{"id":722,"date":"2016-01-16T20:17:56","date_gmt":"2016-01-16T20:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/?page_id=722"},"modified":"2016-01-23T03:50:49","modified_gmt":"2016-01-23T03:50:49","slug":"january-2016-minutes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/?page_id=722","title":{"rendered":"January 2016 Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

EASTSIDE INTERFAITH SOCIAL CONCERNS COUNCIL MINUTES<\/strong>
\nP.O. Box 662, Bellevue, WA 98009-0662<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/strong>January 12, 2016<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/strong>The meeting was held in Bristol Hall of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church beginning at 12:00 noon.<\/p>\n

WELCOME:<\/strong> The meeting was called to order and conducted by EISCC President Tony Copes.<\/p>\n

OPENING REFLECTION: <\/strong>Tony Copes opened with a prayer.<\/p>\n

SELF-INTRODUCTIONS<\/strong> were made by 25 representatives and guests.<\/p>\n

MINUTES<\/strong> of the November 13, 2015, meeting were reviewed. In Karen Studders’ report on the King County Emergency Declaration, the last sentence in the second paragraph should be replaced with the following text: “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 homlessness.”\u00a0 Before the list of things that can be done to address this situation, add the text: “Individual 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 ….”\u00a0 The minutes were approved with those corrections.\u00a0 Note that you should have received a number of documents related to this issue with the mailing of the November minutes.<\/p>\n

TREASURER’S REPORT: <\/strong>Our new Treasurer, Rev. J. C. Mitchell was out of town and did not provide a report.\u00a0 He is in the process of taking over that position from Kimberly Delcoure, who has found it difficult to attend our membership and board meetings.<\/p>\n

REFRESHMENT COORDINATOR: <\/strong>Many thanks to Nancy Jacobs, Elizabeth Maupin, Nicky Sheriff, Jan Starr, and Anne St. Germain for providing the day\u2019s refreshments.<\/p>\n

REPORTS: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Backpack Meals: <\/strong>Jan Starr offered her thanks for the support that this project continues to receive.\u00a0 For the most recent week, she reported that they supplied 155 bags of food \u2013 the most ever!\u00a0 Their new address is Backpack Meals; 6947 Coal Creek Parkway SE; Newcastle, WA 98059.\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 reported that the project is seeking more congregations to support this project, as the number served is up (as is the associated cost) and the number of supporting congregations has been dropping.\u00a0 They are also looking for new board members to replace some long-serving current members.<\/p>\n

Legislative Coordinator:\u00a0 <\/strong>Jean Harris noted that the new legislative session had begun the day before.\u00a0 This will be the short, 60-day session.\u00a0 Our interests are in protecting health and human services as the legislature addresses the Supreme Court charge to increase education spending.\u00a0 We hope that low-cost housing can be saved or increased to prevent further increases in homelessness.\u00a0 Thursday, February 4, 2016, will be the Faith Action Network Advocacy Day in Olympia.<\/p>\n

Emergency Services Fund: <\/strong>Dave Bowlan is no longer with Hopelink.\u00a0 We hope to connect with his replacement soon and get regular reports at our future meetings.\u00a0 More information on Hopelink and the Emergency Services Fund visit their website at www.hope-link.org<\/u>.<\/p>\n

Special Update:\u00a0 <\/strong>Michael Ramos, Executive Director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, provided an update on the issue of homeless encampments.\u00a0 The consent decree which Bellevue has been operating under in recent years is set to expire at the end of January, and social service agencies have been lobbying the City Council to establish new guidelines for encampments going forward (you might recall that we recently sent a letter to the Bellevue City Council addressing this issue).\u00a0 The Church Council of Greater Seattle, Temple B’nai Torah, and SHARE\/Wheel were the three parties involved in the original consent decree, and they have been trying to negotiate with the Bellevue City attorney to extend the terms or create even more favorable conditions for encampments.\u00a0 The hope is that longer periods for each stay might be permitted and that a more coordinated effort among the Eastside communities could provide a more stable situation for such encampments.\u00a0 There is a possibility that the current agreement might just be extended for a year while negotiations continue.<\/p>\n

They are trying to establish best practices for such encampments.\u00a0 They would like to see the various parties coming together to talk, but that is not currently happening.\u00a0 He urges congregations that are capable of hosting such an encampment to seriously consider doing so \u2013 he indicates that congregations that have done so have found it a very rewarding experience.\u00a0 It would also be great if other congregations (especially those who might not be able to accommodate an encampment on their premises) and service providers were able to work more closely with encampment hosts to help provide needed support.<\/p>\n

Some attendees touted little houses as one possible solution.\u00a0 It was also suggested that more could be done to allow the homeless to park safely on the street or at other safe locations (such as congregation parking areas).\u00a0 For more information on Safe Parking, visit the Seattle University website at<\/p>\n

http:\/\/faithandfamilyhomelessness.com\/safe-parking-programs\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Michael also touted a new series of programs that the Church Council is sponsoring on the Eastside, Standing Together<\/strong>.\u00a0 This interfaith study and dialogue program seeks to foster greater understanding, respect, and cooperative social action among citizens from different faith traditions. Five sessions explore:<\/p>\n