Resource Centers Help Families Hit Hard by the Economy - Children's Home Society of Washington

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Lewis CreceliusLewis Crecelius, formber resident of a boys home operated by Children's Home Society of Washington in the 1930s, recently paid us a visit to reminisce about his experience growing up with 30 other young children in a group orphanage in Auburn.
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January 9
Read a note from a woman that reunited with her birth mother through our adoption program!Read this touching note written by Judith Murphy, a woman who worked with CHSW's Search and Reunion Adoption Program to reunite with her birth mother.?
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December 16
2009-2010 Annual Report Now Available OnlineChildren's Home Society of Washington's 2009-2010 Annual Report - "Building Community. Transforming Lives" - is now available for online viewing or download.
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December 16
Payless Selects North Seattle Family Center as Partner in the 'Shoes 4 Kids' ProgramPayless ShoeSource recently named Children's Home Society of Washington's North Seattle Family Center as a partner in the Payless Shoes 4 Kids Program - a grass roots effort to deliver $1.2 million dollars in shoes to families in need across the country this holiday season.
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December 16

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Resource Centers Help Families Hit Hard by the Economy

CHSW's Family Resource Centers offer "one-stop shopping" for families in need in five communities throughout Washington. These essential centers allow children and families to access parenting education classes and workshops, parent and child activities, support groups, home visiting services, youth and school success activities, health and nutrition programs, life-skills education, and short-term emergency assistance

Recently, the number of individuals served at CHSW's family centers has skyrocketed as a direct result of the weakened economy. In 2004 and 2005, for example, CHSW's Key Peninsula Family Resource Center served 800 individuals annually. In the following years, this number more than doubled to an average of 2,000 per year.

Ann Fuller manages the North Seattle Family Resource Center, a community hub that serves a large and diverse range of clients from Lake City and beyond. Across the board, staff are noticing a dramatic need for help. The Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP), a program that helps families pay utility bills, has doubled the number of families served. Participation in the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), a supplemental nutrition program for pregnant women and children under five, has increased from 175 in 2008 to 320 so far in 2009. The numbers are expected to continue to grow quickly.

College-educated individuals who were formerly financially self-sufficient and independent are now coming in for help, too. They are embarrassed to receive social services and have littile idea what is available to them. Jud Morris, Program Manager of the Key Peninsula Family Resource Center, welcomes families from all walks of life. "Those people" have now become "us", says Morris. "We are all in this together."

Beyond basic needs, CHSW's family centers also help people develop a sense of community with other parents. Families receive career counseling, sign up for English classes, and participate in computer workshops that teach important job skills. Without these opportunities, it is likely that these families would disconnect from their local community and re-locate to places where resources were more readily available. They might be forced to spend more money on gas or use public transportation to make the long journey to DSHS and other service organizations scattered throughout the region. Instead, facilities like the North Seattle Family Resource Center serve as a resource community gathering place where people can receive comprehensive and compassionate assistance.

Family centers are funded by a combination of local public and private dollars. While funding has remained steady, the same amount of money needs to be stretched to accommodate the increase in demand. Staff are learning to do more with less. "We just make it happen," adds Morris. " We run a little bit faster, and work a little bit harder and longer to serve more people."