Meeting Information


Meeting Type
Friday Coalition Meeting
Date
Friday, 3/9/2018
Start
9:00 AM
End
11:00 AM
Agenda
Agenda
Summary
Collaborate Tacoma, The City of Tacoma Artist in Residence, Tacoma Community College, the League of Women voters and Reports
Location
The Salvation Army Church
Minutes

Welcome

  • James Pogue, Comprehensive Life Resources

Presentation

Collaborate Tacoma

  • Angela Connelly - angelayconnelly@hotmail.com
  • Great to see this coalition exits
  • Been a volunteer at the Nativity House since I was 16.  Loves the Light that is there (a phrase that reminds me of the title of a couple of novels in the lovely Louise Penny Gamache detective fiction series - http://www.louisepenny.com/   – totally worth the read –ed).
  • Has experience with working with folks experiencing homelessness from that and being on the board of Catholic Community Services.
  • Was surprised to learn that folks under 18 could not go to our shelters.  As a mother, was very surprised.  Has a son that has struggled with addiction, which brings these needs to a personal level.
  • When learning about the Beacon center (the Community Youth Services run Youth day and night shelter), was surprised 17 and under couldn’t stay the night.  Knows lots of folks that would like to help these youth out.
  • Had a number interactions that drew her to wanting to serve youth.  A girls her children grew up with recently identified herself as homeless. 
  • Wants to serve 16 and 17 year olds who are not well served in our community. 
  • There is lots of energy in the community that can serve our youth. 
  • Many neighboring communities – Seattle, Kitsap, elsewhere have good programs, but Tacoma has some holes in its programs.  The Kitsap County Coffee Oasis program is very successful – 20 years of success, with 5 Kitsap locations and an overnight shelter.  Parents are called within 36 hours of youth arriving at the shelter.  Will work for family reunification if that is appropriate. 
  • Looking to build a community where all are accepted and wanted and loved. 
  • Plan is to take the Coffee Oasis model – of empowerment and dignity – to the vacant Rite Aid building on S 11th and MLK.  The vacant building can benefit from revitalization with a very welcoming coffee shop – not something that looks like a social service agency (our social service agency has a lovely lobby – just saying –ed).  
  • Working with Anne Bartlett,  with UW Tacoma, to create a museum about homelessness on the site.
  • We need to serve these youth better.  These youth are inadequately clothed in wet clothing.  They need access to washers and dryers and showers and a safe place to be. 
  • Am anxious to learn more about what is happening in this community, and how we can push this vision along.

(A bit of related discussion just after Angela left –ed.)

  • Al – Looking at Michael Mirra’s proposal (to house the Youth day and night shelter permanently at Beacon) and Angela’s proposal – there is potential to partner these nonprofit and for profit communities.  This is a real positive opportunity to connect.  We know that Community Youth Services is leaving Pierce County – need an agency to operate whatever facility we have in the County.  We could have a situation where the profit world and the nonprofit world can work together.  Valerie – County will operate a youth day and night shelter regardless of what happens here.
  • Leigh – encourage folks to check out Coffee Oasis. 
  • James – lets table discussion of Coffee Oasis until they are able to attend a meeting and be part of the discussion.

Presentation

City of Tacoma Artist in Residence Program

  • Roni Alexander – 512-960-9194 - ronialexandra@gmail.com
  • These meetings are very inspiriting and motivational.
  • Is providing an update on the art project focused on homelessness.
  • Contact Roni with how you think you can get your clients or volunteers involved. 
  • Here for a visit – actual project will happen between May-August. 
  • Project is a travelling event – probably between 4-6 events total
    • Preparation between May and June, events in July and August
    • Goals
      • Humanizing folks experiencing homelessness
      • Tying project to zoning
      • Make people “wake up” and do something about homelessness, not just be a spectator.
    • Ideas
      • Have a mobile tiny home – video and interviews shown inside.
      • Outside mobile tiny home – will have activities and different elements
      • Will visit different places in town – some central to homeless communities, others in other location
      • Will create videos – need client interested in taking part in these videos
      • Will have Nativity House performance group to a presentation.  Wednesday, march 21st, will be first meeting to Nativity House at 1pm to talk about the performance piece – open to clients and volunteers and staff.  Come take part
      • Community conversations – is a bit vague – need to determine what the actual focus of the conversation will be.  Looking for conversation about overcoming NIMBY (Not in My Backyard). 
    • Volunteers
      • Help running the event – chairs and tables
      • Clients and volunteers and staff in videos
      • Clients and volunteers and staff in the performance group
    • Intern – need one to make the events happen
  • Sherri – what type of intern? Roni – productive, coordinating things, organizing things.  Main need is production.   Some artistic perspective would be beneficial.  Can be 2 people, perhaps, if one can do organizing and another brings the artistic side. 

Presentation

Tacoma Community College (TCC)

  • Hailey Lunsford - hlunsford@tacomacc.edu
  • Started as a student, completing the Fresh Start High School diploma program for students over 21.  Now working on campus.  Graduated in June with a Human Services Degree, heading to Evergreen next year.
  • Powerpoint Presentation available at https://app.box.com/s/ul8h96gtpxscsvk85513dnq8adhrqz3t  
  • Outreach team at Tacoma Community College is small – 4 folks
  • TCC academic offerings
    • “direct transfer” – AA degree transfers to all credits earned to many Universities. 
    • Now has a Bachelors in Science.
    • Bachelors in Applied Science and Community Health coming soon
  • Application Process – it is free
    • Step 1 – Apply -  – just apply once, too.  No prerequisites – online application.  4 step process
    • Step 2 – Use the Mytcc portal to stay connected
    • Step 3 – Find ways to pay – Financial Aid deadlines typically 3-4 months prior to the quarter you want assistance with
      • Loans are challenging
      • Work Study a great option – work is close to school and designed to be flexible to accommodate school schedules
      • Grants – great to get assistance you don’t have to pay back.
      • TCC foundation has opportunities
      • Lots of outside agencies have grants, and many go unused.
    • Step 4 – Assess your skills
      • Accuplacer test and workshops to find where you need to start at TCC and what support you need – they don’t keep folks from enrolling.  Other test can take the place of the accuplacer
  • Student Support Services – there to help students
    • Partnership with Pierce Transit provides a bus pass for $5 per quarter
    • Can provide accommodations – not takers or sign language interpreting for folks with disabilities.  Even alternate test taking for folks with test anxieties
    • Advisors are assets anytime
    • Tutoring centers – writing, Math and Business – good to connect with early, before you need them (but how do you know you’ll need it before you need it…-ed)
    • Veteran services
    • Housing Program – 150 spots (up significantly from prior years).  Partnership with Tacoma Housing Authority
      • Submit application in building 7 – April 20-23 and 24th – 9-3
      • 2-3 week evaluation
      • Phone 253-566-5325 or e-mail Mary Beth McCarthy - mmccarthy@tacomacc.edu who is now running the program
  • Theresa – we have great interns from TCC – you should get some too.

 

Presentation

League of Women Voters – all day homeless event

  • Cynthia Stewart - stewdahl@comcast.net
  • Title for the homeless event: Facing all our Homelessness – creating homefulness (not sure of the spelling – my copy of the OED skips from Home-folk to Home-guard with no stop at homefulness –ed)
  • Saturday April 28th
  • Want to stimulate public engagement and solutions
  • Want 3 things
    • Want videos of people experiencing homelessness – 2 minute clips as people enter event
    • Encourage providers and clients to attend and discuss solutions
    • Want to know providers that want to have a table at the event.

 

Presentation

Puget Sound Pet Food Bank -  http://pugetsoundpetfoodbank.org/

  • Carrie - petfoodbank@gmail.com ?     
  • Around since 2013 – started in church basement.  Now have 2 buildings where  3 times a month pet food is distributed.
  • Growing and looking for warehouse space
  • Board has a new mission – to reach out to the homeless population
  • Looking at partnering with other nonprofits and shelters to act as a distributor
  • Would love to meet with folks and talk about what can be done to support them

Reports

  • Ending with Small groups (although we were rather short on time at the end, so I don’t think we did any – ed.)
  • Looking to invite agencies or non-traditional  partners who are publicly critical of the Homeless system, or may interfere with our work. 
  • Paul with the can do training on Naloxone and sharps cleanup.  – their grant includes this work
  • Quarterly Communities of Faith meeting.  March 22nd, 5pm – at Shiloh Baptist Church (12th and S J).  Full info at https://associatedministries.org/event/community-quarterly-meeting-end-homelessness-2/
  • Salvation Army Shelter at Bethlehem Baptist Church – Bethlemen Baptist is hosting a family shelter – Salvation Army will run the shelter - waiting on City Contracts, but should be starting soon.

Reports

Phase I Update

  • Byron Corzo
  • 65 folks on the Waitlist 

Phase II Update

  • Faatima Lawrence – new project manager for the Stability Site
  • Have 2 shelter generalist positions openings and one project lead position opening
  • Doing the Spartan Race – 3 clients have signed up for that – going to gym and doing some races. Tuesday and Thursday 1pm workouts – come join us.
  • Working on other Daily Meaningful Activity
  • Next week is the job fair – pushing clients to attend
  • The site is currently at capacity
  • Hannah Dyke – new case manager at the site - welcome
  • Leigh – working with team from AA – want to come to stability site with sponsors.   Faatima  - William Bruno is the volunteer coordinator for Catholic Community Services Homeless Adult Services – coordinate with him 

Employment

  • Hire 253 – Tuesday March 13th, 10am-2pm, Salvation Army – 1110 S Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA  98405
  • 35 employers and Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Licensing.
  • Interview Clothes – still available
  • No one asked for haircuts, too late for them now.  

Tent City

  • Patricia – Need all our energy to get folks housed.  There is a waiting list for the Stability Site.  We need tent cities for folks to go to.  We have volunteers anxious to get involved.  If we could find a nonprofit that would adopt Tent City Tacoma, Patricia would provide volunteers to help run the site.  If a nonprofit will adopt the volunteers, it would be great.  Don’t need a host site for the permit – have 1 year to identify the host site.  Can be faith-based, nonprofits or government organizations.  

City of Tacoma – Request for Information.  

  • James - If you have ideas for housing programs, bring them Friday.  Gerrit or I can work on partners if you want to collaborate. 
  • Theresa – intent of the request is to lead to ideas.  Agencies are not excluded from writing a grant even if they didn’t submit an idea.  Not guaranteed to get the contract if the idea is selected, either. 
  • Josh – document has ways to keep proprietary information private. 
  • Proposals are due by the 20th

Coming Attractions

  • Provider meeting – Friday, March 16th 9am-11am, Salvation Army Church – 1110 S Puget Sound Ave, Tacoma, WA  98405
    • Committee Work Next Week (We aren’t going to get hijacked again this week – we’ll wrestle the mic from James’ hands if necessary, and not just because there are fewer notes to take when we have committee meetings…-ed.)
    • Medicaid and Medicare independent insurance brokerage – Jill Fish

Attendees

  • Calvin Kennon, Comprehensive Life Resources
  • Hailey Lunsford, Tacoma Community College
  • Matthew Feldbash, Comprehensive Life Resources
  • Sarah Bellamy, Comprehensive Life Resources (by far the best penmanship on the sign in sheets –ed.)
  • Shawna Nunley, Comprehensive Life Resources
  • Heather Fahsholtz, Comprehensive Life Resources
  • Angela Thompson, Comprehensive Life Resources
  • Theresa Power-Drutis, New Connections
  • Rosemary Powers, New Connections
  • Heather Wiley, The Salvation Army
  • Patricia Menzies, Tent City Tacoma
  • Lynn Jones, Catholic Community Services
  • Al Ratcliffe, troublemaker at large
  • Barbara Van Hise, Prosperity Wellness
  • Brendan Baker, Veterans Administration
  • Greta Brackman, Comprehensive Life Resources
  • Byron Corzo, Tacoma Rescue Mission
  • William Rose, Northwest Integrated Health
  • Cynthia Stewart, League of Women Voters
  • Paul Carlson, RI International
  • Samie Iverson, Tacoma Public Schools
  • Larry Seaquist, League of Tacoma Voters
  • Jodi Ellis, Department of Social and Health Services
  • Pamm Silver, Molina Healthcare & Accountable Communities of Health
  • Angela Delgado, Sea Mar
  • Valerie Knight, Pierce County
  • Kayla Scrivner, Tacoma Pierce County Health Department
  • Charleen Fitzgerald,  Coordinated Care
  • Leigh Lindstrom, Skyline Presbyterian Church
  • Angela ConnellAy, Collaborate Tacoma/Coffee Oasis-Tacoma
  • Roni Alexander, City of Tacoma
  • Sherri Jensen, Sound Outreach
  • Greg Walker, Valeo Employment
  • Josh Waguespack, Catholic Community Services
  • Faatima Lawrence, Catholic Community Services
  • Hannah Dyke, Catholic Community Services
  • Rebecca, UW student
  • Dawna Bryant, Comprehensive Life
  • David Venes, Point Defiance Needle Exchange
  • Norman Brickhouse, Goodwill
  • Kelly Blucher, Goodwill
  • Alan Brown, Catholic Community Services
  • Gerrit Nyland, Catholic Community Services
  • Candace Madlena, Career Path Services