00a0 Access to additional housing would enable them to provide services to many that are not currently reached.<\/p>\n

    Steve returned to close out the presentation.\u00a0 He spoke about the efforts of the Eastside cities to create year round, permanent, low-barrier shelters in the area. The plans are to have a shelter in Kirkland for women and families, a shelter in Bellevue for single men, and a shelter in Redmond for youth.\u00a0 CfH would be the operator for these shelters.\u00a0 The project will cost about $5.5 million and should open in the winter of 2017.\u00a0 Funding is expected to come from the State, King County, and the cities.<\/p>\n

    Steve reiterated that affordable housing in one of the greatest challenges to the sense of self worth for their clients.\u00a0 It takes about two years to get folks from the streets to permanent housing with their current programs.\u00a0 He urges us to continue to urge our cities to promote more affordable housing in our communities.\u00a0 Much of the ‘affordable’ housing in our area is pegged at folks earning 80% of median income \u2013 unfortunately, many folks make only 30 to 40% of the median income!<\/p>\n

    Finally, Steve reminded us that the Congregations for the Homeless Annual Luncheon will be held on May 6, 2016<\/span>, at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.\u00a0 Save the date and watch for more details!<\/p>\n

    For more information on Congregations for the Homeless, please visit their website at cfhomeless.org<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

    ANNOUNCEMENTS:<\/strong>
    \nElizabeth Maupin reported that there will be program featuring film and speakers\/panel on the topic of People Living in Vehicles<\/strong> at the Issaquah Library on Tuesday<\/span> evening, November 17<\/span>, at 6:30 pm<\/span>.\u00a0 It is part of the Meaningful Conversations at the Issaquah Library series, which brings the community together for movies and discussions that touch on real social issues and possible compassionate responses.<\/p>\n

    Karina O’Malley reported that there will be a special Community Action-Plan Gathering<\/strong> to address the needs of the homeless and, especially, those in tent encampments on the Eastside.\u00a0 This event will be held at the Peter Kirk Community Center in Kirkland on Thursday, November 12, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm<\/span>.\u00a0 An event page will be available for registrations on October 15<\/span>.\u00a0 Please RSVP to linda@nourishingnetworks.net<\/a> if you would like to help make this happen.<\/p>\n

    CLOSING REFLECTION:<\/strong>\u00a0 Sandy Lewis provided a closing prayer from Thomas Merton.<\/p>\n

    THE NEXT EISCC MEETING will take place on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 12:00 \u2013 1:30 pm\u00a0<\/strong>
    \nPROGRAM: Faith Action Network Legislative Update<\/strong>
    \nLOCATION: BRISTOL HALL, ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 4228 FACTORIA BOULEVARD SE, BELLEVUE (ACROSS FROM NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL)
    \nDick Jacke, EISCC Secretary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    EASTSIDE INTERFAITH SOCIAL CONCERNS COUNCIL MINUTES P.O. Box 662, Bellevue, WA 98009-0662 November 10, 2015 \u00a0The meeting was held in Bristol Hall of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church beginning at 12:00 noon. WELCOME: The meeting was called to order and conducted by our new EISCC President Tony Copes. OPENING REFLECTION: Tony Copes opened with an Ojibway … Continue reading November 2015 Minutes<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":575,"menu_order":11,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-656","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4dwA2-aA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":736,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/656\/revisions\/736"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}