A resource for King County Housing Authority residents
Northridge I resident Jack Kershaw is looking forward to planting lettuce, tomatoes, onions and radishes in one of the new garden beds at the Shoreline property where he lives.
Several volunteers from Vineyard Community Church recently built eight raised garden beds there this summer – completing a project that several Northridge residents had long hoped for.
“It’s great that we can come out and grow all kinds of vegetables,” Kershaw said. “It’s a lot cheaper to grow them yourself than it is to go to the store.”
Church member Nancy Short helped organize the project at Northridge. She said she hopes the new gardens have an ongoing, positive impact on the community.
“This is a dream come true,” Short said.
The Northridge project isn’t the only new garden in Shoreline.A team – featuring residents, King County Housing Authority staff, KCHA Washington Service Corps AmeriCorps members and Center for Human Services volunteers – built 18 raised garden beds at Ballinger Homes earlier this spring. Now, those beds are thriving.
Ballinger’s Family Support Center uses three of the beds as educational gardens, where children can get their hands dirty, learn how plants grow and do worm composting. But the rest are being used by Ballinger families to grow all kinds of vegetables and some flowers, too.
“Everyone has really taken over this project and done a great job,” said Morgan Moore, the AmeriCorps member who organized the effort.
Asya Galenko, 11, takes care of her family’s garden, which includes lettuce, strawberries, cabbages and a single sunflower.
“It’s growing a lot,” she said. “It’s fun, and everyone in my family is eating the vegetables.”
Fall gardens
It’s not too late to plant your own vegetable garden. The mild Pacific Northwest weather extends the growing season for many vegetables through the fall. Vegetables that you can plant through mid-August include: early carrots, leek, turnip, kohlrabi, early cabbages, winter cauliflower, collards and Swiss chard. Vegetables that you can plant through mid-September include: bunching onions, radishes, broccoli, leaf lettuce and spinach.
If you don’t already have a space where you garden, please talk to your property manager about any available community gardening spaces at your housing development or about any restrictions that apply to outdoor green spaces that accompany your unit.
One of the best ways to grow vegetables in cool climates is to plant them on raised beds. When the soil is elevated, it dries more quickly, warms faster and provides deeper soil for root crops to develop. You can plant earlier in the season and harvest later into the fall.
Public hearing set for August on amended MTW agreement
You are invited to a public hearing where you can make comments about a proposed amendment to the Moving to Work (MTW) Agreement entered into between the King County Housing Authority (KCHA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The public hearing is set for 6 p.m. Aug. 14 at KCHA’s Central Administrative Offices at 600 Andover Park W., Tukwila. For directions, go to www.kcha.org and click on the link under the “Public Hearing” announcement on that page.
KCHA’s current MTW Agreement with HUD expires in 2011. HUD has proposed anAmended and Restated MTW Agreement that would allow KCHA to extend most of its current flexibility under the MTW program through 2018.
A copy of the draft agreement is available during normal business hours at the above address and online at www.kcha. org. The draft agreement also can be mailed to interested members of the public upon request by calling Judi Jones, MTW Program Director, at 206-574-1152.
Written comments about the draft agreement can be submitted by mail prior to Aug. 14 to the following address:
KCHA MTW Amended Agreement
Attn: Judi Jones, MTW Program Director
600 Andover Park West
Tukwila, WA 98188
If you need accommodations or an interpreter at the hearing, please contact Judi Jones as soon as possible.
A bigger, better KCHA section
Dear readers:
I’m very excited to report that The
Voice’s King County Housing Authority
News section has a whole new look.
We’re trying to make this publication
even more useful and interesting for all of
you. So we’ve expanded the KCHA section
from four pages to eight, giving you
twice as much content every month.
To help you quickly find the stories that
are most relevant to your life, we’ve created
three specialized sections. One section
is filled with news and information
for residents living in our family developments. One section features stories for
residents living in our senior and disabled
properties. And one section is devoted to
Park Lake Homes II and Greenbridge,
KCHA’s new, mixed-income community
in White Center.
This expansion also allowed us to add
a second translated article every month,
and we’ve geared one translation toward
families and one toward seniors and individuals
with disabilities.
On the front page, we plan to highlight
stories that apply to a broad cross section
of residents.
And we’ve added color to some pages
to help brighten the look of the entire
section.
I want the KCHA News section to be
as valuable to you as it can be. So I’d
love to hear from you if you have ideas
about future stories that you think should
be included in The Voice. And I look forward
to hearing your feedback about the
changes we’ve just made. I can be reached
by phone at 206-574-1188 or by e-mail at
HeatherM@kcha.org.
Until then, happy reading!
Sincerely,
Heather Miller
News for Families Living in KCHA Communities
By Heather Miller
King County Housing Authority
It was the last day of school, summer vacation had officially arrived and children living at Burndale Homes in Auburn were ready to celebrate.
So that sunny evening in late June was the perfect occasion to have a barbecue for the entire Burndale Homes community. Neighborhood House, KCHA and the Auburn Food Bank provided the hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, fruit slushies and other tasty treats, and volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of the Valley helped prepare and serve dinner.
“Our hope is that we can have more of these times to get the whole community together,” said Colin Sexton, Neighborhood House community learning manager.
Terrah Goeden – the Neighborhood House youth tutoring coordinator who worked at the Burndale Community Center all school year – led an informal recognition ceremony at the barbecue to honor exemplary youth and volunteers involved in the center’s after-school program.
Civic engagement awards
Six children received certificates for successfully completing the Roadmap to Civic Engagement program. Roadmap to Civic Engagement is a program of the Washington Service Corps AmeriCorps program, and KCHA is a Washington Service Corps partner agency.
The children who received certificates are: Denis Parkhotyuk, Katrina Fitzgerald, Antrane’ Greer, Edvard Parkhotyuk, Peter Kravchuk, Svitlana Sokalska, Tanya Cheban and Crystal Strand.
The curriculum is designed to help young people understand how to make their voices heard and that they have a civic responsibility to themselves and their communities.
The civic engagement program concluded with a service project designed by the kids in which they prepared and distributed 134 sack lunches to residents and community members at the Auburn Food Bank. Elizabeth Lovato, a WSC/KCHA AmeriCorps member, facilitated the civic engagement program.
“It was awesome,” Svitlana, 11, said of being recognized for the service project. “We deserved it.”
Additional accolades
Three other children were recognized for going above and beyond academically by participating in supplemental educational activities at the Burndale tutoring center. They are: Angel Micks, Nyalok Yat and Rebecca Thareek.
“It was really, really cool because that was the first time I’d gotten an award,” Rebecca, 7, said of receiving a certificate.
Also, Denis Parkhotyuk was named as “most improved” youth academically.
“I was really surprised,” said Denis, 12, who was dually honored at the event since he also participated in the Roadmap to Civic Engagement program.
In addition, two dedicated volunteers from Kiwanis Club of the Valley were recognized. They are club president Wendy Price, who volunteered once a week all year long in the Burndale tutoring center, and Jim Schwend, who donated two large bookshelves from his carpentry business and brought his grill to cook for everyone at the barbecue.
The back-to-school clothes shopping season can be a cash-strapped time for any parent. But it doesn’t have to be. Smart shopping and timely shopping can help ease your financial burden.
One of the most important strategies for buying back-to-school clothes is to stick to the budget you set. Bring only as much cash as you need when you go shopping, and leave any credit cards at home.
Below are more tips about how to ease the back-to-school clothes shopping crunch.
By KCHA Staff
Did you know that if your child
is a high school junior or senior, he
or she is eligible to enroll in college
courses while still in high school
without paying tuition?
It’s possible through a program
called Running Start, which is open
to Washington students who have finished
two years’ worth of high school
credits. Running Start allows high
school students to enroll in college
courses, earning both high school and
college credit for their work.
The benefit is that Running Start
students graduate from high school
with introductory college classes out
of the way, and some are even able to
complete a two-year college degree
through the program.
Though students must pay for
any required fees as well as books,
supplies, transportation and parking,
they don’t have to pay college
tuition.
Those who are interested should
contact their high school guidance
counselor and the college where they plan to enroll. However, you and
your child should take time to think
about his or her maturity level. Some
students who are ready for the college
environment academically might not
be ready socially or emotionally.
It’s also important for you and
your child to remember that professors
will set college-level expectations.
College classes might demand
an average of at least two hours of
homework for each hour of class,
and there usually isn’t time in class
to do homework.
To enroll, students must submit an
application and an official copy of
their high school transcript and take
an assessment test.
Local community colleges now
accepting Running Start enrollments
for fall 2008 include:
• Green River Community College,
253-833-9111
• Highline Community College,
206-878-3710
• Lake Washington Community
College, 425-739-8107
• Shoreline Community College,
206-546-6964
Cooking always has been a passion for Reyna Hernandez, who grew up in Veracruz, Mexico.
Now, she’s trying to turn that passion into a career.
Hernandez is one of 14 local entrepreneurs who graduated this summer from a 10-week, 30-hour business development training course offered by Washington CommunityAlliance for Self-Help (CASH). I taught the course, which was the first by Washington CASH to specifically reach out to Latino entrepreneurs.
“It’s my dream,” Hernandez told her fellow classmates at a graduation ceremony at the Southwest Youth & Family Services office in Burien. “I think I’m going to achieve it.”
Washington CASH helps small businesses known as microenterprises, which are typically owner-operated with five or fewer employees. Specifically, Washington CASH helps low-income individuals gain the skills and resources they need to successfully operate their own businesses by providing training, small loans, peer support and technical assistance. Often, our clients are skilled in a particular field but don’t know how to start or grow a business. Some clients need a small loan to start or expand their business. Our goal is to help individuals move from being in poverty to being self-sufficient small business owners who contribute to the economy of their communities.
We’re proud of our success rate: 75 percent of our clients have experienced an increase in household income, and 56 percent report a significant increase in business revenue after working with us.
Irene Herrera, who also graduated from the recent Washington CASH business development training course, said our services were a big help to her. She is working to operate her own shipping and packaging business.
“Thanks to these classes, I’m more secure in what I’m doing,” Herrera said. “Before, I talked about the business, but I didn’t know many, many things. Now, I feel comfortable and happier.”
To find out more about our services, please call 206-352-1945 or 360-698-4088, e-mail info@washingtoncash.org, or go to www.washingtoncash.org.
There will be two Summer Safety Fairs this month at KCHA properties in Kent organized by Kent Youth and Family Services in collaboration with many community partners. Free lunch will be served for youth 18 and younger.
The events are:
Keep kids healthy through preventive care
Do you have children younger than 19 and need free or low-cost health insurance or help finding a doctor or dentist?
The Children’s Health Initiative can help!
This exciting initiative helps families enroll their children in free or low-cost health insurance, find doctors and dentists, and coordinate their care so that children receive the preventive care they need to stay healthy.
Your children might qualify for free health insurance through the program if household monthly income is no more than $3,534 for a family of four. Your children might qualify for low-cost health insurance through the program if household monthly income is no more than $4,417 for a family of four.
Monthly income is calculated by taking total family income and then subtracting any work-related childcare or adult care expenses, all court-ordered child support payments for children living outside the home and subtracting $90 for each working adult in the family.
You can download the application for free or low-cost health insurance online at www.metrokc.gov/health/insurance/ children.htm.
The application is available in Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
If you need help filling out the application, you can call 1-800-756-5437.
For help finding a doctor or dentist and coordinating care, you can call 206-2963944 (voice) or TTY Relay: 771 or go to www.metrokc.gov/health/locations.
King County Executive Ron Sims and the King County Council launched the Children’s Health Initiative in January 2007.
Since then, more than 2,600 kids have enrolled in health insurance and more than 3,000 kids have found doctors or dentists through the new program. The initiative is a public-private partnership funded by King County and 20 private funders.
To find out how your child could benefit, please call 206-296-3944 or visit www.metrokc.gov/health/kchap/chi.htm.
Washington state law requires school-age children to receive specific immunizations in order to attend school. So if your children are headed to school this fall, it’s important to set aside time now to ensure they receive all of the required immunizations.
Immunization is required for the following diseases: Hepatitis B, Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Varicella (Chicken Pox), Polio, Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Seattle & King County Public Health clinics administer these routine immunizations for children at little or no cost to families. For children through age 18 who are covered by Medicaid, the immunizations are free.
Clinic staff can help parents enroll their children in Medicaid if they aren’t enrolled already. For children who aren’t covered by Medicaid or health insurance, there can be a $15 charge to cover the cost of administering each immunization though no one will be turned away.
Public Health clinics can be found in Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Federal Way, Kent and White Center. For more information about hours, locations and available public health services, call 206-296-4600 (Voice) or TTY Relay: 711.
Once your children have been vaccinated, please make sure that you’ve filled out a “certificate of immunization status” form available at their schools.
For more information about immunizations, please call your child’s school or call 206-296-4774 and mention “Vaccines for Children” or visit www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/immunize.
By Eden Bossom
King County Housing Authority
The cockroach is a strong and determined bug on a simple journey in search of food. If its food sources dry up, the cockroach will either travel elsewhere to satisfy its appetite or just go belly up and die.
Did you know?
In partnership with all of you, KCHA is trying to raise awareness about cockroaches so that everyone may live without these uninvited houseguests. If you take care to practice the basic steps below, the likelihood of an infestation is dramatically reduced.
News for Senior and Disabled Residents of KCHA Communities
Resident Fran Casey fondly remembers climbing up the Dogwood that grew in her family’s yard when she was a child, partly because it was her mother’s favorite tree.
Now, a painting depicting that very same Dogwood – complete with her parents’initials carved on its broad trunk – spouts up from the floor next to her Casa Madrona apartment. The painting is one of many that have appeared on the temporary construction sheeting hanging in hallways throughout the Olympia mid-rise since a renovation project began there earlier this year.
Residents Linda Gilson and Sue McHenry are both artists who wanted to bring good cheer to their neighbors during the construction project. The temporary sheeting protecting all of Casa Madrona’s hallway walls offered a blank canvas.
“It just makes me feel good,” Gilson said of painting.
Casa Madrona is one of eight KCHA mixed population buildings receiving vital safety improvements and beautifully remodeled community spaces as part of a recent $25 million financing transaction.
Residents have taken the construction inconveniences in stride, but McHenry said she thought her neighbors could use a little brightening up as the project continues.
“I’ve noticed a lot more smiles,” McHenry said.
“It’s entertainment,” said resident Clarene Aitken, explaining what she has enjoyed about the new artwork in her hallway.
For Casey, the Dogwood painting by McHenry is a particular favorite that brings tears to her eyes as she describes the tree that inspired it.
“It’s going to go into my place once all of the work is done,” she said.
Karla Kandris, KCHA’s resident manager at Casa Madrona, also plans to keep some of the paintings on display in the management office and craft room once construction is finished.
Gilson’s most elaborate work is a floor-to-ceiling piece titled “Jon’s Pond,” depicting a colorful, enchanted forest and pond named after a construction crew member working at Casa Madrona. A chair with Jon’s name on it sits next to the pond.
“All of the people who have been working here have been fantastic,” Gilson said, explaining why she paid tribute to a crew member with her painting.
I’m KCHA’s Section 504 coordinator, which means that it’s my job to work with the many individuals making requests for reasonable accommodations. I thought it would be helpful to explain more about what a reasonable accommodation is and how you can request one.
Areasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment to your home or living environment so that your living arrangements are, as a whole, comparable to that of other applicants/residents. Such accommodations may be made for qualified persons with disabilities.
Examples of accommodations that a qualifying applicant/tenant may request include:
Requests must be medically necessary and sufficiently tied to the individual’s disability.
How do I know if I have a disability that would qualify?
A person has a qualified disability if he or she:
Please talk to property managers or resident services coordinators about making a request. You can make the request in a manner that is convenient for you.
Our new reasonable accommodation forms will help many. The forms explain what information you need to submit as well as what information is required of a medical or other third-party provider familiar with your disability. A copy of the reasonable accommodation request form for public housing applicants and residents is available on the KCHA Web site at:
www.kcha.org/currentresidents/sh_reasonable.aspx.
If you think you need a reasonable accommodation, contact your property manager or a resident services coordinator for more information.
You also can make a request verbally through resident services coordinators or property managers. When made verbally, we may ask you to put this request in writing. If you need assistance, we can help you with this. We require written documentation from a medical or other third party provider that is familiar with your disability. This information helps us respond to your request. We usually respond to requests for reasonable accommodations within 45 days from the date they are received, if not sooner.
You might have to provide reliable documentation (not medical records) that you have a disability. You might have to document your need for the particular accommodation(s).
You won’t have to describe the nature or the severity of your disability except as it specifically relates to the accommodation that you’ve requested.
We can’t provide you with supportive services beyond those already offered to all residents. Also, while we’re happy to make modifications to enable you to live in one of our communities, we’re not required to offer you housing that is fundamentally different from what we already have.
Forest Glen resident Shirley White had never been there before.
So when she heard that KCHA resident services coordinator – Felix Rodriguez – was organizing a field trip to Snoqualmie Falls, she jumped at the chance to see the 268-foot waterfall.
“I love it, and I haven’t even seen anything yet,” White said when she and seven other Forest Glen residents arrived there earlier this summer. “I’ve been really looking forward to this.”
Snoqualmie Falls is on the Snoqualmie River, nearly 30 miles east of Seattle between the communities of Snoqualmie and Fall City. It is one of Washington’s most popular scenic attractions, showcasing the beautiful whitewater falls roaring down over a majestic granite cliff.
“It is very cool,” resident Lu Yizhong said of the falls. “This is a very happy trip.”
Rodriguez said he hoped that going on the social outing helped build a stronger sense of community among the Forest Glen residents.
“It also gave them a chance to go outside of their day-to-day living environment to see and do things many of them do not get to do very often,” he said.
After stopping first at the Snoqualmie Falls observation deck, the residents enjoyed a picnic lunch and then had time to explore the area further before heading home. The 75-degree day made for perfect picnicking weather.
Yizhong and his wife Huicheng Sun visited Snoqualmie Falls a few years ago. But because neither of them drives a car, they said the trip from Redmond to the falls was a difficult one to make. So they were thrilled at the chance to return without having to worry about how they would get there.
“This is very, very beautiful,” Sun said, pointing toward the waterfall. “When Felix told us about the trip, we were very happy. He is a very nice man.”
Older adults are vulnerable to the negative effects of summer heat because aging impairs the body’s cooling mechanisms. Chronic illness and medications also can make you more sensitive to heat. Below are ways to help you combat the ill effects of excessive heat.
For more information, visit www.redcross.org/services/hss/ tips/heat.html.
Translated Articles for Our Families
CHỈ TỐN CHÚT ĐỈNH HAY KHÔNG TỐN CHI HẾT CHO VIỆC CHÍCH NGỪA TRẺ EM Luật của tiểu bang Washington đòi buộc trẻ em ở tuổi đi học phải chích ngừa mới được đến trường học. Vậy thì nếu con em quí vị đi học vào mùa thu này, điều quan trọng là hảy bỏ giờ ra để biết là con em có được chích ngừa chưa. Chích ngừa để phòng các chứng bịnh sau đây: Viêm gan B, bịnh uống ván, bịnh bạch hầu, bịnh ho, bịnh đậu mùa, bịnh sốt bại liệt, bịnh sởi, bịnh quai bị. Các Sở Y Tế Công Cộng Seattle và Quận King cung cấp các việc chích ngừa này với giá rẻ hay không tính tiền cho các gia đình. Nhân viên của sở giúp các phụ huynh ghi tên xin trở cấp y tế nếu con em chưa có nộp đơn xin. Nếu trẻ em không có bảo hiểm sức khỏe hay không có trợ cấp y tế, thì có thể phải trả lệ phí là $15 cho việc chích ngừa, nhưng cũng không ai bị từ chối không không thể trả nổi tiền lệ phí. Các trạm Y Tế Công Cộng đều có ở các nơi như Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Federal Way, Kent và White Center. Để biết thông tin về giờ mở cửa, địa điểm và các dịch vụ y tế công cộng, xin hãy gọi cho số điện thọai 206-296-4600, hoặc số 711 cho người khuyết tật. Khi con em được chính ngừa xong, hãy nhớ xin mẫu đơn xác nhận mà nhà trường cung cấp cho. Để biết thông tin về viêc chích ngừa, xin hãy gọi cho trường học của con em qúi vị ở số 206-296-4774 và hỏi về việc chích ngừa cho trẻ con, hoặc hãy vào trang mạng www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/ immunize.
Ku talaal cunugaagi lacag yar ama lacag la’aan
Deegaankan Washington waxaa u degsan sharci ah in caruurta da’doodi skoolka gartey ay helayaan talaallo gaar ah si ay skoolka uga qeyb qaataan.
Sidaa darteed haddii caruurtaadi ay aadayaan skoolka xiligan deyrta,waxaa muhiim ah in aad u dhameysid wax allaale wixii talaal ah ee ay u baahan yihiin. Talaalada waxaa looga baahan yahay cuduradan soo socoda: Cudurka beerka B (Hepatitis), kan dhaawaca birtu ay keento (Tetanus), kan neefsashada xaniba (Diptheria), Xiiqdheerta (Whooping Cough), Busbus ( Chicken pox), Dabeesha (Polio), Jadeecada (Measles), Qaamooqashiiroow (Mumps) iyo kan jirka ku raad reeba dhibicyo gadgaduudan.
Markaa xarumaha faya dhoorka guud ee Seattle iyo king County waxey marxalad wareegto u sameeyeen caruurta talaaladan in qoysku ku helaan lacag yar ama lacag la’aan. Caruurta da’doodu ay tahay 18 jir kuwaas oo hela caymiska daka tabarta yar (Medicaid) talaalkoodu waa bilaash. Shaqaalaha xarumaha caafimaadku way ka caawin karaan waalidiinta in ay caruurtoodi udiiwaan
206-296-4600 (Voice) or TTY Relay: 711.
Geliyaan helitaanka caymiskan haddey mar hore isu diiwaan gelinin.
Caruurta aan weli helin gargaarkan dadka tabarta daran ama caymis caafimaad, waxay la bixi karaan $ 15 si lugu daboolo qarashyada talaaladan, jid kale oo u furana ma jiro waxaan taa ka aheyn.
Xarumahan fayadhoorka waxaa laga helaa Auburn,Bellevue, Bothell, Federal way,Kent iyo White Center. Wararka ku saabsan xagga saacadaha,meelaha ay ku yaalaan iyo xarumaha guud ee diyaarka ah waxaad ka heli kartaa telefoon (206)296-4600 wax fariin ahna waad ku dhaafi kartaa.
Dadka dhagooleyaashana waxey kala xiriiri karaan numbarkan 711.
Tafadal mar allaale markii caruurtaadi la talaalo hubi oo buuxi kaarka talaalka, kaararka talaalka ama foomamka waxaa laga helaa skoolaadka ay dhigtaan caruurtiinu.
Wararka oo kooban xagga talaalada tafadal u yeer skoolaadka caruurtiinu ay dhiktaan ama garaac telefoonkan (206)296-4774 una sheeg in aad talaal dooneysid ama ka daalaco kumbiyuutarka www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/immunize.
Translated Articles for Our Senior and Disabled Residents
Naftaadi ka ilaali xilligan kuleeylaha
Dadka waaweyn oo da’da ah waxey u jilicsan yihiin oo uu jirkoodu diidayaa marxaladdan xiligan kuleylaha maxaa yeeley da’nimadu waxay daciifineysaa habka jirku kuleylka u qaboojiyo.
Sidoo kale cudurada daba dheeraada iyo daawo qaadashaduba waxay kaa dhigi karaan in aad u nuglaatid kuleylka.
Qodobadan soosocoda waxay kaa caawinayaan sidaad ula dagaalamilahayd raad reebka jirada kuleylka badani uu keeno.
Helidda wararka dheeraadka ah ka daalaco websaayadan hoos ku qoran.www.redcross. org/services/hss/tips/heat.html.
Người lớn tuổi có thể bị thương tổn bời nóng bức trong mùa hè chỉ vì khả năng kém cỏi trong việc điều hòa thân nhiệt. Những người bị các chứng bịnh kinh niên, họăc đang uống thúôc dài hạn thường dễ bị phản ứng bởi sự nóng bức. Dưới đây là những cách thức giúp qúi vị chống lại sự nóng bức:
Lau người băng khăn lạnh. www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/heat.html
Để có thêm những chỉ dẫn, hãy vào trang mạng www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/heat.html
News about the Greenbridge and Park Lake II Communities
Greenbridge resident Hai Ho has his fingers crossed.
“This event is very helpful for people that want to get a job,” Ho said.
Employers at the fair were hiring for many types of positions, including, but not limited to, warehouse workers, forklift operators, call center employees, administrative assistants, stockers, executive office employees, retail sales associates, cashiers, customer service representatives, care givers and more.
The event drew 24 employers and more than 200 job seekers.
“The turnout was great,” said MinaAmin, program manager at YWCA Greenbridge. “Job seekers attended the event from all over King County, from Greenbridge, Park Lake II, White Center and the surrounding community.”
Quang Tran found a job at the YWCA “It’s very convenient because it’s so near fair last year and said he was glad the event to where people live,” he said. has become an annual tradition.
Amin said she wanted to thank all of the community partners who helped with the event.
KCHA provided snacks and refreshments, the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County Southwest Branch set up the tables and chairs, the White Center Community Development Association and the North Highline Fire Department provided tents, YWCA Community Affairs, the YWCA of Seattle-King County-Renton and the Burien Fred Meyer provided door prizes and the Albertsons in White Center donated bottled water.
“We would not have been able to do it without their help,” Amin said, adding that YWCA staff worked hard at outreach and recruitment for the event.
Prospective residents got their first peek at Nia during a tour of the new, smoke-free building in July.
Nia is a four-story, 82-unit building that is under construction and expected to open this fall at Greenbridge. Its spacious, light-filled apartments will feature well-appointed kitchens and their own patios and decks.
“I am very excited about coming back to Greenbridge,” said Sivheng Thong, a former Park Lake Homes resident who plans to apply to live at Nia. “I really like the new place because it is nice, clean and diverse.”
Centralized laundry facilities will be con
veniently located on every floor.
Between nine and 16 units will house adults with disabilities who are younger than 54. The remaining units are open to households in which at least one member is 55 or older.
Once complete, Nia will become KCHA’s first completely smoke-free building. Smoking will not be allowed there, and no one, including staff members and construction workers, has ever smoked there.
The building will have controlled access, underground parking, a live-in, on-site property manager and a part-time support services coordinator who can provide information and referrals. Nia also has an activity room and a computer room with multiple computers and Internet access for residents. Plus, raised gardening spaces, a full-sized greenhouse, a fenced dog run and first-floor retail are planned.
“All of the units are gorgeous,” said Christina Friedenthal, KCHA’s community services manager. “Some lower-floor units have tall ceilings, and the fourth floor has beautiful territorial views of the Cascades.”
As part of Greenbridge, Nia is adjacent to King County Metro Transit bus routes, the Wiley Community Center, the YWCA Career Development Center and White Center Heights Elementary School. Also, a King County library branch is planned in the YWCA building, and the White Center Food Bank and the White Center Public Health Center are less than a mile away.
All Nia residents must earn no more than 60 percent of the area’s median income, or $34,200 for a one-person household. Half of the units are specifically for residents who make less than 30 percent of the area’s median income, or $17,100 for a one-person household.
It’s not too late to apply to live at Nia. Those who are interested should submit an application for housing and mark Nia as a preference.
Submitting an application does not guarantee housing. Applications can be found at:
NEWS NOTES
Free Computer Classes
The Salvation Army Technology Center offers free computer-based classes for adults, seniors and youth who want to learn basic application skills. To sign up for a class, please call the Salvation Army White Center office at 206-767-3150 ext. 101 or visit the center at 9050 16th Ave. S.W. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
More information also is available online at technology.program.googlepages.com.
Highline Public Schools offers free, school-required immunizations
Does your child need immunizations for school? If so, mark your calendar for the free clinic to be offered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 23 and 30 at the Highline Public Schools Administration building, 15675 Ambaum Blvd. S.W. in Burien. For more information about the free clinic, call 206-433-0111.
For more information about school-required immunizations, turn to page 3 in the KCHA News section of The Voice.
Free summer reading, story times at the White Center library
• La Cucaracha: 7 p.m. Aug. 6. All ages welcome. Hear stories and songs about spiders, butterflies, mosquitoes and of course, cockroaches! This Spanish/English program will introduce Spanish language skills in a fun and entertaining way. Sponsored by the White Center Library Guild.
• Family Story Times: 11:30 a.m. Aug. 7 and Aug. 14. All ages welcome. Enjoy stories and songs, finger play and fun while children develop pre-reading skills.
• Summer Readers Party: 7 p.m.Aug. 13. All ages welcome. Celebrate your summer reading. Come for an evening of family fun. Enjoy snacks and prizes. Sponsored by the White Center Library Guild.
The White Center Library is at 11220 16th S.W., Seattle. It is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, please call 206-243-0233.