2010 News Highlights

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NUHSA Annual Meeting: 2010 Human Service Award Presentation

NUHSA held its Annual Meeting and annual Human Services Awards presentation October 28, 2010, where they recognized Sue Dahlin, founder of Youth Awareness and Disability Assemblies (Y.A.D.A.) and Express Credit Union, a nonprofit organization providing no-cost banking services to low income individuals, that includes training to become financially literate. Both have made outstanding efforts to support human services.

Pictured at right:   Hannah Haag, Express Credit Union and Sue Dahlin, YADA

Nominees were considered based on their efforts to benefit low-income residents in North King County and the way their efforts support NUHSA’s four goals:

• Provide a strong voice and leadership role in local and regional human service decisions.
• Identify and communicate emerging community human service needs and issues.
• Support cooperation, coordination and collaboration among providers, funders and the community to enhance resources and the ability to respond to need in the community.
• Advocate for a continuum of care that increases access to services

Nominees also included Carol Maurer of the King County Children and Family Commission, the Community Psychiatric Clinic, the Cultural Awareness Team (C.A.R.E.), George Smith, Human Services Planner, City of Shoreline, POPY’s Café and the Holman Road QFC.

Also recognized was the City of Shoreline for their continued support, the City of Lake Forest Park for providing fiscal oversight in 2010, George Smith for his 10 year commitment to the mission of NUHSA, and attorneys Lisa Schaures and Kris Yoshizawa of Perkins Coie for their efforts supporting NUHSA becoming a 510 (c) 3 organization.

During the annual meeting, officers were elected and appointed.  The 2010 - 2011 officers include:

President: Gary Kingsbury of Northshore Senior Center

Vice President: Tema Nesoff of City of Lake Forest Park

Secretary: Leslie Brooks of Hopelink

Treasurer: Diane Kolb of Children's Country Home. 

Pictured above:  Diane Kolb, Gary Kingsbury and Leslie Brooks

  

Board members include: 

Kelsey Beck, Food Lifeline; 

Rob Beem, City of Shoreline; 

Anne Guthrie, UW Dept of Epidemiology; 

Tracy Jones, Compass Center; 

Julie McFarland, Friends of Youth;

Amy Moe, King County Housing Authority;

Judy Parsons, Shoreline/Northshore Community Network;

George Smith, City of Shoreline; 

Kim Thompson, Shoreline Community College;

Karen Williams, Housing Development Consortium;

Dennis Worsham, King County/Seattle Public Health.

________________________________________________________________________North King County Affordable Housing Update: July 14, 2010 

Thanks to those who participated in the July North King Housing/Homeless meeting. The meeting notes and action items can be downloaded: Notes Housing Work Group 7-14-2010

Next meeting:  August 11, 2010,  11:30 – 1pm,  Lake Forest Park City Hall

Karen Williams

Suburban Outreach Director

Housing Development Consortium

1402 Third Avenue, Suite 709

Seattle, WA 98101

206.682.9541

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Report from Ruth Kagi

Early Learning: Victories Despite Budget Deficit

Despite a dismal state budget, advocates for early learning reported progress at a June 9th Meeting of the North Urban Human Services Alliance (NUHSA). A panel consisting of Representative Ruth Kagi, Chair House Early Learning and Children’s Committee, Laurie Lippold, Public Policy Director, Children’s Home Society and Jane Hinton, Director of Family Development for the Center for Human Services and a member of FACES – North (Families and Children Early Support) gave attendees an overview of early learning progress at the state level and how state funding is impacting programs in North King County.

Representative Kagi described the recent legislative session as “incredibly challenging” but she was pleased about the results for ECEAP (similar to Headstart but state funded) and the Working Connections Child Care Program, providing low income working families access to subsidized child care.  Working Connections fared better than ECEAP, but both remain funded.  Representative Kagi described current funding for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) as a floor with the goal to fully fund the program by 2018.

Panelist Laurie Lippold, Children’s Home Society of Washington, directed North King County advocates to the state-wide Early Learning Action Alliance.  This group provides a centralized voice advancing issues affecting children birth to five and would welcome our local experience and voice.  Laurie also reported on passage of HB 2867 authorizing creation of a state-wide plan for birth to three learning.

Jane Hinton, Center for Human Services and a member of FACES, reported on the state of early learning in North King County. She noted that 329 eligible children were not served by Head Start because of budget limitations. As Rep. Kagi noted ECEAP is not fully funded. With only 743 slots outside Seattle none are available in North King County.  In North King 50% of children attend formal day care. One of FACES’ goals is to improve the quality of these services, by providing training in early childhood education for providers. Hinton also described efforts to better serve the other 50% of children. She highlighted Play ‘n Learn Groups offered at natural places parents and caregivers go such as libraries, recreation centers, family support centers.  

  

Overall, close to one in three entering kindergartners lack some critical social emotion or academic skill that would fully prepared them for school. The gap is even greater for low income and English language learners in terms of school readiness.  Children from these families perform lower than others on all measures except physical readiness. The academic divide between too many at-risk students and other students remains a persistent challenge, one that NUHSA is committed to reducing in partnership with FACES and the two school districts in North King County.

The North Urban Human Services Alliance works to build the community’s capacity to respond to human service needs in North King County. If you would like to learn more about what we do or to become involved, please join us. 

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KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY PURCHASES

WESTMINSTER MANOR APARTMENTS IN SHORELINE

Housing Authority preserves 60 units in building whose HUD contract was set to expire in 2013

As part of an ongoing effort to preserve affordable housing in King County, the King County Housing Authority, working in partnership with the city of Shoreline, has purchased the Westminster Manor Apartments, an apartment complex that houses low-income seniors and people with disabilities. A portion of the apartments at the property, located at 14701 Dayton Ave. N.  in Shoreline, are currently subsidized by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The housing authority plans to protect the HUD Section 8 subsidy in those units.  The remaining units, which are rent restricted, will remain affordable to tenants earning 50 percent of the median income ($22,500 for a one-person household) or less. 

"Preserving the affordably priced housing we have today is among the City’s top three affordable housing strategies,” said Mayor Keith McGlashan. “I am delighted that the city of Shoreline was able to be a partner in this effort.”

Westminster Manor, which is comprised of 60 units, was listed for sale on the open market and most likely would have been sold to private investors for conversion to market-rate apartments when the 40-year HUD regulatory agreement expired in 2013. Without the HUD restrictive covenants, rents could then be raised to market rate, currently estimated at $725 per month.  In the 24 units with “project-based” Section 8 rental assistance, residents pay about 30 percent of their income in rent, $223 per month. Rents for the 36 non-subsidized apartments average $416 per month.

The average yearly income of residents at Westminster Manor is $10,388, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for them to afford market-based rents.

“Westminster Manor was in danger of being sold to a profit-motivated investor who would not have preserved the Section 8 contract with HUD,” said Stephen Norman, executive director of the King County Housing Authority.  “The Authority is pleased to be able to ensure that this community’s seniors, many of whom have lived at Westminster Manor for years, will be protected from unaffordable rents and possible homelessness.”

The Authority acquired the property for $2.75 million. KCHA assumed the existing mortgage of $166,000 and used a line of credit to finance the difference.

Because the complex is in good condition, KCHA plans to make only minor improvements such as installing low-flow toilets, completing elevator repairs, and adding accessibility-related enhancements.

Westminster Manor is the 31st property acquired by the Housing Authority as part of its long-term strategy to preserve existing affordable housing in King County.

KCHA administers a range of quality affordable rental and homeownership programs in the Puget Sound region.  The Authority serves about 18,000 families and elderly and disabled households on a daily basis.  

For more information contact:

Rhonda Rosenberg, 

Director of Communications,

(206) 574-1185

May 27, 2010