Welcome

• James Pogue, Comprehensive Life Resources
• I recently did a training about trauma informed care, de-escalation, and self-care. To help our clients, we need to be the best version of ourselves, and self-care is a big part of that.
• Plan was to have a forum today, but had folks cancelled at the last minute – so we had to cancel the forum, and we have a bit of extra time.
• You all have a place where your world makes sense.  During introductions, let us know the place you go where things makes sense?  (see attendees section below. –ed)
• No one said facebook, or the news or the media was where they went.  I think all those things just add to the confusion.  People went to nature or to physically being with their social groups. 
• We need a proactive approach to taking care of ourselves. 

Presentation

SHIELD Center

• Martha Sheppard, Tacoma Rescue Mission, sheppard@usw.salvationarmy.org (the editorial staff has a policy of not putting statements into print that will get the speaker into trouble. Typically that limits our coverage of Martha’s comments. This is the most we’ve ever put her on-the-record… – ed.)
• The SHEILD Center probably works with pretty much every organization here.
• There is some confusion about the shield center.  When we came here 5 years ago, we said “let’s not do anything that doesn’t change someone’s life”. 
  • We removed some programs and added others.
  • All the programs don’t have to do with homelessness. 
• In our diverse community, we’re changing one life at a time (when we get our provider group t-shirts, it should have a motto like this on it. –ed).
• H.E.I.L.D Center – it’s the white building by the Jarvie Lodge - we own the shelter and the white building and the empty lot next door.
  • S – Safe Shelter and Housing
    • Jarvie Lodge – since 1886 – families in need of emergency shelter.  Has 7 rooms, which can house 8-10 families
    • Single women’s shelter – at same facility – 20 beds
      • 3 large rooms facing playground
      • Must be chronically homeless – priority to folks exiting the stability site
      • Work with Comprehensive Life Resources – folks often need mental health services because when you’re chronic you are in safety mode.
    • Safe Shelter – Sheltering Arms Family Emergency Shelter
      • 10 families – big gym so we could go bigger.
      • Developing volunteer shelter training program
      • Do meals for everyone,
      • Laundry facilities are available
      • Most of the case management comes from the clients’ RRH case managers – not much case management on site
    • You don’t have to be clean and sober to be in the shelter –we hold their hair back (if we ever get provider group t-shirts, a line drawing of this will be going on the back. –ed.)
    • We tell entering clients we run a 30 day shelter.  If you work on some KEY tasks (see below –ed.), we can extend your stay.  We always extend their stay. 
  • H – Healthy Living
    • Food pantry – 60 – 100 families a day – neighbors not super fond of us – there is always a crowd and sometimes it’s a mess
    • Community garden on site at the church
    • Garden at shelter – cook is always trying to do farm to garden, although balancing proper nutrition can be a challenge.
    • Ensure access to medical care – agents from Molina and United Health Care come to the center– everyone that walks in can sign up right then.  We know folks can sign up on-line, but many folks just don’t. 
    • Drug and Alcohol referrals – Salvation army has one of the best free programs – but you have to work.  Program is in Seattle – we can almost always get someone in. 
  • I – Independent Living
    • Housing readiness
      • Transportation – 1^st month bus pass is provided by the Salvation Army.
      • Help with Communication – ensure client has a phone/email/postal service (mailing address)
      • KEY Tasks
        • Intent to rent
        • Plan in place
        • We all extend grace to folks working on tasks
      • Housing Stabilization – this is an integral part of housing – folks need all this to be successful in housing
        • Employment Classes/Job Fairs
        • Education Specialists
  • E – Encouraging Relationships and Support
    • Support Groups
    • Support Networks – families, friends – these network connections can make or break a family.  We constantly revisit the Diversion Conversation to discuss support structures.
  • L – Leadership Development
    • Staff Development –
      • Pierce County Provider Academy – an amazing program that is free of charge to any agency in Pierce County (check it out - https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/4118/Homeless-Provider-Academy )
    • Volunteer Development
      • Shelter Care Training for volunteers
      • Emergency Disaster Service training
      • Shelter Consultant – smaller churches
  • D – Developmental Assets – things you learn as a child
    • Youth at risk
      • Camp Programs
      • Scouting programs
      • SOAR – Foster Girls
    • Human Trafficking (I’m pretty sure they don’t have a program that traffics people, I’m guessing something at addresses the effects of this.  I really shouldn’t wait a week to edit these notes –ed.)
  • (I was thinking SHIELD stood for “Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division”.  And I suppose it still could, espionage agencies are notorious for having secret identities. Is Major Martha really a cover identify for Nick Fury? –ed.)
• Basic Needs - When a client arrives, we tell a client to work on their Basic Needs and to work on a Housing Plan.  People have 2 weeks to do their basic needs:
  • Phone (get a phone or minutes)
  • E-mail (many folks don’t have an account or know their passwords
  • Postal Service – we and many other agencies offer this
  • Transportation – new thing – if you come to any one of our shelters we will buy the first bus pass.  2^nd month bus pass – they have to show progress or need.
  • Develop a Support Network
    • Get folks a Service animal or pets
    • Work on who family and friends are – find places to store stuff, group folks together
    • Help finding childcare – this is  a real challenge – help folks resolve their issues
    • Maureen – do you check in with other case managers?  Martha – good idea.
  • Housing
    • Have client do Coordinated Entry
    • Diversion conversation
    • Self-sufficiency matrix
  • Theresa – how about adding critical medical needs ?  Martha – great idea. 
  • Question – how about researching medical records?  Martha – another great idea.  Anyone in medical community here?  Molina – we’ll ask that question.  Donald – just need a medical release form – that allows us to manage their meds.
  • Community Health Care can get access to Medicaid records for any of the 5 agencies.  Al – Sea Mar can do that as well. 
• Housing Ready
  • Documents – income verification and such.  Don’t need this info to stay in a shelter, but folks need it for housing.  We do background checks on some folks just so folks know exactly what they are up against.  They go to the utility office to get a printout of any possible debts.  Do a credit check – landlords still look at number.  Review their legal issues – items to take care of prior to treatment.  Again, there aren’t needed for the shelter stay
  • All clients write down their story about homelessness and how they are stronger now so they can be stable. 
  • Household budget development
  • Maureen – bank account?  Martha – great idea, we’ll add it to the list.
  • Question – I’m a social work major – do many folks have mental illness that prevents folks from being successful?  Martha – they often do, so we help them out.  Even if you’re homeless for 45 day and don’t have a mental illness, your mind changes to survival mode.  Folks aren’t dumb  - they survive.  Question – how to do you overcome this?  Martha – we give them organizational techniques and work with them on baby steps.  We walk them through each task.  We do a budget – even when they don’t have money – but that won’t be in their current situation forever – they will have income at some point. 
• Household Sufficiency
  • Sign up for food steps
  • Ensure they have health care
  • Employment readiness
  • Job hunting
  • Income tax
  • Staying Healthy
    • Use the Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey (ACES) – helps people understand that they aren’t a screw up – that there were factors that influenced the choices they’ve made. (ACES are a powerful tool in understanding our clients– info at https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html -ed).
    • Recovery and Treatment
    • Mental Health support provided by different agencies
  • Legal – rights as a tenant and fair housing laws and possible continuation of education
• Shield Center Daily Schedule
  • Monday – Housing Action Plans
  • Tuesday – Household Stability
  • Wednesday – Basic Needs
  • Thursday – Health and Wellness
  • Friday – pizza and bumper cars (OK, I made the Friday schedule up, but you’ve got to admit that would be fun… –ed). 
• Coordinated Entry should be the first step – will find out if they qualify or not.
• Calvin - How do we contact the Salvation Army – via phone?  Martha – our phone system isn’t terribly efficient, so know the extension before you call. In general -  253-572-8452 ext. 111
• Questions – veteran connections are important – Martha – yes let’s add that to our list.
• Question – you have legal assistance available?  Martha – good idea, no we don’t. 
• Al – City of Tacoma Human Rights commission is looking at an education effort to get assistance with medical bills. 
• Carolyn – Second Cycle for transportation.  Martha – good idea as a resource for transportation
• Question – does the shield offer translation?  Martha – we have some staff who are bi-lingual.  If folks can read, we use google translate.  Have some volunteer with different language skills.
• Questions -Drug and Alcohol, why OK with use.  Martha – some folks won’t use shelter if they can’t be accepted as they are.  We do keep it safe.
• Maureen – Folks need help understanding their leases.  You said that everyone understands Coordinated Entry – that may be the case in this room but isn’t the case out in the community.  We need to think how to engage the non-provider community in a way that helps the client.  I’ve been to the websites and I’ve made the phone calls.  I want to know how to help families.  James – I think many folks in here don’t understand Coordinated Entry.  Gerrit and my department are working on a very cool public database on how to get folks questions answered.  I’ll be sending out surveys to folks – we’ll have a demo in the fall.  This whole collaborative started with providers not knowing what to do.  Martha – Associated Ministries has a resource guide (at https://associatedministries.org/am-resource-guide/ -ed), and 211 as well (all 211 or use their on-line database of resources at https://win211.org/search/ -ed).
• Marybeth – safety planning for people in unsafe situations?  Martha – I’ll add that.  
• Salvation Army Phone Number - 253-572-8452 ext. 111
• Theresa – 211 and United Way on-line resources are as good as we make them – please go in and update your agency information (phone 211 to update your info or go online at https://win211.org/update-your-listing/ -ed)
• Questions - Is the SHIELD center open for meetings?  Martha – open from 10-2 to the public.  Shelter residents can stay in the shield center later, and the center is available for providers to meet with clients.
• Al – I go to a number of different consortias and collaboratives.  Every one has said they have put together a resource list.  We have some major resource lists available in the community.  If we are going to do a survey, the question is which one of those resources works the best for us.  James – we are doing that – partnering with other agencies (I can talk ad nausea about lots of things, and how resource lists must be tightly tailored to specific populations to be effective is one of them.  –ed)
• Kelly – a lot of folks that have income are having trouble getting into housing.  Can we send them to you on Mondays?  Martha – on Mondays at 10:30am, yes, we are open to the public.  Right Judy?  Judy – right. 

Presentation

• Joyce Standford – Candidate
• First time candidate for county position 2.  I’m running with 2 women
• I’m a mom, and a substitute educator. 
• Have 3 kids – middle son, who is 30, said “I think your life has put you on the path you are on”. 
• I have spent the last 14 or 15 years working with Senior Citizens– they all think I have the answers. 
• Started working as a substitute teacher –and kids kept thinking I had answers.
• Running is exhausting – Larry Seaquist didn’t tell me that part. (that got a laugh from Larry –ed.)
• All the issues – I feel like we can fix all that.
• 10 years working for Group Health – doing sales over a large territory. 
• I came from California in 1998.
• Was living with a small child and her mom.   I Left , my Mom’s home to enter a homeshare program, where we shared a home for nearly 10 years.  I could have been homeless.  Do we have a program like that here?  Many folks – yes.
• We need to get from “me” to “we”.  We can’t solve these complex issues alone, we need to listen and argue without anger. 
• Thanks for letting me stay and engage with you.  This is phenomenal – I appreciate that you were able to educate me so much in the past hour.

Reports

Committees:

• Daily Meaningful Activity - Need ways for folks transitioning out of homelessness to build social connections
• Eviction – Need help for folks facing evictions or dealing with the effects of evictions
• Innovative shelter – tent city and a host of other initiatives. 
  • Tent City Tacoma
    • Patricia Menzies, Tent City Tacoma, pmenzies48@gmail.com
    • Sign up for the temporary shelters subcommittee.  If you want to be part of the subcommittee that is going to setup the first tent city in Tacoma, or have a potential host or non-profit to run it. 
• Hire 253
  • Kelly Blucher
  • Next date will be Wednesday, October 3rd at Goodwill
  • Last time we have 32% success rate – are aiming for 50%. 
  • July 25th – 2-3:30.  Looking for organization to spread this to.  Have a packet to help clients get ready for the event.  Have a packet for the employers to be ready for the event as well. 
  • August 13th  – bringing in some groups to present on Home ownership. 
• Advocacy Committee –
• Brandon Chun
• Last week went very well. 
• Remember that your stories need to leave time for everyone to speak.  The candidate’s roll was to listen and then report out. 
• Next week will be a full crowd – 5-6 candidates will attend, so probably less time than last week. 
• Al – keep the stories short – emphasize you point about what you want the candidate to understand.  Keep focused on homelessness – we went on tangents last time.
• Maureen – these folks are running for positions in the State Legislature.  think about solutions at the state level (like giving us buckets of money. –ed). 

Good of the Order

• • You know what drives me nuts?  Getting a flyer about an event, wanting to post a link to it, looking all over an agency’s website, calendar and facebook page, and not being able to find any mention of the event.  You want your event advertised.  I want to advertise your event.  Throw me a bone here, folks.  –ed. 

   

  (this is the point in my notes editing that I typically go and get some potato chips.  But we are all out.  A very sad moment.  –ed).

Restaurant Review

Recipe - A new feature.  Not a restaurant review, but still food related, so that is something.    

My mom is a good cook.  She makes most everything from scratch.  I’ve always liked cooking that way too.  My mom has a pretty substantial repertoire of dishes, but many foods never touched my lips until adulthood.  Risotto is one of those foods.  In the early 90’s, I was over at a dinner party at some Library School friends named Claire and Jefferson.  They were making risotto, a classic Italian dish.  Risotto is one of the world’s magical dishes.  It is basically a rice you cook by sautéing it in a bit of fat and stirring for 20 minutes while slowly adding broth to it.  It is a tiny bit time consuming to make, but the stirring processes transforms the rice into something unbelievably creamy.  I’d never seen it before that night, and I was smitten (thanks Jefferson and Claire).  Risotto smells great while cooking.  It is quiet and peaceful to make, and tastes amazing.  You can make all sorts of risottos, adding veggies (asparagus, squash, peas) and/or meats (sausage, pork, shrimp).  You can use different broths.  It is kind of like soup – yes, people write soup recipes, but you don’t really need to follow them – there is freedom to experiment built right into the dish.  Risotto is a filling and pretty inexpensive meal (the only oddity is buying Arborio rice – a high starch rice that is needed for the creaminess).  Most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen.  Squash is probably my favorite risotto (and my kids’ least favorite), but the following recipe is my go-to risotto.  It is a nice dish to make when you’ve got 30 minutes and want to talk to your kids.  Your kids can take turns stirring while you make a salad and set the table.  And while my teenagers are distracted by the stirring, they often, accidentally, get a bit chatty about what is going on in their life. 

Risotto with Fresh Herbs – total time - 30 minutes or so – serves 4-6 – adapted from one of Bibi Caggiano’s cookbooks.

Ingredients:

6 cups veggie broth (or watered-down chicken broth)

3 Tablespoons olive oil (or butter or canola oil or whatever)

½ cup onion, minced

2 cups Arborio rice (or Carnaroli or Vialone Nano Rice)

1 cup dry white wine (or more broth)

3 tablespoons fresh herbs, minced (parsley or marjoram or oregano or basil – oh yes, basil please)

1 Tablespoon butter (or not)

¼ cup fresh parmesan (or not)

Directions:

1. Warm up broth to simmering in a pan
2. In a different, thick-bottomed pan, sauté onion in olive oil over medium till soft – about 5 minutes.
3. Add rice to onions and stir.
4. Add wine to rice and stir till wine mostly evaporates
5. Add hot broth, ½ cup at a time, constantly stirring, waiting until broth is absorbed before adding the next ½ cup – takes about 18 minutes total.
6. Add butter, herbs, and parmesan.  Stir and serve.

Look up risotto recipes on line for the whole world of possibilities.  Or just add stuff. 

Attendees

Introductions and what helps you make sense of the world (I missed lots of your great approaches to making sense of the world, and I may have mixed up names and approaches – sorry –ed.)

• James Pogue, Comprehensive Life Resources, This provider meeting helps me to make sense of the world.
• Cynthia Steward, League of Women Voters
• Wes Bailey, MDC, Home
• Kelly Blucher, Goodwill, The Provider meeting makes the world
• Sheila Miraflor, freelancing - I go home to get grounded
• Al Ratcliffe, I go home and build with wood
• Brandon Chun, MDC, the world makes sense on the softball field
• Carlos (maybe?)
• Something Marlar, advocate
• Barbara Kaelberer, walking in the forest and gardening
• Pamm Silver, Molina Health Care.  Puddles at work, at home, meditation (I’m pretty sure she didn’t say puddles, but that is what I heard – ed.)
• Jeria Smith, DSHS, Spending time with my kids is when I feel grounded
• Maureen Howard, Howard Consulting, writing stories of homelessness
• Theresa Power-Drutis, New Connections, the 2 times when I gather with the Hilltop Madrinas.
• Patricia Menzies, Tent City Tacoma, in the future, hope an actual tent city will be there
• Zakari Kaletha, Rescare WIOA Youth Program, 5 mile drive and look at the sea lions and the rippling water
• Marissa Guerrero, Rescare Workforce Services, being with family
• Donald, HOP Transitional Housing, my cover song is praise and worship in the church and Tae Quan Do
• Lisa Raise with House of Prayer foundation, home and church
• Valentinya Germer, Community Youth Services
• Larry Seaquist, League of Women Voter, being in a room with all you folks
• Joyce Stanford, Candidate that did show up, meditation helps make the work make sense, but going doorbelling right now
• Lynn Jones, movies and unhealthy snacks, being on the water and talking to God and mom
• Humanization facilitation, doing puzzles is my comfort space
• Riding my bicycle
• Barb Graham, looking into community volunteering
• Christy Henderson, Humanization Facilitator (I thought someone just made up “humanization”, but my OED says its first know use was 1836 – which just shows you what I know… -ed)
• William Stinson, Catholic Community Services, coming here and hearing all the stories
• Joseph Denton, Sound Outreach, anything that gets the blood flowing – especially in Olympic National Park
• Martha Sheppard, Tacoma Salvation Army– taking walks down to the Sound when we should be doing lots of other things
• Bonnie Rico, Comprehensive Life Resources, Point Defiance 5 mile drive, any mountaintop, anywhere in nature
• Willard, Happy Destiny House, when I’m playing with my 6 year old snowboarding
• Robert Willard, Happy Destiny House, camping in the middle of nowhere
• Breanne Willard, Happy Destiny House (both Willards used a pen with glitter in the ink – setting the bar pretty high – ed.)
• Lisa Race, House of Prayer Foundation
• Donald Pitchford, House of Prayer Foundation
• Zachary Kinneman, What’s Next Washington, At home
• Ellie Claus-McGahan, community Member, inspecting houses with habitat for humanity
• Dru Gonia, Salvation Army, grounded with coworkers and my lab
• Marilyn Durain,Tacoma Rescue Mission, Home
• Angela Delgado, Sea Mar
• Bill Lemke, Northwest Furniture Bank, anywhere over 5k feet in the mountains
• Dana Peterson, Catholic Community Services
• Paul Carlson, Home, Garden and Art
• Marybeth McCarthy, Tacoma Community College, chanting
• Judy Flanigan, Tacoma Salvation Army – praise and worship
• Yuni Medlin, Living Access Support Alliance (LASA) – anywhere near water
• Sarah Appling, Pierce County Human Services, humor grounds me
• Carolyn Weisz, University of Puget Sound
• Melissa Frink, Catholic Community Services, pets and yoga (like watching pets do yoga? –ed.)
• Effan Daivs, Pierce County District Court, Hiking
• Suzette, Pierce County Accountable Communities of Health, Breweries
• Yuki Yee-Ishigemori, Coordinate Care
• Diana Laine, Worksource, church or at home with kids
• Shane Wise, Worksource, guitar
• Victoria Vass, Habitat for Humanity, going to my mother’s house
• Calvin Kennon Sr., Comprehensive Life Resources, spending time with granddaughters , my 86 year old mom, and the history channel
• Dawna Bryant, Comprehensive Life Resources, playing with my car – and I think I look cool (Oh yes you do – ed.)
• Audrey Oliver, playing with dachshund or being around animals (when I moved into my house 20 years ago, my neighbors had two dachshunds.  They moved away not long after we moved in, and I’ve rather forgotten the neighbors names, but the dogs were Bridget and Hans. –ed.)
• Greta Brackman, Comprehensive Life Resources, being out in nature
• Heather Fahsholtz, homeless outreach – waterfront
• Luis Rivers Zayas, Tacoma Rescue Mission, time with wife and grandkids
• Gerrit Nyland, Catholic Community Services (I said being productive and being in nature, but maybe it is editing meeting minutes…-ed)