KCHA NEWS - February 2008
Residents learn about potential Park Lake Homes II revitalization
Park Lake Homes II would receive a full makeover if a potential redevelopment project there moves forward in the years ahead.
The White Center redevelopment project’s goals — which were outlined at a community meeting in December — include improving residents’ living environment, revitalizing the site and building a sustainable community.
A combination of age and poor design of the heating, ventilation and roof systems makes it necessary to replace the 165 units.
The revitalized development will have about 300 housing units for people with a
mix of incomes and new community spaces.
Plus, “green” building practices will be used
throughout the project.
The King County Housing Authority expects
to apply this year for a HOPE VI grant
that’s needed to make the project a reality.
“It’s very competitive to get a HOPE VI
grant award,” said Nikki Parrott, KCHA’s
senior development manager. “We hope to
be successful.”
The event marked the second in a series of meetings with Park Lake Homes II residents about possible changes in their community.
Christina Friedenthal, KCHA’s community
services manager, explained how the
Housing Authority would help residents who
would have to relocate.
“If we are successful and proceed with the
project, we want to make it as comfortable
and smooth a process as possible,” she said. “We’re going to do everything we can so that
moving is not a huge burden for you.”
KCHA’s relocation assistance includes:
• Helping residents find new places to
live
• Providing residents with funding for
moving expenses
Community support services staff members
also plan to stay in touch with residents
while they’re living elsewhere, Friedenthal
said.
“They want to make sure that while you’re living away from here that you’re able to live
successfully and happily,” she said.
And once the project is finished, residents
in good standing with KCHA will have the
option of moving back into the redeveloped
homes.
So far, KCHA’s redevelopment plan
includes keeping an existing Head Start
building, creating new pedestrian trails,
preserving big, healthy trees where possible
and adding new roads and parks.
“The next time we meet with you, we will
talk about where housing will be built and how it might look,” Parrott said.
KCHA staff members were among those
who provided interpretation services at the
December community meeting so that all
residents in attendance could understand the
presentations.
In addition to KCHA staff, the meeting
also featured an interpreter hired through the
Academy of Languages.
By KCHA Staff
Free assistance with preparing your
taxes is available through April 15 at
the locations listed below through the
United Way of King County’s Free Tax
Campaign.
You don’t need an appointment. But
because many sites get very crowded, you
should arrive as close to the site’s opening
time as possible for the best chance of
getting served.
What to bring with you:
• Any W-2 forms, 1099 forms and other
end-of-the year wage statements that you
received from all of your employers and
sources of income
• Photo identification
• A copy of last year’s tax return
• Social Security card or Individual
Taxpayer Identification Number for every
person in your household that you
support
• Birth dates for every person to be claimed on your return
• Anything else that you think might affect
your return, even if you’re not sure
• If filing jointly, both filer and spouse
must be present to sign
For more information, call 2-1-1.
Auburn
Auburn Valley YMCA, 1620 Perimeter
Road S.W.
6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
Bellevue
Hopelink, 14812 Main St.
1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays
5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
Burien
ACORN of King County Prosperity
Center, 134 S.W. 153rd St.
5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
Federal Way
Multi-Service Center, 1200
S. 336th St.
5 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays,
Thursdays
Kent
Alliance Center, 515 W.
Harrison
5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays
9 a.m. to noon Saturdays
Seatac
Airport Jobs Office at
SeaTac Airport
5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
The Village at Angle Lake
Community Services Building,
4040 S. 188th St.
5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
Shoreline
Hopelink, 15809 Westminster
Way N. (next to Marshalls
in the Aurora Square Plaza)
5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
White Center
Salvation Army, 9050 16th
Ave. S.W.
5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays,
Wednesdays
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
White Center Assembly,
10237 16th Ave. S.W.
5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays
February is
African American
History Month
African American settlers lived in communities
across King County from the
earliest years. Here are a few examples:
1885: A Civil War veteran and his wife,
John and Mary Conna, were among the
first settlers of Federal Way, acquiring a
157-acre homestead. Later, John Conna
became the first assistant sergeant at arms
for the new Washington State Senate.
1889: William Scott, who operated a
successful truck farm where he raised
vegetables for Seattle markets, was the
first African American resident in Kent.
1891: African American miners arrived
in the King County coalfields. These
industrial workers were engaged in one
of the region’s most important early industries.
By 1900, the miners numbered
more than 1,000, and many served as
community leaders.
1910: Some of the earliest African
American residents in Auburn worked in
the community’s railroad yards.
Source: www.metrokc.gov
“I have a dream that my four
little children will one day live
in a nation where they will not
be judged by the color of their
skin but by the content of their
character.”
-- Martin Luther King Jr.
Wiley Center hosts lawmakers’ press conference on housing
Greenbridge resident Jeanne Servis moved into KCHA public housing in 1972 — a step she says made a big difference in her life.
“It allowed me to raise my two girls and not have to go on welfare and take money away from someone who needs it even more,” she told Gov. Chris Gregoire at a press conference last month at the Wiley Community Center.
At the event, Gregoire announced that her 2008 supplemental budget proposal calls for investing $57.5 million in housing programs.
That proposal includes:
“Your stories are exactly what today is all about,” Gregoire told Servis and others who shared their personal histories. “You give us great hope for the human spirit.”
Gregoire was joined at the press conference by several lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Speaker of the House Frank Chopp.
Trying to quit smoking? You are not alone
A new non-smoking policy took effect
last month in two occupied KCHA buildings:
Northridge I and Plaza 17. The new
policy is intended to make the buildings
healthier and safer for residents.
Nia Apartments, which are under construction,
also will be entirely smoke-free
when placed in service this fall.
If you want to stop smoking but can’t
seem to break the habit, consider checking
out some of these local resources for
people just like you.
Washington State Quit line: 800-QUIT-NOW or 800-2NO-FUME
The Quit Line has both English and
Spanish versions with phone translation
into other languages available.
Anyone 18 or older who calls the Quit
Line receives one telephone counseling
session and a two-week supply of
nicotine patches.
Pregnant women, people referred by
the Veterans Health Administration, uninsured
people, people using Medicaid
or people using Indian Health Services
receive four counseling phone calls and
free nicotine patches for four weeks.
Youth age 17 or younger receive
one counseling call. Anyone calling the Quit Line should be thinking of quitting
within 30 days from start of treatment.
Public Health Centers, Community
Health Centers of King County,
Puget Sound Neighborhood Health
Centers
The Seattle and King County Tobacco
Prevention Program has trained
staff at all the clinics in these systems to
counsel patients on tobacco use.
In addition, the program provides
staff members with nicotine patches that
they can give free to clients for the entire
quit process.
People need to enroll as patients of
the clinics to use these services.
A complete listing of the clinics the
program works with can be found at
www.metrokc.gov/health/tobacco/ctcp.htm.
More information about steps to quitting
and reasons to stop smoking can be
found at www.metrokc.gov/health/tobacco/quit.htm.
Harborview Medical Center
This Seattle medical center has nicotine
patches and tobacco counseling for
$5. To enroll, call 206-731-2000.
Do you need to find a job but don’t know where to look or how to get started?
Then the YWCA Greenbridge Career Development Center might be exactly what you need to help you get on a successful employment path. The center offers:
• Access to a job bank with computers, Internet service and job leads
• Help with interviewing techniques, online applications, building a resume and writing a cover letter
• Job placement assistance
• An on-site computer education center that includes individualized instruction and free basic office work computer training
• Referrals to short-term training programs
“The clients we serve so far speak 23 different languages,” said Mina Amin, the program manager for YWCA White Center and Auburn Employment Services. “Fortunately, our staff is also very diverse. YWCA staff speak nine languages. But getting past the language barrier is just the first step. We really care about helping our neighbors.”
Program services are available to food stamp recipients, King County HOPE VI clients, all residents of Park Lake Homes and Greenbridge and King County Section 8 residents.
The center is at 9800 Eighth Ave. S.W. Ste. 104 in White Center. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
For more information, drop by the center or call 206-763-6922.
Nearly one-third of home fires start in the kitchen.
That’s more than any other place in the home, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Leaving your cooking unattended is the leading
cause of home cooking fires, two-thirds of which start with a range or stove. To protect your household’s safety, please read the following tips on avoiding a kitchen fire:
• If your power goes out while cooking, be sure to turn off the oven and all burners so that when the power is restored, nothing catches on fire.
Sources: Home Safety Council, National Fire Protection Association
Independent spirit inspires Briarwood resident to overcome limitations
By Judy Lawler and Heather Miller
King County Housing Authority
After a devastating car crash at age 29, Regina Fulmer wasn’t expected to ever walk or talk again.
She suffered a massive brain injury while living in Texas in 1985 when the car in which she was riding ran a red light and was broadsided by a van on the passenger side. She was in a coma for three months. When she regained consciousness, Fulmer began the slow process of relearning how to do everything: feeding herself, standing upright, even saying her own name.
She knew one thing for certain – the nursing home in which she initially was placed after leaving the hospital wasn’t going to be her home forever.
“I was just determined,” said Fulmer, a 51-year-old Briarwood resident who has lived in KCHA housing for nearly two decades. “I said, ‘I’m as good as the next person. I will walk. I will talk.’”
Thanks to long hours trying to overcome her speech and mobility limitations, she made that statement come true.
Step by step Fulmer began to regain her skills. And after moving to Washington shortly after the crash, she was able to live in an apartment where on-site staff members were able to provide necessary care and assistance with tasks such as cooking and doing laundry.
While there, she learned to walk without a walker or cane by holding someone’s hand.
“You tell me I can’t do something, and I’ll show you I can,” Fulmer said, describing how she overcame such significant challenges. “I’ve always been that kind of person.”
After 18 months in the assisted-living apartment, she moved into Lake House in Shoreline. Briarwood is the third KCHA community where she’s resided.
“I like being able to live independently,” Fulmer said.
Living on her own isn’t the only aspect of independent adult life that returned to her. She eventually regained her driver’s license and went back to work, first at Deseret Industries and later as a Fred Meyer cashier.
The car crash isn’t the only hurdle Fulmer has overcome in her life. In fact, she calls it “a snap” compared with her childhood and then raising children of her own. Despite the challenges she’s faced, Fulmer said she loves life and hopes others learn to appreciate every day they have.
“People, no matter what has happened to them in their life, they should be happy and go on and live life,” she said. “You’ve got to focus on the positive and healthy because life really is short.”
Reasonable accommodations
The King County Housing Authority is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities so that their living arrangements are, as a whole, comparable to that of other residents.
For more information or to submit a request for a reasonable accommodation, applicants or residents should contact their management office.
KCHA says goodbye to beloved key keeper
By Generosa Schauer
King County Housing Authority
Gustaves Manor residents have lost treasured key keeper and fellow resident Janice Bennett, who died Jan. 2 after a battle with cancer. She was 71.
Jan had served as the Gustaves Manor key keeper since 1993. Though her main duty was letting residents into their units when they were locked out, she did so much more for everyone.
She always was out to greet people when they came home from the hospital or vacations. She worked hard to make sure each resident’s needs were met and was quick to call for help when necessary. She came to meetings with a note pad and pencil to take notes for those who were unable to attend. She coordinated countless events, hosted prayer groups, diabetes support groups and Red Cross trainings and even taught English as a Second Language classes for those who were interested.
Most memorably, Jan was a friend to everyone she met.
Jan is survived by her husband, Richard Bennett, their three children, four grandchildren and her two sisters and two brothers.
As the Gustaves Manor resident services coordinator, I’ve known Jan for nine years. In all of that time, she worried more about me driving on icy roads or working too many hours than about herself. Her heart was full of love, and her faith was incredible. She will be greatly missed.
Santa’s sleigh visits Wiley Center
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas made the Wiley Community Center a very merry place to be when he stopped by to have his photo taken in December with children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County Southwest Branch.
Volunteers served a meal of pasta, salad, bread rolls and cookies to as many as 300 children and parents who came to the branch’s annual holiday dinner. The event marked the branch’s first holiday dinner in the Wiley Center since the building completed a $5 million renovation project.
After dinner, children and their families crafted art projects and took snapshots with Santa.
Meanwhile, many organizations donated gifts to the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County’s Southwest Branch during the holiday season. Among donors was KBA Construction Management – a consultant on the Greenbridge project. The consulting firm provided gifts to more than 75 children.
Rent reform underway
By KCHAStaff
The King County Housing Authority has started a review of its existing policies related to checking residents’ income and calculating their rent for the Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher programs.
KCHAwants to make its current policies easier for residents to understand and more respectful of their privacy. The Housing Authority also wants to make its policies easier for KCHA staff to administer.
There will be two parts to this process:
Part one: Simplify how rent is calculated for seniors and residents with disabilities on fixed incomes.
Part two: For work-able adults and working families, improve policies related to checking income and calculating rent and encourage work and increased savings.
KCHA wants to hear what residents and community members have to say about the existing rent policy. How well do the existing policies work for you? How could they be improved? To share your thoughts, please e-mail rentreform@kcha.org. More information about KCHA’s planning process and public hearings on this topic will appear in future issues of The Voice.
By Generosa Schauer
King County Housing Authority
About 50 residents in four South area buildings were surprised with $35 gift cards to Fred Meyer.
Who was Santa for them? The gift cards were generously donated by Home Instead Senior Care’s Federal Way location, which provides non-medical assistance to seniors to help them age in their own homes.
Four years ago, Home Instead Senior Care started the “Be a Santa to a Senior” program nationally. In 2006, staff members across the country coordinated the delivery of more than 300,000 gifts to low-income seniors throughout the United States.
Each year, Home Instead Senior Care in Federal Way hosts a fundraiser that allows them to purchase gifts distributed regionally.
This year, that effort touched the lives of some 500 seniors in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane counties.
Meanwhile, Plaza 17 residents in Auburn also were treated to some extra holiday joy by staff members at their adjacent Rite Aid. Cheryl Quam, who is married to KCHA maintenance staff member Mike Quam, and other Rite Aid staff members created a giving tree that allowed residents to make a wish for a gift from their store.
Every resident who made a wish received a gift.
The presents were delivered right before Christmas, which gave some residents their first gift of the holiday season.
Lastly, residents of Gustaves Manor, Plaza 17, Mardi Gras and Wayland Arms each have received frozen whole chickens donated by Ray Valdez of Sunshine Farms, who has coordinated this generous donation for more than 10 years.
Residents look forward to this annual tradition, taking the opportunity to cook for their families and friends.
TRANSLATIONS
Translated Articles from The Voice
ĐỂ ĐƯỢC GIÚP KHAI THUẾ
Có sẵn việc giúp khai thuế miễn phí (từ bây giờ) và cho đến hết 15 Tháng Tư ở các địa diểm được ghi danh sách dưới đây, qua công cuộc vận động khai thuế miễn phí do cơ quan United Way trong quận King. Qúi vị không cần phải làm hẹn. Nhưng vì có nhiều địa điểm khai thuế có đông người đến, vì vậy qúi vị nên đến sớm ngay vào giờ mở cữa để có cơ hội được giúp đỏ sớm.
Qúi vị cần phải đem theo những
gì ?
Nếu muốn biết thêm thông tin, xin gọi số 2-1-1 Ở AUBURN
Auburn Valley YMCA
Các ngày Thứ Năm: từ 6 giờ đến 9 giờ tối Các Ngày Thứ Bảy: từ 10 giờ đến 2 giờ chiều ở BELLEVUE cơ quan Hopelink các ngày Thứ Ba: từ 1 giờ đến 5 giờ chiều các Ngày Thứ Năm: từ 5 giờ đến 9 giờ tối các Ngày Thứ Bảy: từ 10 giờ sáng đến 2 giò chiều ở BURIEN
ACORN of King County Prosperity Center
các Ngày Thứ Năm: từ 5 giờ đến 9 giờ tối Các Ngày Thứ Bảy: từ 10 giờ đến 2 giờ chiều ở FEDERAL WAY cơ quan Multi-Service Center Các ngày Thứ Tư và Thứ Năm từ 5 giờ đến 8 giờ tối ở KENT
ALLIANCE CENTER
Các Thứ Ba và Thứ Năm: từ 5 giờ chiều đến 8 giờ tối Các Thứ Bảy: từ 9 giờ sáng đến 12 giờ trưa ở SEATAC Airport Jobs Office at SeaTac
Airport
Các Thứ Năm: từ 5 giờ chiều đến 9 giờ tối Các Thứ Bảy: từ 10 giờ sáng 2 giờ chiều
The Village at Angle Lake Community Services Building
Các Thứ Ba: 5 giờ đến 8 giờ tối Các Thứ Bảy: 10 giờ sáng đến 2 giờ chiều.
Get help with your taxes
Lacag la’aan macaawimo waxaa
laga helaa goobaha hoos ku qoran ,
maadaama dadku badan yahay tag goobta kuugu dhaw soona ilaa iyo
Abril 15da soona qaado:
dhalashada , numbarrada , dhmmaan ddadka guriga ku nool oo dhan
Wixii warar dheeraad ah wac 2-1-1. Auburn Auburn Valley YMCA 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays Bellevue Hopelink 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays Burien ACORN of King County Prosperity Center 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays Federal Way Multi-Service Center 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays Kent Alliance Center 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays Seatac
Airport Jobs Office at SeaTac Airport
5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays The Village at Angle Lake Community Services Building 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays