A listing of providers and events in the area of the Rainier Vista housing development.

Jan 28, 2014

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting 1.21.2014

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes

Meeting held at Tamarack Place on January 21, 2014 at 2pm.

Service Provider Attendance: Neighborhood House, P-Patch, Cheasty Greenspace, SHA RV Community Builder, Lettuce Link Community Farm, Atlantic Street Center, Bike Works, Nature Consortium, Catholic Community Services Youth Tutoring Program, Seattle Tilth.

Neighborhood House Financial Empowerment Center – New center is opening around the corner on MLK to help individuals improve their financial stability through financial counseling, assistance with debt reduction and improving credit, access to banking services and more.

Neighborhood House Homeless Intervention Program – employment case management to assist clients with job seeker access, stable housing, career building, training and tools towards self-sufficiency.

P-Patch – 3 gardens at RV. P-Patches are now connecting with Community Emergency Hub program (18 hubs), which will work to create leadership structure and bring resources and information together for emergency preparedness.

Lettuce Link Community Farm – located in RV, residents can volunteer and receive free vegetables, food is also donated to local food bank.

Bike Works- Adult and youth programs, bike repair skills. Youth can work towards earning a bike. Bike rides and summer camp for youth ages 9-17.

Joel DeYoung – RV resident and Friend of Cheasty Greenspace at Mountainview. Restoration project of 34 acres of forest restoration to transform area into place for community to enjoy. Feb 8th work party. March 25 public input meeting.

SHA RV Community builder – Feb 3 Lunar New Year Party at Neighborhood House (1-5pm open to everyone). Looking to apply for Neighborhood Matching Grant, hoping to do 4 community events for 2014. Feb 8th is Neighborhood Appreciation Day. Youth will host a pancake breakfast in the morning. Every other week, Lisa Uemoto hosts a community safety walk with residents on Monday evenings, walkers wear vests and carry flashlights.

Atlantic Street Center – ESL, computer classes, diaper distribution, Baby Shoppe. May be moving from Zion Prep to Rainier Beach in April.

Financial Resource Day – Rainier Community Center, all day event on March 22.

Nature Consortium – Free art classes for youth hosted at Neighborhood House on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Next Service Provider meeting will be held in March (location TBD: Atlantic Street Center?)

Discussion about hosting an Open house in the spring or summer. Offer a passport or ticket to give residents a chance to visit different service provider offices (give out a map with Service Provider locations).

Oct 3, 2013

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting - September 2013


Attendance:   Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House; Lisa Uemoto, Seattle Housing Authority; Scott Behmer, Solid Ground; Jason Rolfe, Catholic Community Services; Ashenafi Woldegebriel, Seattle Housing Authority; Angie Fioretti, Refugee Women’s Alliance; Yuliya Mailyan, Providence Gamelin House; Allison Nackel-Gaffney, Neighborhood House; Sheree Robinson, Bellwether Housing; Phung Nguyen, Neighborhood House.

 
 

Seattle Housing Authority Community Builder update:

Lisa discussed some of the concerns happening in the community.   Homeowner Meeting in September was held, one renter attended.  Hoping to get a planning committee to have a community forum.  They will reach out to service providers to work towards solutions.    Service Providers will be invited to talk about youth and ensure youth voices are heard.  SPD community Officer is aware and  Seattle Youth Violence Initiative.  Encourage residents to call 911.  Residents don’t call police frequently and police don’t respond quickly.  Car racing issue is new.  Traffic calming devices were discussed but need enough people involved and tracking to make happen.  Small and Simple Spark grants are available through neighborhood fund and may look into capacity building training so residents have more tools to engage with one another.  Lisa is working to form steering committee with both residents and homeowners.  Contact Lisa if interested in joining.  Lisa is hosting safety walks in the neighborhood every other Monday at 6pm, rain or shine.  cuemoto@seattlehousing.org

 

Neighborhood House BFET Program – Allison is enrolling clients in Basic Food Employment Training (BFET) for people who are unemployed, or underemployed or have housing instability, program provides vocational training and support services, contact allisonn@nhwa.org.

 

SHA – Seattle Housing Authority is hosting a Resource Fair on October 19 from 1-5pm at Rainier Community Center highlighting  education, job training, employment, homeownership, financial services, health services, door prizes and more.   

 

Also in October, Seattle Housing Authority will provide assistance a couple of days a week for clients to sign up for Affordable Health Care act, workers will be available 2 days a week at Rainier Vista Center to assist.

 

Refugee Women’s Alliance – REWA – After school tutoring Mon-Thursday evenings 4-6:30pm at Rainier Vista site (4443 MLK Jr. Way S)  for 4th -8th grade and 6th-12th grade at Main Office (4008 MLK Jr. Way S).  Program includes  Homework help and tutoring, college prep, girl leadership, and more. 

 

Catholic Community Services Youth Tutoring Program at RV Boys and Girls Club – Tutoring for 1st -12th grade on Monday-Thursdays evenings.  They do have a wait list right now.  Need volunteers.  Contact jasonr@ccsww.org if interested.

 

Providence Gamelin House  - Senior living facility.  They host monthly birthday celebration and service providers are welcome to attend to do outreach.  Interpreters are available.  Activities open to all, birthday and cooking events, etc.  yuliya.mailyan@providence.org. 

 

Seattle Farm –Community Farm in Rainier Vista, volunteer opportunities for residents to participate and get a bag of fresh vegetables.  Food from farm gets distributed to local food bank.

 

Nature Consortium – African drumming at  Rainier Vista Center from 4-6pm on Fridays for ages 5-19 year olds.  Youth art programs in Fall 2013 at their site in the RV Boys and Girls Club, including teen cooking and art classes.  Contact Grace Scarella at rainiervista@naturec.org. 

 

Jun 20, 2013


Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at Neighborhood House.
Next Meeting:  September 2013.
Attendance:  Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House.  Mason Durfee, Neighborhood House.  Tanner Phillips, Neighborhood House.  Allison Nackel, Neighborhood House.  Carla Moreno, Nature Consortium.  Abdi Faray, Assist Prop Mgr, Seattle Housing Authority.  Shazia Choudhary, Assist Prop Mgr. Seattle Housing Authority.  Cat Buckley, RV Boys and Girls Club.  Denise Lewis, RV Boys and Girls Club.  Scott Behmer, Solid Ground Seattle Community Farm.  Angie Fioretti, Refugee Women’s Alliance (REWA).  Cheryl Sabin, Seattle Housing Authority. Courtney Powell, Seattle Housing Authority, Ashenafi Woldegebriel, Seattle Housing Authority. 
Summer youth programming at RV:
REWA:    free, 7-week program for youth ages 10+.  Field trips, writing, hip hop, etc.  June 24-Aug 8.  Mon-Thursday.  Program enrollment contact Jennifer@rewa.org. 
Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club – youth programming for kids and teens this summer.  There is a program membership fee.  There are scholarships available for youth in need and sliding scale available at a very low cost for interested youth.  Contact Denise Lewis at dlewis@positiveplace.org. 
Neighborhood House – Free summer lunch program Monday-Friday, 12-1pm from June 24 to August 23 for youth 0-18. 
Horn of Africa – youth tutoring on Tues/Thursdays starting July 8th at Rainier Vista Center from 1-3pm. 
Adult programming at RV:
Neighborhood House – Rainier Vista Technology Center, open computer lab time for adults and youth.  Basic computer class and Job Search Class and weekly ESL classes.  For more information contact:  Masond@nhwa.org.
Seattle Community Farm- local farm in Rainier Vista community right down the street.  Offers community work parties, to help with weeding, planting and sharing in community dinner.  Work trade program available where residents can volunteer and take food home.  For more information contact Scott Behmer at scottb@solid-ground.org. 
Neighborhood House Housing Stability Program – headed up by Tanner Phillips, the Housing and Stability Manager.  Program offers both employment and housing assistance to unemployed or underemployed who are homeless or in danger of losing their housing.  Wraparound employment case management and support services.
Neighborhood House Foundation for Work/Basic Food Employment and Training -
Provides  wraparound employment case management for individuals and families in King County experiencing unemployment or underemployment and housing instability. Our clients receive vocational training and support services, including food and transportation assistance. For more information, including program eligibility, please contact Allison Nackel at 206-461-4568 or allisonn@nhwa.org.
 
Seattle Housing Authority:
Lisa Uemoto – new Community Builder for Rainier Vista community.
Economic Opportunity Program – Helping SHA residents achieve greater stability and financial independence and find employment. 
Bridging the Gap Fair will be held in October 2013 at Rainier Community Center to share housing, education information. 
Discussion:
Affordable Care Act – discussion on new act that will come into place next Fall.  Alot of details that residents are likely not aware of.  Providers discussed possibly hosting an information event.  Will wait to see if residents are requesting this.  Public Health Contacts that Courtney Powell recommended are Daphne Pie, program manager at 206-263-8389 at Dapne.pie@kingcounty.gov and Willie Allen, education consultant and program supervisor at 253-874-7642 at willie.allen@kingcounty.gov. 
Youth problems – ongoing concerns of youth littering in neighborhood, youth bullying in the park, drug activity, possible gang activity, these are ongoing concerns and these issues seem to get worse in the summer months.  Providers will all refer youth to RV youth programs for the summer.  Lisa Uemoto hopes to get Traffic and Safety Committee and Multicultural Committee meetings going again with residents this summer and will invite service providers to these meetings.  Boys and Girls Club have an officer (Officer Cookie) who may be able to talk to the youth about bullying.  Helpful to get parents involved, and talking.  Cultural differences are also part of this.  No action at this time planned.
 
 
 

Sep 21, 2012

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes 9.18.12

Attendance:  Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House; Mason Durfee, Neighborhood House, Matt Mohammed-Ali, Neighborhood House; Denise Lewis, Joel Smilow Club House and Teen Center at Rainier Vista/Boys and Girls Club; Maria Cook, Boys and Girls Club; Naomi Chang, Seattle Housing Authority; Courtney Powell, Seattle Housing Authority Family Self Sufficiency Specialist; Grace Scarella, Nature Consortium; Jennifer, Refugee Women's Alliance

SHA - Ready to Rent course to help people overcome barriers to rental housing, learn responsibilities as a tenant, understand landlord-tenant law, repair your credit rating, set up realistic budget, choose a neighborhood and home that meets your nees.  In October 2012 the Ready to Rent course will be held at Rainier Vista Center at Neighborhood House.  to register call 206-722-4010 ext. 10.

Joel Smilow Club House and  Teen Center at Rainier Vista, Boys and Girls Club - annual membership is $36 but can be reduced, scholarships available.  Cost can be reduced to as low as $10 year for youth that are eligible.  Club offers aerobics, arts classes, drill team, torch club for 6th graders, club tech, writer workshops, drama club, knitting, tutoring and more.  Officer Cookie will officer 6 month bullying workshop for youth. 

Nature Consortium - arts classes at Boys and Girls Club and at Rainier Vista Center each week for youth. 

REWA- native language classes, Somali.  Comprehensive services for community, DV, Citizenship, ESL, legal counsel and more. Youth program 3rd - 8th grade.  Main office has middle school tutoring afterschool Mon-thursday with homework and activities.  Need volunteers, many Somali and Vietnamese youth.Mentoring program.  Contact jennifer@rewa.org for more information.

SHA - Community Builder.  Community action safety meeting on October 1st at 7PM at Rainier vista Center.   Multicultural gathering each month on 3rd Wednesday at Rainier Vista Center. 

Next Meeting:  Tuesday, November 20th at 1pm at Boys and Girls Club

Jun 26, 2012


Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes
June 26, 2012

Attendance:  C Powell, SHA; A. Woldebr, SHA; T. Nguyen, Providence Gamelin, S. Robinson, Bellwether Housing, L. Horan, Neighborhood House; G. Scarella, Nature Consortium, K. Farmer, Neighborhood House, S. Behmer, Solid Ground.



Gamelin House – Waiting list 1-2 bedrooms for Joseph House, new building in White Center, still looking for applicants, have them apply now.  For seniors.



SHA community builder – Living Room conversations are happening, coordinated by Seattle Police Department.  They will come and meet with residents (16 residents must attend) and talk about community concerns.  They met with Vietnamese  community of Rainier Vista this week.  Parking issues and night time concerns.  Traffic & Safety Committee will not meet again until September.  Multicultural Committee will meet on July 18th.  Rainier Vista Phase 3 is near completion, residents will be moving into rental units this summer (110 units).  Mercy Housing is going to be completed this summer and will provide 60 units of family housing for low income residents.  Harborview will come out and do health workshops, let Naomi know if interested. 



SHA – Family Self-Sufficiency program – is for people who are employed and want to increase their salary or in school or a job training program.  Clients can set education or employment goals and obtain a savings account with deposits that are set aside monthly to use towards goals.  Clients will receive support from an Economic Opportunity specialist to help work towards goals.  They are still taking clients for this program.  Must be on Section 8. 



Neighborhood House – summer lunch program will occur June – August.  Free lunch for youth ages 1-18 from Monday – Friday. 



Solid Ground – community farm at Rainier Vista is looking for volunteers.  Volunteers receive free vegetables.  All food from the farm is donated to food bank or those who struggle to afford it.



RV Youth Focus Group—will put on hold for the summer, with staff vacations and youth program changes.  Need commitment from youth providers to help pull together.  Put on September agenda for provider meeting. 

Adult Focus Group – will put on hold for the summer put on Fall agenda for providers.  Adults are interested in parenting help/workshops.  Naomi will look into and Kate.  Naomi also suggested recycling workshop since SHA is working to improve education in this area. 



Next Service Provider Meeting will be in September.

Feb 14, 2012

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting 2.14.12 minutes

RV Provider Meeting
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 1pm
At RV Boys and Girls Club

Attendance: Grace Scarella, Nature Consortium; Denise Lewis, Boys and Girls Club, Minh Nguyen-Wickman, ICHS; Jenny Mauer, Atlantic Street Center Rainier Beach Family Center; Naomi Salinas, Bike Works; Lauren Arnesen, Neighborcare Health Clinics; Scott Behmer, Solid Ground Lettuce Link Program, Ray Padilla, Bellwether Housing, Shere’e Robinson, Bellwether Housing – Genesee Apartments; Laura Horan, Neighborhood House; Nhi Tran, Seattle Neighborhood Group; Amy Tseng, Neighborcare Health; Bev Johnson, Seattle U Nursing Program; Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House; Mike Graham-Squire, Neighborhood House; Jason Rolfe, Youth Tutoring Program CCS; Kim Spears, REWA.


Smoking Cessation Workshop – SHA went Smoke Free as of February 1st. Mike Graham-Squire of Neighborhood House will be working with SHA to offer smoking cessation workshops at some of the larger SHA sites. King County Public Health will assist. There is a Quit Line, but that may be ending in March. Mike has also done training with NH Head Start and their FSW workers on how to talk to people about quitting smoking. More trainings will be held in the future if providers are interested. The Smoking Cessation workshop for RV will be Wed, March 14th from 6-7:30pm at the Boys and Girls Club. Denise has a group of parents that come on this night and she will promote the event with them and also with youth. King County Health is working on a flyer. Neighborcare Health and REWA will assist with the workshop. Kate will send the flyer out to providers when it is available so they can help with outreach and promoting the event.

Seattle U nursing Students will be back in community to volunteer from April 5 to end of May. Providers are interested in possibly planning another Health Fair, we discussed the potential date of May 17th at 6-7:30pm at the Boys and Girls Club. Bev Johnson will not be leading the group this Spring, another professor will oversee the students. The providers will invite the students to the next provider meeting in April on a Thursday, to talk more about details and planning for the Health Fair.

Resource Fair – Providers will likely host another Resource Fair to get summer information out to youth. Fair will be held in June, no date yet.

Safety – more break ins are occurring in the neighborhood. Some of the stores and restaurants and businesses have experienced break ins. Windows have been broken, and doors are being rattled to see if they are closed all the way, also businesses have found electrical tape on the door jam preventing the doors from closing. Safety Meeting will be held on Monday, March 5 at 6:30pm at Neighborhood House and all providers may attend to address community and safety concerns. Providers can follow up at our next meeting on the outcome of this meeting and what they can support around safety.

911 Emergency Call – Providers talked about hosting a 911 Emergency Call instruction workshop for residents. Many fear calling police so it might be helpful to have a workshop to instruct residents on this. Providers can talk about possibly hosting a Fall event for this at the next meeting.

Intergenerational work – Getting youth and seniors together has been talked about at past provider meetings. The group talked about how to get this to happen. Programs could build time into their program to connect with seniors. Providers could hold an event to get youth/seniors together. Kate will invite Ba from Providence Gamelin to the next meeting to see what ideas he would have to get this started.

Next Meeting: April 12th at 1pm at Rainier Beach Family Center hosted by Jenny Mauer.

Nov 15, 2011

Rainier Valley Service Provider Meeting Minutes 11/15/11

Rainier Valley Service Provider Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
At Providence Gamelin House

Attendance: Naomi Chang, Seattle Housing Authority; Ron Jenkins, Seattle Housing Authority; Alicia Haskins, Rainier Health and Fitness; Minh Nguyen, International Community Health Services; Ba Cam Ma, Providence Gamelin House; Grace Scarella, Nature Consortium; Mariah Pepper, Lettuce Link Solid Ground; Thuy Nguyen, Providence Gamelin House; Sheree Robinson, Bellwether Housing Group; Laura Horan, Neighborhood House; Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House.

Program updates:

Nature Consortium – located at the RV Boys and Girls Club, Nature Consoritum offer youth programming, drumming, hip hop, etc. They will have a visual arts youth program at Rainier Vista Center starting in January on Wednesday (every other Wednesday).

Neighborhood House Rainier Vista Technology Center – Horn of Africa tutoring will use the lab for youth homework. Seattle University nursing students will hold a workshop on Thursday from 4-5pm on finding health resources online. Open lab time M-F and week-end hours. The lab is free for anyone.

SHA community builder – Winter storm preparedness event last week for community at Neighborhood House hosted by SHA and NH and Seattle U. Over 80 people attended. Residents received emergency kits. Seattle U nursing students helped coordinate the event.
Rainier Vista Multicultural Committee will host a Thanksgiving dinner on Wed, November 16th at 6pm at Rainier Vista Center.

Providence Gamelin House – Thanksgiving dinner will be held on Nov 23rd at 2pm, service providers are welcome to attend and promote events or programs. Monthly birthday party is also a good time to talk to residents and promote programs.

Seattle Housing Authority Economic Opportunity program – hiring 3 new staff for Rainier Vista, Family Self sufficiency workers. Economic Opportunity program provides case management for residents and employment assistance for residents.

Seattle Community Farm – wrap up for year, harvesting rest of crop this week. Food justice advocacy, will be writing letter if anyone is interested in joining this work. Applying for a grant this Fall. Outreach workers (bilingual) will be recruited. Farm will gear up again in March. Mariah will be ending her term of service in January. Working with Habitat for Humanity to build covered structures for tables.

Genesee House – no longer Housing Resources Group, now Bellwether Housing, internal name change. Monthly newsletter if you want to email Sheree with items to post at genesee@bellwetherhousing.org. Issue with litter and illegal dumping at dumpster.

Rainier Health and Fitness - $26 a month exercise program and $15 a month exercise class for low income residents. The club is located near Rainier Beach.

2012 planning
The providers talked about issues in the community and what providers could focus on for 2012. Discussion on Governor’s budget cuts and how it will impact residents. What are most important issues and focus on 3-4 topics per quarter for 2012. In January, Providers will meet and choose which topics to work on for 2012. There is a meeting with Homeowners from Rainier Vista Community on Monday, November 21st at 6pm if any providers would like to attend and talk about youth concerns.

Providers discussed following issues:

· Littering issues – community clean up 2nd Saturday of the month for 1-2 hours, encouraging youth to get involved.
· Homeowners/renters – youth issues—teenagers hanging out in park who are littering, bullying, and other activity.
· Develop youth leadership group to help combat littering, bullying and youth issues in community. $ for scholarship (Homeowners).
· Phase 3 – over 100 homes will be completed with Phase 3 of the Rainier Vista project. More residents will need services.
· Welcome Wagon – We had a welcome wagon in community in the past through funding by NH, which is now gone. It would be nice to have a directory or program of services in the community to give to residents. There is a resource directory of service providers that needs to be updated that could be simplified and given to residents. We could give to SHA Management to give to new tenants. Or residents could apply for a grant to get funding for new welcome wagon.
· Bed bugs- this has been an issue in Seattle and some of the rental properties in the area. Work on education of community.
· Health Fair – that was a big hit in 2011 and Seattle U nursing students helped with this project.
· Intergenerational – How to connect seniors and youth together more often.
· Emergency Preparedness – NH and SHA and Seattle U nursing students just sponsored a Emergency Preparedness fair in November so not sure if we want to do another one in 2012?

Next meeting will be in January, Kate will touch base with Boys and Girls Club and see if they can host and will move meeting to 1pm and see if we can get more youth providers to attend.

Sep 28, 2011

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes 9.20.11

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting
Tuesday, 9/20/11 at 10am at Neighborhood House

Attendance: Sheree Robinson, HRG, Laura Horan, Neighborhood House, Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House, Bev Johnson, Seattle University, Ba Ma, Providence Gamelin House, Naomi Chang, Seattle Housing Authority, Ed Pottharst Seattle Dept of Neighborhoods, Ron Jenkins, Seattle Housing Authority, Nelson Lopez, NeighborCare Health, Diana Vergis Vinh, Public Health, Hannah Spencer, REWA, Mariah Pepper, Seattle Community Farm, Amy Tseng, NeighborCare Health Rainier Beach, Lauren Arnesen, NeighborCare Health, High Point

Seattle U – Nursing Students will be at Rainier Vista community again for Fall 2011 and would like help from RV Service Provider on useful products. Students will be in community from Sept-November every Thursday.

Ed Parthouse – Neighborhood Matching Funds are available. Small Sparks Grants of $1000, Small and Simple Grants for $20,000 and Large Project funds for $100,000. September is Emergency Preparedness month and residents can apply for funding to help organize and plan for emergencies.


Neighborcare Health– Offers Dental care for children, and adults, regardless of insurance status. they are taking new children clients. The annual Pumpkin Push run and walk in October. Feast at the Market on October 4th is fundraising event at Pike Place Market in October.

Diana Vinh – RV Eats Group coalition of Seattle Tilth. Grow/share food and bulk buying. Grants are available. Oct 24th is World Food Day, hope to have food event in community on that day (canning, potluck, etc). $ is from United ay.

REWA – Mentoring program and also youth programs for Fall 2011. Hannah is leaving REWA in 2 weeks.

Seattle Community Farm- volunteers from RV community have been helping with harvesting. They receive a free bag of food. Food is also being donated to RV Food bank. Community Farm is also working with various youth groups.

Ron Jenkins – He is the new Employment Opportunities Coordinator for SHA and working out of High Point. Recent reorganization so new case managers in SHA communities with new case loads.

Apr 19, 2011

4/19/11 Meeting Minutes

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes
4/19/11

In attendance: Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House; Abbie Zaher, ICHS; Morris Wright, B&GC; Angela Smith, Seattle Parks and Rec; Mary Lechner, Wellspring Family Services; Denise Lewis, B&GC; Thuy Nguyen, Providence Gamelin House; Colin Sexton, Neighborhood House.

Low attendance – We really encourage all providers to come to this meeting, we have had low attendance at this meeting this year, not sure why. Having more providers attend is beneficial and helps us share program information and resources, outreach, planning, etc. If this meeting is not working for you or the time is not good, etc. please let Kate Farmer know, it would be helpful to have that feedback.

International Community Health Services – Health Fair will be held in June. Health screenings, education, etc. will be provided. If you know of clients who are losing insurance or need access to health care, contact ICHS. ICHS offers diabetes support, women’s health, community advocates, etc.

Providence Gamelin House – Low income housing for seniors. They have ESL classes, cooking. They would like to connect more with community to get seniors out and active and participating. It would be great to connect with youth groups and have youth and seniors come together for Bingo, etc.

Seattle Parks and Rec- Lots of senior programming going on for people ages 50 plus. Exercise programs, intergenerational activities, and more.

Wellspring Family Services – Housing program including Homelessness Prevention, call 211 and tell them you are at risk of losing your housing. Also have Homelessness Intervention where they can help homeless families and individuals find housing and maintain long term stability. Clients must be referred by a service provider.

RV Boys and Girls Club – Morris Wright is new to the team at the club and will be working on recruiting within RV community and strengthening and bridging the gap to get more youth involved in programs. The club has an Egg Hunt this Friday and Saturday for youth. Also have a new Choir group on Tuesdays and Drumming for teens and fashion design. Also, they have a Zumba class for adults during the week which is $5 and open to all adults.

Neighborhood House – Litter season is once again upon us. It would be helpful if the youth providers, could talk to their youth about littering. This is a good time to remind kids about not throwing their trash on the ground and making sure they use a garbage can, especially when they are in the park. Litter was a big issue in the community last summer. Also, trespassing was a big issue last summer and residents complained about kids jumping fences and running through yards, kids may not know that it’s not ok to climb over a neighbors fence and cut through their yard. Youth providers can educate kids about these issues to help combat the problem.

Outreach – Providers talked about outreach and how to better work together to support programming. Some ideas were improving the current provider blog page, getting notification of large events so that you can attend and do outreach, bulletin boards at agencies to promote community programs, connecting with community leads to get the word out. Word of mouth seems to be most successful tool in this community. Also, working more closely with other providers can help with promotion. Group discussed first steps. Hosting an outreach table in the park across from Neighborhood House once a month in the warm weather. Lots of youth and families utilize the park late in the day and it’s a good way to be out and meeting people. Providers agreed that this would be a good first step. Kate will send out a meeting request to schedule a date for this for the month of May.

Summer resource fair – Providers talked about doing this again in June, it was successful last year. Held at the Boys and Girls Club. Kate will send out meeting request to schedule a planning meeting to talk further about the fair.

Feb 15, 2011

Service Provider Meeting Minutes 2.15.11

RV Service Provider Meeting
February 15, 2011
At Neighborhood House

Attendance: Mariah Pepper, Solid Ground, Scott Behmer, Solid Ground, Mary Lechner, Wellspring Family Services, Naomi Salinas Burton, Bike Works, Colin Sexton, Neighborhood House, Naomi Chang, SHA.

Seattle Community Farm – large meeting February 28th at 6pm at Neighborhood House. Translation will be provided. Talk to residents about work trade program, volunteer on farm for 3 hours and they receive a bag of vegetables. Work party days will be March – November. Want input from residents about what to plant. Farm is for low income people but all residents can volunteer, but for those residents who are not low income, they could donate the bag of produce. Flyer will go out shortly.

Wellspring Family Services – located on Rainier Avenue, they have housing services, domestic violence, early learning center, counseling, homeless intervention program. Most of clients are referred by calling 211.

Bikeworks – Earn a Bike program for youth. Students ages 9-17 years of age learn bike safety, maintenance, and community service and earn a bike. Bike touring camp, Riders club, Street Burners and more. All programs offer sliding fee scale.

Neighborhood House – College attainment/readiness event on March 12. Middle school and High school youth will learn about financial aid, scholarships, FAFSA and preparing for college.
Technology Center has Saturday hours (every other Saturday). Call 461-4568 ext. 202 for more info. Health Fair will be held on March 2 from 5-8pm at the Boys and Girls Club. Large community health fair. Seattle U nursing students are at NH every Wednesday morning through February from 11:30am-1:30pm. Please refer any clients who may need health questions or information.

SHA –cultural Celebration was held on Sat, Feb 12 to celebrate lunar new year and black history month. Many RV residents attended, a lot of food was presented and performance by Lion Dance group. Celebration was coordinated by RV Multicultural Committee which works to bridge the gap of the diverse community of RV. The committee meets monthly. The RV Traffic and Safety Committee meets every other month and discusses parking issues, crime, etc. Naomi coordinates both community meetings. Translation is available at these meetings. Tamarack Housing is open and 83 units are leased. Phase 3 is underway and will be completed in 2012.

Dec 17, 2010

RV Service Provider Meeting Minutes 12.14.10

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting
At RV Boys and Girls Club
Holiday Potluck
Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Attendance: Kate Farmer, Beverly Johnson, Larry Hill, Emily Johnson, Scott Behmer, Jason Rolfe, Denise Lewis, Heidi Viets, Naomi Chang, Colin Sexton, Mike Graham-Squire.

Kate met with Heidi Henderson-Lewis in November. Heidi runs the SE Service Provider group which has been meeting for a couple of years. The group meet every month (3rd Tuesday) at the Boys and Girls Club. They are a group of local youth providers who share program/agency information and referrals. A community police officer attends their meetings. Heidi reports that the group is interested in strengthening networking abilities and is also interested in training opportunities. Heidi would the RV Service Providers to learn more about SE Service Provider group and she is interested in getting their help with networking and possibly working together on future events, trainings, etc. Kate will invite Heidi to attend the next SP meeting in February.

Seattle University – Nursing students will be in RV community from January – March 2. They are looking to connect with service providers on health projects. They are available to do health education, health assessments, etc. They will be at Neighborhood House weekly. Please contact Beverly Johnson for more information. She can be reached at: JohnsoB@seattleu.edu.

Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club – Washington Oral (dental) at the Club is taking new clients. The Club has several holiday activities including a holiday dinner and also a field trip to Toys r’ Us with the youth who will each be given $40 gift cards to spend. Club will be open during the holiday break. A holiday celebration will be held next week and players from the Seahawks are expected to attend.

Rainier Vista Health Fair – Mike Graham-Squire from Neighborhood House is coordinating a Spring Health fair for the community. The fair will be held at the B&GC on March 2nd from 6-8pm. Mike has contacted a number of agencies about participating and if any of the providers would like to help coordinate and plan or be a part of the fair, you can contact Mike at mikegs@nhwa.org. A similar health fair was held at High Point last summer with over 300 in attendance.

Catholic Community Services Youth Tutoring Program – They are located at the Boys and Girls Club and have drop in tutoring for teens Monday – Thursday. Students can also receive help in filling out job applications, applying for college, financial aid, etc. Jason is working on a flyer and hopes to increase outreach and recruiting in January. Please refer any teens. Jason can be reached at rainier@ccsww.org.

Urban Farm – Scott reports that construction is done, there was some damage from the heavy rains. Work party is being planned for February and March, and hope to have a grand opening in April, no set date yet.

Neighborhood House Project Handle – Mike talked about youth drug and alcohol program. They are distributed “I Draw The Line” bracelets for teens and adults who want to send the message against drug/alcohol abuse. Mike is working on Spring Health fair.

Neighborcare Health – Emily Johnson is assisting Mike with the Health fair plans. Rainier Beach Medical Clinic/Neighborcare Health will also be planning a grand opening for the spring and they may also host a health fair late Spring. Rainier Beach Medical will offer Dental and Medical services for adults and children. SE Dental is also taking new clients.

Seattle Housing Authority – Naomi Chang reports that Tamarack has residents moving in and 83 units are filled. Residents are adults and children and of various backgrounds including Vietnamese, Somali, etc. There will be 75 or more youth living in the building. This will be a non-smoking building. Resident meetings will be held but have not been scheduled at this time. The SHA property management office will be housed at Tamarack and a new senior property manager will be hired. SHA has hired Thai Nguyen as Communication Specialist to explore non-smoking policies for low income housing.

Neighborhood House – Colin talked about college readiness programs if any in area. SHA offers a scholarship for youth in Seattle Housing Authority units.

Oct 20, 2010

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes 10/19/10

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
At REWA
Meeting Minutes



Attendance: Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House, Mari Becker, Seattle Parks and Rec; Scott Behmer, Lettuce Link; Jason Rolfe, Youth Tutoring Program; Emily Barbee, REWA; Abbie Zahler, ICHS; Emily Johnson, NeighborCare; Naomi Chang, SHA; Heidi Viets, Neighborhood House, Mike Graham-Square, Project Handle (Neighborhood House).

Service Updates:
Lettuce Link – Scott gave an update on progress of RV urban farm. There will be a couple of work parties in November, and the project hopes expects to be completed in Spring 2011.

Youth Tutoring Program – Jason discussed tutoring programs. Teen Tutoring Program – any teen can work with tutor on Monday – Thursday from 5:30-7:40pm, kids in grades 7th grade and above. Must be a member of Boys and Girls Club (cost of membership is $30 or $10 if live in public housing). YTP also has tutoring two days a week for 1st -12th grade students.

REWA – After school programs at RV and youth program in Tukwila. Kids must enroll for these programs, they at capacity right now. Program is for 3rd – 12th grade students. Monday – Thursday from 4:00pm - 6:30pm. They also host after school field trips on Fridays. REWA also offers two girls groups for 4th -6th grade girls. There is a Leadership and Service group for 7th grade girls. University of Washington Women in Business Club is connected with this group. Girls are learning public speaking, leadership, etc. REWA also hosts a Boys Group for elementary boys, they learn martial arts.

SHA – September 25th Multicultural event was a success. A lot of service providers and residents attended. Multicultural Committee hosted event. The committee works on integrating residents and homeowners with a goal of cultural diversity. Group meets at Neighborhood House on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6pm. Traffic & Safety Committee meets every other month on the first Monday of the month at Neighborhood House. This is a community group and they work with SDOT on traffic and safety issues. Cambodian group meets every week-end at McBride Court. Navy Kheav from Neighborhood House facilitates this group. Somali group meets at McBride Court Friday – Sunday from 4-7pm for youth. Tamarack Place will open in November 17 with 86 units and retail on the first floor. Phase 3 is under way and 118 rental units expect to be completed in 2012.

ICHS – ICHS offers community education, such as Diabetes, smoking cessations, insurance info, etc. ICHS will visit organizations and discuss these topics and more. ICHS offers a Vietnamese women support group, and Chinese Group that meets monthly, also a weekly dance class. They also have in-clinic health educators at Franklin High School to address family planning.

NeighborCare Health – Emily is a new AmeriCorps member working with NeighborCare who provides dental and medical care to low income and uninsured. Emily is working on the coordination between the medial and dental clinics, both will move to the same building in January. The Rainier Beach Medial & Dental Clinic will open in early 2011. Emily discussed the emergency walk in dental clinic.

Project Handle (Neighborhood House) – Mike is part of the Drugs Free Community Coalition. He is working at High Point and also Rainier Vista. Recently held a Drug Take Back Day. At this event a large amount of prescription drugs were turned in. He is working with SHA, the Tamarack Place building will be smoke free building, Mike will do education. New smoking call in QuitLines will be available in Mandarin and Vietnamese languages.

Seattle Parks and Rec – Mary coordinates Sound Steps, walking group for people over the age of 50. They do training for 5K, 10K, and marathon for adults. Enhanced Fitness is fitness program for seniors. Tim Pretare is currently working at Van Asselt.

SHA – Job Connection – Larry is working with clients who live in SHA communities to find employment.

Business:

HARVC – members talked about merge of HARVC with RV Service Providers and discussed changing name to Rainier Valley Service Providers. There is a group of service providers who meet at New Holly, Kate will contact the leader of this group. Discussion on whether we could open this meeting up to them or attend their meetings. Discussion that New Holly may work with a different population and may be some pros/cons about including this group. Kate will meet with the facilitator and report back at the next service provider meeting. Mari will also check on the name “Rainier Valley Service Providers” to see if there are any other groups using that name, she will contact Chamber.

New members – discussion on how to increase size of this group or get more people to attend meetings. Some of the suggestions were to tell providers to invite 2 guests to the meeting. Group talked about trainings. Kate talked to Neighborhood House staff and also talked to a couple of other leads about training, but was unable to find free trainings. Emily suggested some webinars which would be free, Kate will look into this. Some of the suggestions from the last meeting were discussed, such as inviting residents. The group thought inviting resident leads may be a good way to get program info out in community, such as connecting with the leads of the Somali group and Oromo Cultural Group and inviting them to the next meeting, may be a way for programs to better connect with community and get to know some of the leaders. Kate will talk to both groups. She will also talk to Guray from NH to see if he can attend next meeting and help translate if Somali group leader attends. Naomi suggested inviting Linh Thai from Vovinam Martial Arts group, as he would like to be more connected with the community and needs help recruiting local kids for his program. Naomi suggested holding a potluck once or twice a year, which is what Service Provider group used to do. The group liked this idea and will host a potluck on Tuesday, December 14th at 12noon – 1:30pm, this will be the last service provider meeting for the year.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 14th at 12 Noon – 1:30pm at Boys and Girls Club, Jason will host. Please bring a dish to share. Please note this will be the 2nd Tuesday of the month (not the 3rd Tuesday).

Meeting adjourned: Minutes by Kate Farmer.

Aug 18, 2010

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes
August 17, 2010
Held at Neighborhood House


Attendance: Tien Duong-Le, Neighborhood House, Randy Nolan, Wellspring Family Services, Alma Villegas, Stand For Children; Larry Hill, Seattle Housing Authority; Naomi Chang, Seattle Housing Authority, Colin Sexton, Neighborhood House; Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House
Nelson Lopez, Neighborcare Health

Guest:
Stand For Children: Grassroots education and advocacy. National organization, local offices in Seattle, Kent, etc. Work with parents and educators to advocate for policy change on district and state level. Parents learn structure of decision making process from State to local school level. Parents learn basics of how local school district is funded and how spending is allocated. Parents participate in discussion around local concern and how they can impact systematic change through strategic actions and advocacy. Stand For Children offers workshops and training for parents.

Service updates:
IDHA – Health Fair at Neighborhood House’s High Point facility on Friday, 8/20 from 8-5pm. Bike helmets, backpacks, Health information and tests.

Project Handle – HIV Testing on 2nd Friday of the month at Neighborhood House Rainier Vista Center from 10-12noon, please refer any clients. Tien reports Vietnamese Tea Time continues every 2nd Friday of the month at Neighborhood House Rainier Vista Center, the Tea Time has combined with the monthly Community Kitchen event.

Neighborhood House – Colin reports successful youth litter event was held in July. Several kids attended the event. The event was coordinated by the youth providers including REWA and Boys and Girls Club. ESL classes are starting again in the Fall in the Tech Center. Job focused ESL class starts in September. Digital Connectors class starts in the Fall at the Tech Center, this is a youth technology program.

Wellspring Family Services – They are taking provider referrals for Eviction assistance. SHA also makes referrals. Must be behind in rent to qualify or received 3 day vacate. Assistance with rent and utility bills. Call 206-902-4271 to refer or call 211. For Seattle residents only. Wellspring Family Services also offers child and family therapy services for families with young children age 0-5.

SHA – Monthly community clean ups continue, coordinated by the Homeowners of RV. Though still low attendance. Traffic and Safety Committee Meeting is held every other month. Emergency preparedness/safety training last month. Working on phone tree with 2-3 representatives from different language groups on emergency phone tree.
Multicultural Committee continues to meet every month. They received $800 from Small Sparks Grant to hold event on September 25th from 3-7pm at Rainier Vista Center for community.

Neighborcare Health – New clinic in south opening in February at 51st and Rainier, dental and medical clinic, it will replace Rainier Beach. SE Dental is closing. Community Center at Rainier Beach is closing, no pool in SE, due to lack of funding. Rainier Valley Heritage parade and festival this Saturday from 11-3pm, parade and street party.

Job Connections/SHA – Larry reports that he is working with several clients to find employment.

Discussions:
Service Providers talked about low attendance at this meeting. Suggestions include, adding trainings into the meeting, such as How to do Outreach, How to Use Internet to Find Resources, How to Engage Families Into Counseling, Fundraising, Community Building, Leadership, Cultural Experience, etc. Recommended that we ask Providers what training they would like and would be most beneficial. Providers also talked about inviting residents to the meetings, but this should only be done if we have a strong purpose as to why we are inviting and what their role is.
Another suggestion was to invite local organizations to the meeting, who may potential want to donate funding, and create a relationship for potential partnership. Also, collaboration with local neighborhood groups may be helpful. Kate will see about getting a trainer in for October meeting.

Next meeting: October 19th, 2010 at 10AM, tentatively scheduled to be held at REWA at 4008 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.




Jun 15, 2010

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes 6/15/2010

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 10AM
At Neighborcare Health


In Attendance: Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House, Colin Sexton, Neighborhood House, Nelson Lopez, Neighborcare Health, Gary Ireland, RV Homeowners Craig Quinn, RV Homeowner, Shefali Ranganathan, Transportation Choices.

RV Homeowners – talked about trash issue at Central Park in the RV neighborhood. This has been a longstanding issue. Gary and Craig talked about programs at Neighborhood House, particularly on week-ends, who leave trash in the park. Discussion about issue followed. Other providers in RV community also are using park, and how to involve them in this issue was discussed. Littering education was discussed and idea on getting kids involved in monthly community clean ups that happen on First Saturday of month. Discussion that this is a family issue also, adults and kids should be involved. Discussion that SHA owns park and should be involved in talk with providers who use park. Kate and Colin talked after meeting and will follow up with other providers who use park and will talk to SHA. They will also set up a meeting to meet with Gary and Craig next week to follow up on concerns and how to proceed.

Transportation Choices – Shefali talked about new initiative to get people to take public transportation, there are a lot of incentives (Orca cards, discounts at businesses and more!) Sign up through http://www.transportationchoices.org or call 206-329-2336.

HARVC/Service Provider Merge – since only a few service providers at the meeting today, we will put this on the agenda for next meeting in August.

Best Summer Ever Fair debrief – will put this on agenda for August also.

Low attendance at Service Provider meeting – we will discuss this in August. Suggestion that we need proactive agenda with initiatives that group is working on together, to keep people interested and involved in coming to meetings instead of just service updates.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 17th at 10AM at Neighborhood House

Meeting adjourned.

Minutes by: Kate Farmer

Apr 21, 2010

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting 4/20/10

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting
April 20, 2010
At Wellspring Family Services


Attendance: Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House; Tim Pretare, Seattle Parks and Rec; Nelson Lopez, Neighborcare; Samuel Pierce, SHA; Naomi Chang, SHA; Leslie Heimer, Solid Ground, Lettuce Link; Gregory Schaffer, REWA; Randy Nolan, Wellspring Family Services; Denise Lewis, Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club; Diana Vergis Vinh, Healthy Active Rainier Valley Coalition (HARVC).

Randy Nolan/Wellspring Family Services – Randy talked about Wellspring services. Domestic Violence clinic, infant and child services, early learning, services for children with behavioral issues, counseling, housing services. For housing services, call 211 (Crisis Clinic helpline) for eviction prevention or call Wellspring directly. Intervention Program – referred by shelter for families. Baby boutique for clients.

Service Provider Open House – Group discussed whether or not to hold an Open House. General consensus was that it was a good idea. Boys and Girls Club is holding an Open House on Saturday, June 5th. Group decided it would be a good idea to combine this event with the B&GC open house, in order to attract more people. Group discussed logistics, flyer, translation, time, clean up and set up. A meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 11 at the B&GC to finalize plans. All Service providers are encouraged to attend the Open House, this will be a good way to get your agency service information and program information out to the community. Denise Lewis will confirm with B&GC that this can happen. Kate will send out email to SP group to invite them to May 11 meeting. This is the same day as the Beacon Hill Festival which is a large and very popular community event. Suggestion to note this on the flyer, that people can come to Open House and then walk up to the Beacon Hill or take the light rail. There is also the Cheasty Greenbelt trail which people can also access to walk to the festival. Tim Pretare will talk to Mari Becker of Sound Steps, she may want to promote her walking group, by organizing a walking group up to the Beacon Hill Festival. Tim will talk to person organizing Beacon Hill Festival (Seattle Park and Recreation event), to event), to see if this is ok to also promote their event on our flyer.

HARVC – Healthy and Active Rainier Valley Coalition – Diana Vinh talked about the mission of this group, which meets every other month. Diana is the chairperson of HARVC. Currently, it’s a small group of people that meet and share service and program information. The group has been successful in addressing health issues in the community in the past, but no longer has funding. HARVC would like to merge with the RV Service Provider group. The HARVC mission is focused on improving health in the community. HARVC participants are enthusiastic about joining with the service provider group (many service providers also belong to HARVC). The Service Providers discussed benefits of joining forces—many service providers said their agencies also have a health mission. General consensus of providers was that it would be a good idea. Group talked about changing name of Service Provider group which really serves more than just Rainier Vista residents, and really serves SE Seattle (including New Holly). Kate will send an email out to the Service Provider Group for feedback and input and a final decision will be made at the next SP meeting in June on combining HARVC with SP group.

Next SP meeting – June 15 at Neighborcare Health at 10AM (Nelson Lopez will confirm).

SHA – Section 3 – Samuel Pierce discussed The Job connection is currently conducting outreach activities to identify job seekers interested in opportunities in the construction industry. Seeking Section 3 candidates who live in various zip codes. Contact Samuel Pierce for additional info at 206-722-4010 ext. 3

Boys and Girls Club – Denise Lewis discussed Teen Summit – Saturday April 24th (Teen Sexual Health and Protect Your Rights). May 7 – Jump and Jive on Friday May 7th from 6pm – 8pm (Free Swing Dance)
Drill Team fashion show – Saturday, May 22 (dinner, performance and fashion show)
Summer programs – Day Camp for grades 3 -6 (all day) and Daycare for grades 1-4th (all day).

Urban Farm – Leslie gave update on Urban Farm. Final design meeting on April 26. Final time for people to give input on design. Community meeting at Neighborhood House from 6:30-8pm on Monday, 4/26.

Tim Pretare – Seattle Parks and Recreation – Jefferson Community Center – Tai chi class will be held at Jefferson Community Center, and Swedish Medical Center is offering breast exam, mammography and pap smears free or low cost for those who are uninsured, or underinsured on Saturday May 15. Also Healthy Aging Fair on May 26.

REWA – Gregory Schaffer, new title is Youth Coordinator at REWA. He is working with SBOC, Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center. Newly arrived youth from other countries. Gregory said group can help with outreach and translation.

Feb 24, 2010

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes 2/22/10

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes
February 23, 2010 at 10amProvidence Gamelin House

Sharon Lerman – Seattle Tilth – talked about upcoming workshops that will be held at various locations in Seattle (Rainier Community Center) with a variety of topics—City chickens, fruit tree pruning, container gardening, etc.). Sharon talked about what providers needs would be around youth or adult programming.
Kim Lokan – Kim discussed upcoming RV community meeting on March 3rd at B&GC at 6pm. The meeting is to get feedback from residents on how RV is working as a community, also Urban Farm will be there to get feedback from residents about the new RV urban farm that will launch this summer. Information from this meeting will be followed up with article in the Voice and posting on newrainiervista.com website. Kim suggested this is a good meeting to bring flyers to share with residents.
REWA – International Women’s Day on March 9th. This is a large annual event at REWA from 11am-2pm, at the main office. Please refer your clients to this important event. Fight the Fear campaign – Free self defense training will be held at REWA on Tuesday from 5-6pm.
Boys and Girls Club- flyer for summer program is coming out the end of February. Spring Break is March 29th – April 2nd and the club will be open with activities for kids. Free dental exam and cleaning is available for kids at the Club. Talent show on March 6th. Soccer for 4-6 years olds. $20 membership (can be waived). Free meal for kids is served daily.
SHA – Naomi Chang talked about upcoming Cultural Celebration on February 25th at Neighborhood House Rainier Vista Center for the community to celebrate Lunar New Year and Black History month.
Neighborhood House – Mike Graham-Squire is new to NH and will be working with teens on alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention for drug and alcohol free communities.
Providence Gamelin House – monthly calendar is distributed, ESL Classes, Bingo, computer classes, free dance classes.
Neighborcare Health – Nelson talked about Healthy and Active Coalition at Rainier Valley. If anyone is interested, they can participate. The group should be a large amount of grant money this year. Sound Steps – walking program through Seattle Parks and Rec is very active, and seniors are gearing up for a marathon this Spring. Rainier Beach pool will be closed. Neighborcare offers medical and dental care for low income and people without insurance.
Catholic Community Services Youth Tutoring Program – Youth tutoring program is recruiting volunteers, Jason passed out a flyer to be posted at various sites.
Wellspring Family Services- Randy talked about services for homeless families, info and phone #’s are posted on their website found at: wellspringfs.org. Eviction prevention and child counseling for preschool age kids. Baby boutique is also open.
Neighborhood House – Tien talked about IDHA fundraising event on March 18th at Joy’s Place, Vietnamese food and dance. Also, Vietnamese TeaGroup happens 2nd Tuesday of month at McBride Court building at RV. Project Handle is doing HIV testing on the 2nd Friday of the month at RV from 10-12noon.
Service Provider Open House for Spring – at next meeting group will set a date for open house and people can sign up to participate and will determine location also.
Service Provider Goals 2010 – Kate talked about Service Provider group and at next meeting she would like to discuss how this meeting is working for people, is the day/time good, would the group like to accomplish anything during 2010, purpose of group, should we invite residents to this meeting, is it helpful. We will discuss this at next meeting and can review summary from the RV community meeting to be held on March 3rd which may be helpful in setting goals.
Next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 20th at Wellspring Family Services hosted by Randy (there is parking available).
Meeting minutes will be posted on the RV SP blogspot at: http://rvserviceproviders.blogspot.com/

Dec 18, 2009

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
at Asian Counseling and Referral Center

In Attendance: Kate Farmer, Neighborhood House, Kat McGhee, Neighborhood House, Jason Rolfe, CCS-Youth Tutoring, Ba Cam Ma, Providence Gamelin House, Tim Pretare, Seattle Park and Rec Lifelong Rec, Amy Huong, ACRS, Phong Ly, ACRS, Naomi Chang, SHA, Randy Nolan, Wellspring Family Services, Rebecca Whitney, SHA, Leslie Heimer, Lettuce Link/Solid Ground, Annie Edwards, Neighborhood House, Elana Feldman, Neighborcare, Michael Rudolph, Neighborcare.


SHA – Rebecca Whitney talked about Tamarack Place and Phase 3. Tamarack Place is an 83 unit mixed use building. 83 low income apartments and 3 live/work units. 8,000 square feet of commercial space on ground floor. Financing has closed for Tamarack and for infrastructure on Phase 3 of project. Merlino Construction is working on Tamarack foundation and is contractor for North phase. Tamarack will be completed in Fall 2010. There are more than 5,000 applications currently for the Rainier Vista community. Applications are received at the on-site property management office and also through Porchlight. They are sorted by special needs, unit size, family income, and then organized on a first-come-first serve basis. Phase 3 – 118 rental units (mix of public housing vouchers and tax credit units). Construction will start in 2010 and will be available as they complete each block.

Solid Ground – Leslie Heimer talked about new plans for RV community farm. There are 3 main components. They plan to produce food for local food banks (RV), seed saving and garden education. This is different from a P-patch program. They will offer cooking classes also. They will start gardening next Spring. Garden will be located near the new Habitat for Humanity building. There is a Meeting this Thursday, Design meeting for Service Providers to attend and review design of garden, 12/17 at Neighborhood House at 1-3pm. Everyone welcome to attend for input. Large community meeting will be held in January for residents to get information on this new program.

Neighborcare Health - Michael,Rudolph and Elana Feldman discussed new cancer screening project. Preventative cancer screening for breast, cervical and colon. People without insurance are eligible for a health exam and cancer screening at no cost. Once they go to clinic, they will be connected with primary care doctor. Mammograms are offered at the clinics. Contact Neighborcare Health at 206-461-6957 or www.neighborcare.org for more info.

Neighborhood House – Kat McGhee talked about computer lab hours and classes. Extended open lab hours for anyone to use computers and new classes (Internet, word, job search, resume writing, etc.). Classes are free. Please let your clients know they can come to the computer lab 6 days a week if they need a computer to use.

Youth Tutoring Program – Jason Rolfe – Tutoring will start back up in January, for grades 1-12, free tutoring. There is a wait list for program. New tutors are always needed.

Providence Gamelin House – Ba Cam Ma – Independent living Senior Housing for 62 years and older. Long wait list. Many activities are offered (ESL, dance, etc.).

Seattle Parks and Rec – Tim Pretare – Programs and activities for people 50 and over. Recreation, fitness, arts and crafts and social activities. Fitness centers located at community centers, Jefferson, Rainier, Van Asselt, Rainier Beach. January 4-January 30—people can drop in a program or class once for $2 to try it and see if they like the program. Health Fair will be held in August or September at Seward park. Large event, exhibitor booths, vendors, entertainment, fun run, 1 day event, bring residents out to this event.

ACRS – Community Resource Project – New program for clients that need help accessing resources, services, and public benefits. ACRS can help people find general info and services. Call 206-774-2443 to reach Community Resource Project.

SHA – Community Builder – Naomi Chang, supports residents at RV. 2 main community groups. RV Traffic and Safety Committee meets first Monday of month at 7pm at Neighborhood House. 10 -15 renters and homeowners attend. Multicultural Diversity Committee meets 3rd Wednesday of month at Neighborhood House. 20-25 people attend. In January, Somali Community will attend and share their culture and in February, Vietnamese community will attend and share info on culture. May plan Potluck in March. Currently working on community yearbook with info on culture, background, recipes, and anticipating completion by 2010. Working on getting funding for this. RV Community clean ups occur Monthly, first Saturday of the month at 10-12noon at park across from Neighborhood House.

Wellspring – Randy Nolan talked about Housing and the intake process which is changing, will need to call community resources line by dialing 211 for housing intakes.

Spring Open House – providers talked about hosting a Spring Open House in March or April. Attendees seemed to think this would be a good idea. A committee will form and work on planning the open house. Kate Farmer will send an email out with a meeting date in January for anyone interested in joining the committee to plan the open house.

Next Service Provider Meeting: February 16th at 10AM at Providence Gamelin House.

Oct 21, 2009

Rainier Vista Service Provider Meeting
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
10AM – 11AM
Hosted by: Jason Rolfe, Youth Tutoring Program, Catholic Community Services

Attendance: Kate Farmer (Neighborhood House), Phong Ly (ACRS), Derek Taylor (Wellspring Family Services), Randy Nolan (Wellspring Family Services), Dave Siminski (Express Credit Union), Jason Rolfe (Youth Tutoring Program), Georgia Megow (Neighborhood House), Tien Duong-Le (IDHA), Denise Lewis (RV Boys and Girls Club/RV Teen Center), Naomi Chang (Seattle Housing Authority), Elizabeth Carr (SPL Columbia Library), Gregory Schaffer (REWA), Stephen Gray (YWCA), Rachel Wilch (YWCA), Laura Paulen (Seattle Asset Building Initiative/SHA), Arielle Rosenberg (Neighborhood House), Kat McGhee (Neighborhood House)

Program Updates and information:

RV Boys and Girls Clubs – Harvest Fest, October 30th from 6pm-8pm for everyone (including non-members!) includes best costume awards, games, music, raffles. A Talent Show on Thursday, October 22 at 5:30pm with special guests from America’s Got Talent!

Seattle Public Library (Columbia Branch) – Homework help centers for K-12 students can meet with homework help volunteers at various branches (including Columbia branch – call 206-386-1908). ESL Classes and computer classes are available. Free Movie this Thursday 10/22 at RV Cultural Center at 6:30pm Film is Kwaidan Ghost story of Japan. Another upcoming event will be Asian Tales of Shadow & Light on Saturday, October 24 at 6-90m at RV Cultural Center. Also the coming up is the Odunde Festival of African Harvest Celebration on November 6, 7, and 8th at RV Cultural Center.

Wellspring Family Services – Eviction Prevention Program (rental assistance, advocacy and support, budgeting). First come/first serve. Call their phone line at 206-902-4275. Eligible participants would be at risk of losing rental housing within 60 days, have household income of 50% or less of HUD income guidelines, resident of City of Seattle, have lease in their name.
Homelessness Intervention – if your homeless, they can help with interim housing, housing search, advocacy with housing providers, etc. For families and individuals who meet the following criteria: live in King County, have a household income of 50% or less of HUD income guidelines. Call 206-902-4271 for more information.

Neighborhood House – Helpline – assistance with rent/utilities one time a year. Emergency food bags/bus tokens. Case management services. Georgia Megow is at Rainier Vista Center on Thursdays. Call her at 206-778-0834.

Neighborhood House Computer Lab – Rainier Vista Center’s computer lab is expanding! New Hours, New Courses! Open lab time for youth, adults (do not need to be a resident or client of Rainier Vista). Beginner Word, Excel, resume writing classes, internet basics, etc. will be coming soon! Help with online job search available. Lab is open Monday – Friday. Call 461-4568 for more information.
Neighborhood House High Point – Grand opening of new High Point Center will be on Saturday, November 14th at 1-4pm—everyone is welcome to attend!

Rainier Vista Center Community Kitchen - October 28th at 6:30pm – 8:30pm – open to everyone. $25 cost. Come make delicious food, learn new cooking skills, meet your neighbors, bring food home for your family. Learn nutrition and new recipes. Monthly event.

Express Credit Union – base office is near Safeco Field on 4th Avenue S. Branch satellite sites located across the city. Banking alternative and affordable financial services for everyone. Free checking, savings account, loans at fair rates, short term/emergency cash, new and used car loans, debt consolidation help, visa cards, credit builder and cash secured loans, wire transfers and bad credit help. This is a good alternative to Pay Day Loans. They will help people who have large debts to Pay Day lenders. Located at Rainier Vista Center on Thursdays 9-4pm. Or Call 206-622-1850.

YWCA – Landlord Liaison Project – The project is a partnership among: landlords, service providers, homeless individuals, families, and the YWCA. Participating landlords agree to apply alternative screening criteria to applicants who are difficult to rent to (former addicts, mental health issues, etc.) This program helps with move in assistance, landlord training, rental assistance, case management and other support to help difficult to rent tenants transition to permanent housing and be strong and successful tenants. For more information call 206-336-4601.

Seattle Asset Building Initiative – pilot program of Seattle King County Asset Building Collaborative. This program helps connect SHA tenants with services they need such as credit counseling/debt repair, employment, homeownership, job training, baking, ESL, Higher education, legal services, access public benefits, etc. Clients are eligible to recent a $100 incentive if they meet with a Case Manager and develop a service plan and meet certain goals. Call 206-615-3596 for more information

Seattle Housing Authority Job Connection – helps people living in SHA communities to find jobs. Contact Larry Hill for more information at 206-722-4010 ext. 6.

Service Provider Open House- Discussion around hosting a Service Provider Open House. This event was planned for September but then postponed. Several service providers expressed interest in this today and would like to participate. Talked about when to host, with holidays coming up and winter months, talked about postponing until the Spring. Decision made to postpone until the Spring (March). At next meeting in December, we will discuss planning for this event, and will talk about table assignments, outreach efforts, etc. We will get a volunteer committee together to work on coordinating this event.

Helpful tools to get the word out on your services/events:

Rainier Vista Community website: www.newrainiervista.com (this is a community website for the Rainier Vista) great place to post events, etc.. Please contact Christina Gilman (website host) if you would like to post an event. Christina Gilman: Christina@dolcideleria.com.

Rainier Vista Service Provider blogpage: http://rvserviceproviders.blogspot.com/. Kate Farmer will update our blog page with these meeting minutes. Please let Kate Farmer know if you want to post an event or information on the blog page.

Next Service Provider Meeting: December 15th at 10AM, hosted by: Asian Counseling and Referral Service (Jeff Wendland)