Eastside Human Services Forum

We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the

need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.

–Mr. Rogers

Thank you!

As 2013 comes to a close, we say goodbye to three Board members who have each made their mark on the Eastside as champions of human services. Marilyn Mason-Plunkett recently announced her resignation from Hopelink where she served as CEO since 2006. Both Pat Vache (Redmond City Council President) and Joan M c B r i d e ( K i r k l a n d M a y o r )

announced earlier this year that they would not be running for re-election. Pat joined the Forum Board in 2004 and recently served as Board Chair. Joan was one of the founding Board members f r om 2002 -2003 and t hen returned to serve on the Board in 2009.

eastsideforum.org

info@eastsideforum.org

425.587.3324

EHSF Board Members in 2013 • Siri Bliesner, Lake WA School Board

• John Chelminiak, Bellevue City Council

• David Downing, Alliance of Eastside

Agencies

• Kathy Lambert, King County Council

• Marnie Maraldo, Issaquah School Board

• Marilyn Mason-Plunkett, Hopelink

• Joan McBride, Kirkland City Council

• Amy McGann, Overlake Hospital

• Terry Pottmeyer, Friends of Youth

• Monique Ruyle, Evergreen Health

• Al Smith, Perkins Coie Law Firm

• Tom Steffen, Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council

• Lauren Thomas, Hopelink

• Pat Vache, Redmond City Council

• Paul Winterstein, Issaquah City Council

2013 Annual Report

EHSF is a 501(c)(3) organization. Revenue comes from annual dues and assessments paid by members. 2013 Income: $52,392 2013 Expenses: $49,655*

At the end of 2010, the Eastside Human Services Forum launched ES2P with the vision to create an innovative and sustainable source of funding for human services that would implement triple bottom line strategies.

2011: ES2P partners (the Forum, Cities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, and Mercer Island, plus King County) hired the Cedar River Group to research models, facilitate stakeholder meetings, and create recommendations for next steps. Puget Sound Energy joined the conversations as did representatives from Eastside city councils, and C7, which represents 7 cities working together on energy related issues and projects.

2012: The idea with the most potential was to encourage residents and businesses to first conserve energy, and then contribute saved dollars to programs that help their neighbors. The search began for a technology platform that would make this possible. ES2P applied for the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge, but did not win the highly competitive $1 million award.

2013: PSE uses an Opower program that gives residents information about their utility usage and allows them to spot opportunities to save money. But, the program isn't designed for customers to subscribe into it. Other platforms were identified, but there were barriers to making them applicable to ES2P's vision.

What We Learned

• There is political will and enthusiasm for a “conserve, save, contribute” project that would result in a sustainable source of ongoing funding for human services in East King County.

• City governments are already doing a lot to conserve energy; there is much more potential for capitalizing on conservation efforts with residents and businesses.

• There are promising indicators that show people are willing to donate amounts saved on their utility bills to causes they believe in.

• There is a lot to do! A graduate student conducted a program design for ES2P and outlined necessary tasks such as fundraising,

securing program partnerships, and finding an appropriate energy savings platform.

Where We Go From Here

The Forum will issue a detailed report on the findings and efforts thus far, which the Board will review in January. Up to now, with the exception of the work conducted by the Cedar River Group, all ES2P activities have been accomplished by a Forum subcommittee. The Forum currently lacks the organizational capacity to conduct immediate next steps. The Board will make a decision in early 2014 about the fate of ES2P.

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Evolution of a Vision

The Eastside Social Sustainability Partnership (ES2P)

Eastside Human Services Forum - 2013

Regional Issues: Advocacy & Leadership Forum representatives were active in key regional efforts including:

• King County Task Force on Health and Human Services Integration

• Low Income Fare Advisory Committee • Committee to End Homelessness Single

Adult Shelter Task Force • Oversight Committee for the MIDD (Mental

Illness and Drug Dependency) • Puget Sound Equity Summit Community

Convening Process

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When it was first created, the Forum focused on educating and influencing local elected officials and other key decision-makers, but the recession highlighted the need for ALL parts of our community to be engaged in challenges and solutions. Members and partners encouraged the Forum to expand its reach, and we have. The Forum now has a Communications Plan targeted to seven different audiences: 1. Residents

2. Nonprofit Agencies

3. East King County Cities/Government

4. Business Community

5. Faith Community

6. East King County School Districts

7. Elected Officials, Human Services

Commissioners, and Human Services Advisory

Board Members

All Forum activities involve call to action items. The website got a makeover and is frequently updated. The Forum has a growing social media presence on Facebook and soon YouTube as well. We are now able to provide expanded benefits to our members, particularly nonprofit organizations interested in increasing their visibility. We will launch a public awareness campaign about affordable housing in 2014 and host community events aimed at our target audiences.

We Hear You! Educate the public about the

needs. ...Tell stories that move people to action. ...Rebrand the discussion. ...Engage the

business community....

Legislative Advocacy

This year’s legislative session started on January 14 and took two special sessions to finally end on June 29th. Overall, human services fared better than expected with several priority services receiving maintenance funding.

The Forum advocated for issues in the areas of Basic Needs, Support for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities, Preventing and Ending Homelessness, and Early Learning. The Forum’s 2014 legislative agenda is available online; see the Advocate box at eastsideforum.org.

Eastside Human Services Forum - 2013

What is lost with Bill’s death, of course, is a husband, a father and a friend. What also is lost is a guiding light, a founder, someone with a vision. Bill had a firm strategic focus as well as a creative sense of how to accomplish the vision of a community united behind the idea and the ideal that all kids can succeed in school and ultimately in work. (Greg Shaw, Crosscut, Aug. 11 2013).

The Eastside Pathways Board has established the Bill Henningsgaard Fund for Children and continues to work toward Bill’s vision of cradle to career success for all youth. Bill is missed by all of us.

Eastside Human Services Forum - 2013

EHSF Members • Arc of King County

• Catholic Community Services

• Child Care Resources

• City of Bellevue

• City of Issaquah

• City of Kirkland

• City of Mercer Island

• City of Redmond

• Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns

Council • Evergreen Health

• Friends of Youth

• Hopelink

• International Community Health

Services

• Issaquah School District

• King County

• King County Housing Authority

• Lake WA School District

• Overlake Hospital

• Senior Services of Seattle and King

County

• Together Center

• United Way of King County

• YWCA of Seattle-King-Snohomish

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ONE NIGHT COUNT Jan. 24 1-6 am

Would you like to volunteer for the 2014

One Night Count of unsheltered homeless persons in East King

County? CONTACT:

Meghan Altimore meghana@hope-link.org

Remembering Bill Henningsgaard

The Forum hosted two events this year focused on different aspects of serving those who are homeless. The first was an educational event in June that outlined the system and policy changes occurring and the impact on different populations of homeless (individuals, families, youth, and domestic violence survivors). The Forum debuted its new video at the event. Our Neighbors: Homelessness in East King County is a compilation of video clips provided by local nonprofits who serve the homeless. To keep momentum from the June event going, the Forum convened a follow-up summit in August to discuss a broader range of community response, including affordable housing efforts, Rapid Re-Housing, and the Eastside Winter Shelters. The Forum is grateful for the work that took place among the

following partners to secure sites for this year's Eastside Winter Shelters: Congregations for the Homeless, The Sophia Way, ARCH, Eastside Housing and Advisory Committee, and the Cities of Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Issaquah. These partners, along with Hopelink and Friends of Youth, are working on the long term plan for the Winter Shelters to avoid the now-predicable scramble to find a suitable and welcoming site each winter. NEXT EVENT RESILIENCY IN PERIL: A Conversation Café Dec. 10th, 12-2:30pm Redmond Old Schoolhouse Community Center. Presented by Eastside Community Network, EHSF, and the Div. of Vocational Rehabilitation. Details at eastsideforum.org.

More Than a Roof Overhead

The mission of the Eastside Human Services Forum is to foster strong public and private partnerships to assure a stable network of health and human services for the benefit of all East King County Residents.