A community-based newspaper serving the Puget Sound area since 1981
The Voice
April 2006
Articles translated into six languages
One phone call can answer many needs
BY MORRIS MALAKOFF
King County Housing Authority
2-1-1 is the new number to call for information on a range of services from rent assistance to where to find a competent babysitter in your community.
“We are the next to last call anyone has to make,” said Tom Page, executive director of Washington Information Network 2-1-1, the nonprofit group leading the 2-1-1 effort.
The line is a comprehensive resource for people seeking social services such as food assistance, English language courses, career training and almost any other non-life-threatening need.
“We have a database of more than 13,000 programs and contacts,” Page said. “By the end of the year, we expect that our statewide database will contain more than 30,000 sources.”
Since going live in February, extensively-trained 2-1-1 operators have been taking calls from King County residents seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eventually, there will be eight call centers around the state.
“By the end of the year, we hope to have the funding to be available 24 hours a day,” Page added.
Currently, the 2-1-1 number cannot be reached by a cell phone, but cell phone users can call 1-877-211-9274 for the service.
The call center can also handle calls in most languages.
“We have some staff members with multilingual skills, particularly in Spanish,” he said. “(And) we can get someone on the line through our tele-interpreter service within a minute or so. They have the ability to help us in about 130 different languages.”
The call center will soon be equipped to directly handle TTY calls from hearing impaired callers, but for now, Page advises them to contact the service through 7-1-1, the number for the relay operator.
Eventually, the database used by operators will be available online as well. General information on 2-1-1 in Washington is now available at http://www.win211.org.
Within hours of going into service, 2-1-1 was already serving people in need.
“We had a number of people referred to us in the first days,” said Richard Jump, executive director of the White Center Food Bank.
Page wants people to know that 2-1-1 isn’t just for finding critical services.
“We can help people find a reliable babysitter referral or let them know where there might be a public gym or pool to go to,” he said. “We also can help people who are looking for volunteer opportunities in the community through the United Way Volunteer Bank.”
But 2-1-1 cannot do everything, Page cautioned.
“We just aren’t the place to call to find out where the nearest pizza delivery place might be.”
BY SARA FARINELLI
Voice reporter
At 2:30 in the afternoon on any given weekday during the school year, the first wave of children arrives at the Neighborhood House Park Lake Youth Tutoring Center. There are currently 21 children who come regularly for tutoring, mentoring and socializing, so work space is tight in the small building. Nevertheless, they are, in the words of volunteer tutor Sandy Bui, “one big family.”
Program Coordinator Nina Burgess works with two AmeriCorps members—one full-time and one part-time. Otherwise, she relies on a dedicated group of volunteers, including a Seattle Pacific University student, five students from Evergreen High School and long-timer Sandy Bui.
When Bui walks in, all the children look up and shout greetings.
“Hi, Sandy. Are you tutoring today?” they ask.
Bui, 20, is a fixture around the center. She has been tutoring in the program since she was in the seventh grade, when, under the auspices of a special program for children from immigrant families, she was selected for a tutoring job for which she received a small stipend. At first, it was just the excitement of having a little cash in her pocket.
“You know, it wasn’t easy for a 14-year-old to find a paying job,” said Bui, who has lived in the Park Lake area since coming to the United States from Vietnam when she was 9 years old.
However, what started as a job has since become a labor of love.
When funds for the program dried up in Bui’s sophomore year of high school, she continued to tutor during her junior year to fulfill her service learning requirement for graduation.
After a pause in her senior year, she resumed volunteering while studying at South Seattle Community College, picking up work study credits along the way.
Bui is now studying biology at the University of Washington and plans to become a dentist. Her studies at the UW make it a bit difficult to continue tutoring, but she still reserves term breaks and the summer for special programs at the center.
For Bui, tutoring has been as much a learning experience for her as it has been for the children.
“I like being around people of other cultures and to learn about them,” she said. “The kids are very talkative and open. We are really like a family.”
After over eight years tutoring and working with three different program coordinators, Bui is practically the institutional memory of the program. She has seen the children come and go and takes pride in having contributed to their academic success.
These days Bui’s younger sister, Maika, 10, comes to be tutored because their mother thinks highly of the program for what it offers both academically and socially.
Burgess is enthusiastic about all her volunteers, but thinks Sandy Bui is a wonderful role model for the other children.
“She keeps giving back to the community.”
State testing underway for high school students
Legislature approves test alternatives
BY ALYSSA MARTIN
Voice reporter
Sophomores in high schools across the state dug into the first two sections of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning last month. They will complete the final two sections on April 17, when their third- through eighth-grade counterparts will also take versions of the test.
This year’s sophomores are the first students required to pass the WASL in reading, writing and math in order to graduate.
This fact is worrisome for schools with a higher percentage of low-income students, because they generally contend with lower test scores than schools with fewer low-income students.
Zelda Mendard Ramirez, academic development specialist for SafeFutures Youth Center in High Point, works with low-income youth to help raise their WASL scores.
“Reading is the best thing students can do,” she said. “If they can become proficient, efficient readers they will be able to tackle and comprehend more of the test.”
The WASL was created to ensure each student in the state is getting a good education, but critics say a state-wide standardized test leaves too many students behind.
Mollie Seng, a sophomore living in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, is very critical of how the test will affect low-income students like herself.
“Barely half the students from my school passed the WASL last year,” she said. “I feel like they are trying to set me up for failure.”
Seng added that she thinks the decision to make the WASL a graduation requirement will lead to a higher drop-out rate among low-income students who are already struggling to form a connection with their teachers at school.
As an after-school tutor, Ramirez knows that many low-income students and their families are dealing with other issues that make school less of a priority.
While hypothesizing why lower-income students perform poorer on exams, she points to a lack of resources in early education.
“Even the governor’s plan to infuse large amounts of money at the grade levels where the WASL is taken will not completely make up for all the years of lower quality education,” she said.
Last year, 59 percent of the students at Rainier Beach High School qualified for free and reduced lunches, making it one of the poorest schools in Seattle. Only 7 percent of the students there passed all three required sections of the WASL exam.
While most standardized tests measure student’s performance against other students, the WASL just measures the students’ scores against a set of standards. If the students meet the standards, they pass the test. The results from this spring’s WASL will be released to the Class of 2008 this June.
Students who do not pass all three sections will have an opportunity to re-take the WASL in August. If they do not earn a passing score of 65 after at least two attempts, recent legislation has provided them with alternatives.
For instance, if a student fails one portion of the WASL, but his or her grades in that subject are comparable to those of fellow students who passed, the student will pass that part of the test.
The state will also allow college entrance exams, such as the ACT or SAT, to be used in place of the math portion of the WASL.
Students can also provide work samples to be approved by the state-appointed Board of Education for credit, or they can submit work portfolios from approved career and technical programs.
BY VOICE STAFF
State lawmakers wrapped up a 60-day legislative session last month, passing bills that increased funding for affordable housing, health care and education, established an alternative energy plan, extended foster care benefits for some youth and created landmark gay rights legislation.
The affordable housing bill will direct up to $100 million in real estate excise taxes to the Housing Trust Fund over the course of the next four years.
“The legislature finds that Washington is experiencing an affordable housing crisis and that this crisis is growing exponentially every year,” the bill reads.
The Housing Trust Fund is part of the state’s Capital Budget and is used in part to pay for the construction of affordable housing. In King County alone, there are 12 projects representing 341 units of housing waiting for Housing Trust Fund dollars.
The new funds will be used to clear this backlog, pay for housing vouchers for farm workers, victims of domestic violence and the homeless, in addition to funding other programs. The amount will represent just over 3 percent of funds generated by the real estate excise tax, which is imposed upon the sale of property.
After 30 years of political maneuvering, the legislature finally passed a bill making it illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians in Washington.
It also passed an alternative energy plan promoting the use of ethanol and biodiesel by requiring that these fuels make up at least 2 percent of a dealer’s total gasoline and 2 percent of total diesel sales, respectively. The rules will go into effect in late 2008.
The legislature also extended foster care benefits for youth who want to obtain higher education.
Rather than stopping benefits when youth complete their high school diploma or GED certificate, the new law will allow benefits to continue for a certain number of children seeking higher education or a vocational certificate until they turn 21.
Lawmakers also eliminated the $5 daily fee for parking in state parks, provided $28.5 million for remedial help for students struggling with the WASL and authorized 6,500 additional enrollments in the Basic Health Program for the working poor, boosting the total client base to 106,500.
Another affordable housing-related bill that would have, among other things, created an affordable housing database died in the House appropriations committee.
This bill provoked a brief debate over an amendment that would have prohibited housing authorities from using state and federal dollars to redevelop public housing communities.
Other bills that died were those calling for a simple majority approval of school bonds and plans for the renovation of Key Arena for the Seattle Sonics.
The legislature will meet again at the end of the year.
Adjustment doesn’t come easy for Katrina evacuees
BY VIRGINIA FELTON
Seattle Housing Authority
Six months after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the more than 2,000 evacuees who have found their way to King County are still coping with the losses—both material and emotional—that continue to complicate their lives.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s programs to assist evacuees have been characterized by shifting priorities and changing requirements.
Evacuees have sometimes found themselves in limbo as they attempt to make decisions about their future. Some evacuees say they have been “FEMA-tized” to the point of being weary of applying for one more program or filling out yet another form.
Officials from FEMA met with Seattle-area evacuees last month, apologizing for the unclear information some have received and promising assistance.
“We really didn’t have a script, a plan, for how this was going to run,” said Joan Rave, an official with FEMA’s local individual-assistance program.
The most recent confusion has come as FEMA transfers evacuees from the “Public Assistance Interim Housing Program,” also called the “403 program,” to a new “Individual Assistance Program” called the “408 program.”
The Seattle Housing Authority has learned that as many as half of the 160 Katrina families it serves in the Seattle area may be found ineligible for the new program. However, specifics on who has been found to be ineligible (and why) have not been shared because of privacy issues.
“We don’t yet have a good idea of the scope of the problem,” said SHA Deputy Executive Director Andrew Lofton.
FEMA has notified some people that they will receive ongoing housing assistance, he said, but many have not yet heard from the agency.
“We are working under the assumption that FEMA will give every evacuee at least 30 days’ notice, so we plan to subsidize rent for evacuees...(as long as) they have not yet heard from FEMA,” he added.
John Manning, SHA’s evacuee coordinator, has been surveying households to learn more about their situations.
“After talking with over 80 households, I have yet to talk with one who plans to go back to the Gulf Coast anytime soon,” he said.
Manning added that most evacuees have yet to find jobs in the Seattle area, though many are pursuing them.
These trends were validated in the real-life stories of two Katrina evacuees who attended an information session hosted last month by SHA.
Art helps teacher reflect on lost life
Justin Orvold is a 32-year-old graduate of Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts.
Originally from Portland, he entered the “Teach for Greater New Orleans” program several years ago and has been teaching kids with special needs while working on his professional credentials.
When Hurricane Katrina struck, Orvold was teaching at Carver Middle School in the Ninth Ward. He said that working with kids embroiled in deep poverty was a significant culture shock.
“It was one of the hardest things I have ever done,” he said, “getting used to being surrounded by crime and drugs—the school’s neighborhood was rough.”
Still, Orvold found the experience rewarding, and the kids he taught affected him deeply.
“These were kids who were submerged in poverty, yet they were rich in what they got from each other in the social relations they established.”
Orvold’s most recent assignment involved teaching eighth grade pre-algebra to special education students aged 14 to 17.
“I had to deal with a lot of difficult stuff in the classroom,” he said, “But I tried not to let it interfere with what I was there for. I was trying to make a commitment and really make a difference, but now that’s all gone. It just feels like it ended prematurely.”
Orvold evacuated to Seattle because he still has family in the area, though he said he prefers to live on his own.
With no job to go back to, Orvold has been spending his time pursuing his artwork and trying to get certified to teach in Washington. He is still waiting for paperwork from the University of New Orleans that will verify the coursework that he completed.
Orvold said that he has lost contact with most of the kids he taught in New Orleans. He made one trip back to the city to pick up some of his belongings, but doesn’t anticipate moving back. While he works on his teaching certificate, he said he’ll seek work as a paraprofessional.
The Seattle Housing Authority connected Orvold with a private landlord on Beacon Hill. In his apartment he has been making collages from some of the photographs he took of his students and reflecting on the path his life has taken.
He has received several contradictory letters from FEMA, but has most recently heard through a phone call that he will continue to be eligible for assistance.
Friends help evacuee build new life
Marcus Moody is a lean six-footer with a gentle demeanor. He was living in New Orleans’s French Quarter when Katrina struck, and he evacuated with friends to Dallas.
“I was lucky and blessed to be with some friends at the time who had a car, and they took me with them,” he said. “Fortunately, we also had some friends in Dallas.”
Moody ended up in Seattle because he had friends here too, and they let him know that housing was available.
He arrived in November and has been living in a studio apartment at Olive Tower, a property owned by Housing Resources Group. He said he hopes to stay in Seattle, particularly if he can pursue his ambition of becoming a casino dealer. He also hopes to eventually find a larger apartment.
“I went back down to New Orleans last month and most of my stuff was still there,” he said. “I’d like to go back down to get it soon. If I can find a decent one-bedroom in Seattle, I’d rather stay here than go back.”
But Moody was originally notified by FEMA that he would not be eligible for ongoing assistance. After an appeal, he was informed by phone that his denial has been reversed, and now he expects to continue receiving help from FEMA.
Seattle’s Katrina evacuees tell stories of hope and confusion similar to those being experienced by Katrina-displaced people in cities and towns all across the country.
Garden tips for community gardeners
BY ANZA MUENCHOW
Special to the Voice
As I write this column, we are having a cool spring, so consider warming your garden with the use of cloches.
A cloche is a small, temporary, removable plastic or glass structure that works like a mini-greenhouse to warm the soil and plants. You can use a cloche to establish your favorite crops and promote their early growth. We refer to this as “extending the season,” manipulating our normal cool, wet springs so we can grow more warm-season plants.
There are plenty of ways to build your own cloches to get your gardens growing earlier. For ideas, visit one of the large P-patch gardens in our city and see what fellow gardeners have come up with.
One simple design is to construct a frame with wood or plastic tubing over which you can stretch a clear plastic film or attach glass.
Another idea is to use a couple of long recycled windows set like a tent over your bed of produce.
Attach each window to two long upright stakes. To make the tent, rest the windows lengthwise against each other with the stakes inside and sticking out of the top crack of the tent. Tie the stakes together for better stability. Tape or staple a plastic triangle at the ends of the tent if you want the cloche to stay warmer at night.
Cloches like this warm the soil for earlier planting and are great for heat-loving transplants in April and May.
Using transplants is another way to extend the growing season. Try starting your own tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers or corn indoors in clean trays of sterile seed starting mix. I emphasize the clean and sterile materials because the indoor environment encourages the growth of bacteria that harm or kill little seedlings. Find a warm place to get the seeds to sprout and then give them plenty of light.
If you don’t have time, materials or space to start your own transplants, there are several great local plant sales that sell the best Northwest varieties. In the north end of Seattle, shop at the Tilth Edible Plant Sale at the Good Shepard Center on North 50th Avenue and Meridian Avenue North on May 6 and 7.
The Master Gardener Plant Sale at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture will also take place on May 6 and 7.
For those in the south end of Seattle, I recommend the Orca School plant sale on Saturday, May 13 at 3528 Ferdinand Ave S. just one block west of Rainier Ave. in the Columbia City neighborhood.
This spring, I am especially enjoying rhubarb and asparagus, a couple of perennial vegetables that grow up year after year in our vegetable gardens. If you plant these this spring, you’ll be feasting on delicious baked rhubarb crisp and roasted asparagus for years to come.
To roast asparagus, wash and trim the spears and lay them in a shallow baking tray. Drizzle olive oil and a little salt on them and roast in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, or to your desired tenderness. Simple and delicious.
Happy eating and happy gardening.
Anza Muenchow is an avid gardener and a volunteer with P-Patch. You can reach her at mahafarm@whidbey.net.
East Africans discuss gang issues with Seattle police
BY BRENNA CASEY
Voice reporter
About 40 people crowded into a small conference room in Swedish Hospital’s Providence Campus last month to take part in an East African Advisory Council meeting. The council, which has been meeting monthly since the late 90s, is run by the Seattle Police Department to “foster communication and education, and bring concerns,” explained Mark Howard, the meeting’s facilitator.
This particular meeting was slated for discussion of the “East African Posse,” a gang that operates in the University District and has been the target of a federal investigation. The meeting took place after six gang members were arrested by federal agents in late January.
Attendees included members of the East African community and representatives from service organizations including Neighborhood House and the East African Youth Advocacy Group.
The meeting opened with welcoming remarks from Howard, who passed the presentation to Detective Sharon Stevens. Stevens identified herself as the department’s East African liaison and took several questions about the case.
“What are these guys accused of?” asked one attendee. “We need to know information,” another man stated sternly.
“I have limited information because I am not involved in the investigation,” Stevens said. “Questions about particulars or how information came to be, I simply cannot answer. I am not representing the department in any official capacity.”
Stevens’ sentiments were echoed by John Brooks, a veteran police officer in the East Precinct. “I don’t know specifics; I wasn’t involved in the investigations or arrests.” Brooks explained that the incidents took place in the North precinct. No officers from the North Precinct were invited to the meeting.
“We were under the impression that we were getting information about these cases,” protested East African community member Yohannes Hagos.
As discussion continued, attendees brainstormed ways to keep youth from becoming involved in gang activity.
“It’s up to us to be active and proactive,” urged Abraham Araya from the youth advocacy group.
“Prevention is a community responsibility,” offered Michael Neguse, Yesler Terrace crime prevention coordinator for the Seattle Neighborhood Group.
In mid-February, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that members of the gang had been “allegedly terrorizing” University of Washington students and others in the area. Attendees at the meeting were particularly concerned about the language that had been used to describe the East African Posse and the bearings it might have on the perception of the East African community.
“There have been gangs in this country for years; never before have we called them terrorists. Why now?” asked Araya.
Another attendant, Million Shiferaw, described the characterization of the East African community as “completely devastating.”
Stevens responded that police officers understand that the gang members act as individuals.
“It does not reflect on the community,” she said. “I can just about guarantee that.”
At the meeting’s conclusion, Howard apologized for the lack of information presented and encouraged people to attend the next meeting, which will take place on April 6. For more information, contact Howard at (206) 684-7727.
Save money — apply for Basic Food assistance
BY FREMONT PUBLIC ASSOCIATION
Washington’s Basic Food Program, formerly known as food stamps, can help you save money while still paying your grocery bill.
Although in most cases the amount you’ll receive in assistance won’t cover all your food costs, it will help you save money for other necessities.
Most people have heard of the program, but many do not know they qualify. It’s estimated that only 47 percent of eligible Seattle residents are tapping in to Basic Food benefits.
Eligibility is based on family size and income. A single individual can have gross earnings of up to $1,037 per month and still be eligible for benefits.
A family of two can have a gross monthly income of $1,390 and still qualify. For a family of three the amount is $1,744, family of four, $2,097, family of five, $2,450, family of six, $2,803, family of seven, $3,156.
You must also meet some citizenship or alien status requirements to qualify. A Social Security number is required, but undocumented parents may apply for their children born in the United States.
Keep in mind that owning a car or having a savings account or retirement fund are not barriers to obtaining help from the Basic Food Program.
Also, the Basic Food Program or food stamp assistance no longer comes to you as a paper coupon. Since 1999, the state has issued plastic cards that are used like a debit card, offering more privacy and convenience to users.
The first step to receiving Basic Food is to fill out a three-page application from the Department of Social & Health Services.
For help filling out the application or to have one mailed to you, contact Katie Schroeder, the Fremont Public Association’s basic food outreach coordinator at (206) 694-6793 or by e-mail at katherines@fremontpublic.org.
You can also visit one of the local DSHS community service offices to pick up an application. Once you send in the completed form, you will be sent a letter with the date and time of a DSHS interview to determine if you can receive benefits.
If you are unable to make an in-person interview, you can request a telephone interview.
This was the preferred route for a homeless man who often uses the Familyworks Food Bank in Wallingford. With FPA’s help, the man was able to arrange a phone interview at the food bank.
Later, the man commented that although he didn’t have money for a thank-you card, he was very grateful for the help he received. It had really turned his life around, he said, adding that he’s been considering other DSHS services to help him get off the street.
An in-person interview can be equally successful. Schroeder said one of her clients from the local food bank came to FPA after his interview to let her know he was happy she encouraged him to sign-up.
He qualified for the maximum amount for an individual, and he said that without FPA’s help he would never have known about the benefit.
GIUÙP KHAI THUEÁ MIEÃN PHÍ
Free tax preparation available
Quùi vò coù theå hôïp leä ñeå nhaän laïi soá tieàn lôùn do söï boài hoaøn thueá töø chính phuû. Neáu quùi vò coù möùc lôïi töùc thaáp trong naêm 2005, thì quùi vò coù theå hoäi ñuû ñieàu kieän ñeå nhaän laïi soá tieàn boài hoaøn thueá töø vaøi traêm ñeán caû ngaøn ñoàng, tuyø vaøo gia ñình baïn ñoâng hay ít ngöôøi.
Vaø quùi vò khoâng caàn phaûi traû tieàn ñeå Khai Thueá Lôïi Töùc. Coù nhöõng ngöôøi thieän nguyeän ñaõ ñöôïc huaán luyeän ñeán töø cô quan United Way Quaän King ñang giuùp nhieàu ngöôøi khai thueá ôû caùc khu vöïc trong toaøn thaønh phoá Seattle.
Khu vöïc (Khai Thueá) thuoäc downtown coù môû cöõa trong caùc ngaøy Chuû nhaät töø 1 giôø ñeán 4 giôø chieàu, caùc ngaøy Thöù Hai thì töø 12 giôø ñeán 5 giôø chieàu, caùc ngaøy Thöù Ba vaø Thöù Tö thì töø 12 giôø ñeán 7 giôø toái vaø caùc ngaøy Thöù Naêm thì töø 12 giôø tröa ñeán 5 giôø chieàu taïi Thö Vieän Coâng Coäng Seattle – Seattle Public Library ôû soá 100 ñöôøng soá 4 Ave. Khu Central District, thì (nôi khai thueá) ôû taïi Yesler Terrace Community Center, soá 917 ñöôøng Yesler Way, môû trong caùc ngaøy Thöù Naêm töø 5 giôø ñeán 8 giôø toái vaø trong caùc ngaøy Thöù Baûy töø 10 giôø saùng ñeán 2 giôø chieàu.
Khu Rainier Beach, thì ôû taïi Rainier Beach Community Technology Center, ôû soá 8825 ñöôøng Rainier Ave S, giôø môû cöûa (khai thueá) laø trong caùc ngaøy Thöù Ba vaø Thöù Tö töø 5 giôø chieàu ñeán 8 giôø toái.
Ñeå cho vieäc khai thueá cuûa quùi vò ñöôïc deã daøng, thì haõy mang caùc maãu ñôn coù ghi soá lôïi töùc cuûa quùi vò nhö maãu W-2, baûng toùm taét caùc tieàn phuï caáp, theû nhaän daïng coù hình (I.D), theû An Sinh Xaõ Hoäi (Social Security) cuûa quí vò vaø cuûa con quùi vò. Neáu quùi vò coù caâu hoûi hay muoán danh saùch caùc khu vöïc giuùp khai thueá, xin goïi cho United Way ôû soá 206-315-8722.
Canshuur buuxin lacag la’aan ah oo la hela
Free tax preparation services available
Waxaad u qalmi kartaa canshuur soo celin weyn xagga Dawladda . Hadii dakhligaagi hooseeyo 2005, waxaad u qalmi kartaa canshuur soo celin dibna laguugu soo celiyo boqolaal ama kumayaal Doolar ah, waxay ku xiran tahay qoyskaaga intuu la eg yahay.
Iyo inaadan waxba bixin si aad u hesho canshuur samayntaada. Dad u tababaran iskaa wax u qabso ah ka socda United Way ee King County cawimaya dadka hagaajinta xaraynta canshuur soo celinta ee Seattle oo dhan.
Magaaladfa gudaheeda waxay furan tahay Axadaha laga bilaabo 1da ilaa 4ta galabnimo .Isniinaha laga bilaabo 12ka ilaa 5ta galabnimo. Talaadaha iyo Arbacaha laga bilaabo 12ka ilaa 7da fiidnimo iyo khamiisyaha laga bilaabo 12ka ilaa 5ta galabnimo waana Maktabadda Seattle 100 4th Ave. Degmada Dhexe(central District)ee Yesler Terrace Jaaliyadda Dhexe 917 Yesler Way waxaa furan Khamiisyaha laga bilaabo 5ta ilaa 8da fiidnimo iyo Sabtiyada laga bilaabo 10ka subaxnimo ilaa 2da galabnimo.
Rainier Beach waa Community Technology Center, 8825 Rainier Ave. S.,waxaa furan Talaadooyinka iyo Arbacaha laga bilaabo 5ta galabnimo ilaa 8da fiidnimo.
Si canshuur celintaada loo sahlo , soo qaado foomamka oo sheegaya dakhligaaga sida W-2s iyo alimony summaries, Sawir ID iyo warqadda SS iyo kuwa kugu hoos nool. Haddii aad su’aalo qabtid ama Liiska ku qoran meelaha lagu sameeyo canshuur celinta wac United Way at (206) 315-8722.
KCHA NEWS - April 2006
The mission of the King County Housing Authority is to provide quality affordable housing opportunities and to build communities through partnerships. We encourage self-sufficiency and we protect the dignity of people with limited resources while safeguarding the public trust.
Income tax credit could save you money
BY VOICE STAFF
Low-income working individuals and their families may be eligible to receive a tax refund of between $400 and $4,400 if they apply for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.
Congress originally approved the tax credit in 1975 as a way to offset the burden of Social Security taxes on low-income people and to provide an incentive to work.
When the EITC exceeds the amount of taxes a person owes, it results in a tax refund to those who claim and qualify for the credit.
To qualify, taxpayers must meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if they did not earn enough money to be obligated to file a tax return.
United Way of King County and the King County EITC Campaign will help people claim the credit by providing free tax preparation services at sites across King County until April 15.
Taxes will be prepared by IRS-trained and certified volunteers and electronically filed for a rapid refund.
Multilingual tax preparers will be available at several sites to serve customers who do not speak English.
In most cases, EITC payments are not used to determine eligibility for Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), food stamps, low-income housing or most Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) payments.
You may be eligible for the tax credit if you:
• earned income in 2005;
• have children and earned less than $37,350 in 2005;
• do not have children and earned less than $13,750 in 2005;
• get less than $2,700 a year from interest and investments;
• have a valid social security number for the purposes of work.
In order to qualify, you cannot file your
taxes under the “married filing separately” status. If you’re planning to go to one of the free tax filing sessions make sure to bring the following documentation:
• Photo identification.
• Social Security number(s) or In-dividual Taxpayer Identification Numbers for yourself and everyone claimed in your tax return.
• Dates of birth for all dependents claimed on the tax return.
• W-2s and other wage statements that you and your spouse received for the 2005 tax year.
• Last year’s tax return, if available, and any additional items (such as mortgage statements) that may impact your tax return.
• 1099 forms for 2005.
• Co-pay statement(s) for day care for the year 2005, including the social security number or EIN of your day care provider, the provider’s name and the day care address.
• Form 1098-T for tuition paid for higher education, such as college or a trade school.
• Blank check from your bank account for direct deposit refunds.
If you are filing jointly, both filer and spouse must be present to sign.
White Center Food Bank moves to a new home
BY MORRIS MALAKOFF
King County Housing Authority
The White Center Food Bank has moved from St. James Lutheran Church to its permanent new home at 10821 Eighth Ave. S.W., next to Public Health - Seattle & King County’s White Center Public Health Center.
The 3,700 square-foot building, built specifically for the food bank, will replace the basement of the St. James Parish Hall, which has been the home of the food bank for the last nine months. The food bank moved to the church hall from the Park Lake Homes community when construction of the Greenbridge project began.
“This will make a big difference for people using the food bank,” said Richard Jump, the executive director of the White Center Food Bank. “People will be able to wait indoors, out of the rain and cold. There will be a built-in distribution line and we will have new walk-in freezers and refrigerators.”
Jump says that the new building will seem more like a grocery store than past food bank facilities have.
“It is a more dignified and respectful setting,” he said. “At Park Lake Homes, we were operating in 1,100-square feet.”
The new building also has a large garage door that will make deliveries easier.
It is also compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, making access quite easy for clients and volunteers who have difficulty navigating stairs and other non-flat surfaces.
The new facility is served by Metro bus line 128, which stops at the nearby corner of Eighth Avenue Southwest and Southwest 108th Street. Additional bus service is available a few blocks away on Fourth Avenue Southwest.
For now, the operating hours of the food bank will stay the same, from 11 a.m. to noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The popular evening opening, from 6 to 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month, will also continue.
“We have seen the number of families served at the evening opening jump from less than 10 a year and a half ago to 162 in January of this year,” Jump said. “We are considering adding another night in the future.”
Also being studied are a possible opening one Saturday a month and extending operating hours on other days.
The food bank currently serves more than 1,200 families each month, a number Jump says increases each month. While that means a need for more food and cash donations to buy foodstuffs, it also fuels another critical need—volunteers.
“We especially need bilingual volunteers who speak Spanish, Vietnamese or Russian,” he said.
For questions or to volunteer, contact the food bank at (206) 762-2848.
Waiting list for Section 8 vouchers to reopen
KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY
Do you have a friend or family member looking for a place to live but struggling to find a home that is affordable?
The King County Housing Authority will be accepting applications for the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Rental Assistance Program waiting list for two weeks starting Wednesday, April 26 and ending Tuesday, May 9.
This opportunity allows eligible applicants to qualify for a rental subsidy through the Housing Choice Voucher program. That voucher can be used to help pay the rent of a privately-owned house or apartment.
Also known as Section 8, this program is the primary means of housing assistance for low- and very-low-income people provided by KCHA. Currently, KCHA’s Section 8 Program provides rental assistance to more than 15,712 residents in King County.
The waiting list has been closed since June 2002, when KCHA received nearly 7,000 applications to the program.
Because the previous waiting list is nearly four years old, KCHA is looking to create a more current list of applicants. Applicants from the existing list will automatically be included on the new list upon application.
Because resources of the Section 8 program are limited, KCHA will place no more than 2,500 names on the new waiting list. Successful applicants will be selected through a random drawing that will be held after May 9. Applicants not placed on the list will be notified following the drawing.
Applicants must qualify for a housing preference to be eligible. The preferences are families that are homeless or about to become homeless through no fault of their own, families living in substandard housing, and families spending more than 50 percent of their incomes on rent.
For more information, please call the King County Housing Authority Section 8 Office at (206) 214-1300. Applications will be available at various locations around the county. Applications can also be submitted online at http://www.kcha.org starting Wednesday, April 26.
Stopping identity theft
Simple steps to keep you from being a victim
BY JUDY LAWLER
King County Housing Authority
Every day, people are the victims of theft. Car theft and the theft of household and other personal items are the ones we hear about most often.
Lately, we are hearing more and more about “identity theft.” This is the name for what happens when someone steals a credit card and other personal information.
The thief may use a stolen credit card and go on a spending spree. He or she may use the stolen card to get a new one, open a new account or take out a loan. Any of these things could leave unpaid bills in your name and you could be responsible for paying them. That could be extremely costly, and it might also ruin your good credit.
But there is some good news. There are a few very simple things you can do to protect yourself, your belongings and your identity.
Keep your car locked—even when you are in it. Put packages and valuables (cell phone, CD player, spare change, books, etc.) in the trunk. Thieves are often attracted to what they see inside the car.
Keep your purse with you, especially in the grocery store or any place where you are using a shopping cart. Don’t put it in the cart. People often turn away from the cart while shopping, even for just a couple of minutes. That is all the time a thief needs to grab a purse.
Do not carry your original Social Security card with you. Make a copy of it and leave the original at home. Although you should keep your vehicle registration and your insurance information in the car, do not keep the title for the vehicle in the car. Leave that at home too.
If you can, it is a good idea to keep all valuable papers in a lockbox at the bank. This includes motor vehicle titles, wills, original social security cards, birth and marriage certificates and other valuable documents. That will virtually eliminate any opportunity a thief would have to steal your identity.
BY JESSICA BANKES BEATTIE
Special to the Voice
When Rani was seven years old, her life in southern India changed forever. Her father was sick and the family was financially strapped. Hearing about their situation, an acquaintance approached her family, offering to temporarily care for Rani.
Her offer, the woman said, would provide the family some financial relief. She told them their daughter would be nearby and promised they could visit her regularly. Rani’s parents had no way of knowing that the woman was actually a child trafficker.
Rani’s mother visited her for several months, but arrived one day to find that her daughter had “disappeared.” Rani’s traffickers had taken her across a border in India where she remained for the next few months. Traumatized and unable to speak the region’s language, her physical and psychological health declined quickly. After some time, she was deemed “useless” by her traffickers and she was moved again. Eventually, Rani was internationally adopted, and she now lives near Seattle.
Rani’s story is not uncommon. She and her family were the victims of human trafficking, a modern-day form of slavery. According to the U.S. Department of State, between 14,500 and 17,500 people—mostly women and children—are trafficked across international borders and into the United States every year.
Trafficking can happen anywhere. Some of us may live in the presence of trafficked individuals without realizing it.
Victims in the U.S. are typically from Asia, Central and South America and Eastern Europe. They may be forced to work in the sex trade, in domestic labor, in factories, hotels or restaurants or may also be exploited in mail order bride or child adoption schemes.
Trafficking victims may show signs of depression or physical abuse and they may have little-to-no English skills, a “companion” who does all the talking for them and an air of being controlled by another.
Carrie Schonwald, human trafficking outreach coordinator for Refugee Women’s Alliance, part of the Trafficking Response Team, says that if you suspect that you are in the presence of a victim and can safely ask questions, the most important question to ask is, “Can you leave?”
Washington state’s geography makes it an ideal locale for traffickers. According to a report by the Washington State Task Force Against Trafficking of Persons, our proximity to Mexico, our international border with Canada, our many ports and our large agricultural business help make Washington a place where “the trafficking industry can not only exist but prosper.”
But Washington is also one of the leaders in taking collaborative action against human trafficking. In 2002, Washington established the first Anti-Trafficking Task Force in the nation; and, in 2003, it was the first state to create a state law making trafficking a crime.
While new laws have been passed and trafficking programs exist, service providers working to help trafficked people have difficulty finding victims. In the last four years, a total of only 611 victims were found.
“Victims are paralyzed by fear,” Schonwald said. “Not only do they fear for their own well-being, but they fear for other family members’ safety as well. International victims often don’t know where they are and don’t speak the language. Traffickers lead them to believe that no one here will believe their story and that they have no rights. They are told they will be arrested and deported if they go to law officials. They remain isolated and controlled.”
Even though it’s hard to find trafficking victims, services are available to help them. Both the TRT and the Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network provide intensive case management and coordination of services for victims.
Gillian Apfel, program coordinator of WARN stressed the importance of raising awareness about human trafficking. “Trafficking is an underground crime,” she stated. Victims need to know that they have rights that are protected under federal law. The bottom line, people trafficked are victims, not criminals.
While some victims of human trafficking never escape (women have died in the brothels into which they were trafficked), some do. Rani was reunited with her biological mother in 1999. She said the experience inspired her to become an advocate for trafficking victims. She currently dedicates a lot of her time to public speaking and works with service providers who help victims. “It’s so important that people understand that they are not alone,” she shared. “I want to be a voice for all the children and victims who are out there.”
If you are, or you suspect someone you know may be, a victim of human trafficking, call the Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Team at (206) 245-0782 or the Trafficking Response Team at (206) 898-4741.
Shopping shuttle is back
KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY
In April, the new shuttle service that carries King County Housing Authority residents to neighborhood food banks and shopping centers will continue on its regular schedule.
To address gaps that were created when the in-house shuttle program ended last September, KCHA worked with community-based nonprofit agencies Senior Services and Hopelink to devise a three-month trial transportation program.
Since mid-December these agencies have been providing food bank and grocery shopping trips to KCHA residents. Because of the success of this program, KCHA has decided to continue this service.
The Housing Authority’s popular shuttle program ended las year when its driver moved to Florida and the van was deemed to no longer be operationally sound.
While KCHA staff members looked for a solution, service coordinators and residents were able to arrange alternative transportation for those most in need.
Please check the schedule below and remember to sign up in advance in your building. Rider usage will be a factor in making any adjustments to scheduling and the continuation of this service.
Shuttle schedule
Blvd Manor
Mon, Apr 3 Fred Meyer 10:30
Mon, Apr 17 Fred Meyer 10:30
Thu, Apr 27 Highline Food 9:30
Bank
Briarwood
Tue, Apr 4 Albertsons 12:30
OR food bank
Tue, Apr 18 Albertsons 12:30 OR food bank
Brittany Park
Mon, Apr 10 Fred Meyer 10:00
Mon, Apr 17 Albertsons 9:15
Mon, Apr 21 DSM Food Bank 8:30
Burien Park
Mon, Apr 3 Fred Meyer 9:45
Mon, Apr 17 Albertsons 9:45
Thu, Apr 27 Highline Food 10:30
Bank
Casa Juanita
Mon, Apr 10 Safeway 1:20
Mon, Apr 17 Safeway 12:55
Eastridge
Thu, Apr 6 Fred Meyer 10:15
Thu, Apr 20 Fred Meyer 10:15
Forest Glen
Mon, Apr 10 Fred Meyer 1:20
Mon, Apr 17 Fred Meyer 10:05
Gustaves Manor
Fri, Apr 6 Albertsons 10:00
Fri, Apr 21 Auburn Food 10:00
Bank
Harrison House
Fri, Apr 7 Safeway 12:30
Fri, Apr 14 Safeway 12:30
Fri, Apr 21 Safeway 12:30
Fri, Apr 28 Safeway 12:30
Issaquah
Thu, Apr 6 Fred Meyer 10:15
Thu, Apr 20 Fred Meyer 10:15
Munro Manor
Mon, Apr 3 Fred Meyer 9:30
Mon, Apr 10 Fred Meyer 10:15
Mon, Apr 17 Albertsons 9:30
Thu, Apr 27 Highline Food 10:00
Bank
Northlake House
Tue, Apr 4 Top Foods 1:00
OR food bank
Mon, Apr 10 Fred Meyer 9:50
Tue, Apr 18 Top Foods 1:00
OR food bank
Mon, Apr 24 Top Foods 9:50
Northridge
Tue, Apr 4 Food bank only 11:00
Tue, Apr 18 Food bank only 11:00
Northwood
Tue, Apr 10 Fred Meyer 10:00
Mon, Apr 24 Top Foods 10:00
Paramount
Tue, Apr 4 Albertsons 10:30 OR food bank
Tue, Apr 18 Albertsons 10:30 OR food bank
Park Lake
Mon, Apr 3 Safeway 1:00
Mon, Apr 17 Safeway 1:00
Plaza 17
Fri, Apr 7 Albertsons 10:30
Fri, Apr 21 Auburn Food 10:30
Bank
Wayland Arms
Fri, Apr 7 Albertsons 9:45
Fri, Apr 21 Auburn Food 9:45
Bank
Yardley Arms
Mon, Apr 3 Fred Meyer 10:45
Mon, Apr 17 Fred Meyer 10:45
Mon, Apr 24 White Center 10:45 Food Bank
April 22—a day to help the planet and your neighbors
BY JOEL GREGORY
All around the world during the month of April, especially on the 22nd, people will participate in activities that celebrate the Earth.
Locally, people will be cleaning up the waterways, working on walking trails, pulling up invasive plants and starting gardens. To find out where you can lend a hand, go to http://www.earthday.net. The Web site provides descriptions of activities locally and around the world.
During the month of April, a new garden will be built at Wayland Arms Apartments, one of the King County Housing Authority’s mixed-population buildings in Auburn.
The City of Auburn is changing the road use around Wayland Arms, displacing a thriving garden built by residents many years ago. To replace the garden, the city has donated a parcel of land across the street.
Lots of folks will be involved in creating the new garden space in April, preparing the ground, bringing in the water, installing the rain barrels, supplying the seeds and garden plots and possibly even putting up the shed and fencing.
The project will involve the City of Auburn, KCHA Maintenance, Support Services, residents, Housing Management, AmeriCorps and other employees interested in getting their hands dirty in a worthwhile endeavor.
Looks like a great way to honor the earth during Earth Day!
Federal budget battle looms
KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY
The annual budget debate in Washington, D.C. has started again. It seems like we barely finished the struggle to restore funding to the FY2006 federal budget before a whole new round of cuts were proposed for FY2007.
For FY2007, President Bush has proposed reducing funding for critical Department of Housing and Urban Development programs by more than $1 billion. The proposed level for public housing funding, for example, represents a cut of about 8 percent or $459 million from the 2006 appropriation.
By HUD’s own formula, the amount of money proposed to fund public housing operations is only 78 percent of what is needed. Keeping up with inflation, insurance, utility rate increases and other essential costs will be difficult for the King County Housing Authority, unless an additional subsidy is provided.
The Administration has also proposed a 10 percent decrease in capital funding. If enacted, this would represent the sixth straight year of reductions in capital funding. Capital funds are shrinking faster than KCHA’s ability to keep up with the capital needs of our aging housing stock.
Proposed cuts to resident services programs are also severe. The Administration wants to reduce funding for the Resident Opportunity and Self Sufficiency Program. In the FY2007 budget, the Administration has proposed to fund ROSS at $23.8 million, compared with $55 million in FY2004.
Proposed budget cuts will also eliminate all funding for the Neighborhood Networks program. Together, these cuts mean fewer education, recreation, job referral, job training and wage progression assistance programs for public housing residents.
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program fares a little better. Funding for this program received a tiny boost. However, the proposal still only funds about 96 percent of the 2.165 million vouchers previously authorized. With rising utility costs and rising rents, however, this apparent increase in funding essentially vanishes.
Of course, this is only the beginning of the negotiating process.
The King County Housing Authority, housing authorities all across the country and national housing associations are already working to restore funding. Additionally, these groups are working closely with our Congressional delegation, especially Sen. Patty Murray, to develop a strategy to protect these critical programs.
New Medicare drug plan proves confusing to many
State to pick up co-pays for low-income people
BY VOICE STAFF
Last summer, Sandy Rose was in a horrible accident. A truck slammed into her car and pushed it into the vehicle in front of her. Her seat was broken, her body was tossed, and she suffered a head injury and broken bones along with nerve and muscle damage.
Now, she’s among the millions of seniors and disabled people trying to figure out the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Rose was one of the over 24 million nationwide who, at the urging of the federal government, signed up for a drug plan at the end of last year. So far, she said, it has created nothing but headaches.
“It screwed up everything,” she said in an interview last month. “My January money was gone because I was hit with so many payments. Now I’m waiting to find out what will happen in February.”
There is some good news. In February, Gov. Christine Gregoire announced that the state will allocate $14 million to cover drug co-pays for the state’s poorest residents—those who previously had their prescription drug costs covered by Medicaid.
About 96,000 people fit into this category, and many take between seven and 15 prescription drugs per month, Gregoire said. To expect them to make the co-pays on a $570 monthly Social Security check is not possible, she added.
The state will be using a one-time reimbursement from the federal government to cover the co-pays. Declining prescription drug costs meant that the state overpaid its federal Medicare bill last year, and the federal government has given Washington a $14 million refund. The governor acknowledged that other funding sources will have to be identified if the co-pay coverage is to continue.
The state started picking up the co-pays in February, however people who have already paid the fees out of pocket will not be reimbursed. The new Medicare Part D program has helped some people who don’t qualify for Medicare save money on prescription drugs. Usually, those enrolled in a plan play a premium, a deductible and a certain percentage of their drug costs. The plans are administered by private companies under contract with Medicare.
Rose said those who decide to enroll should be warned that they will receive a barrage of paperwork from other insurance companies. Know the name of the company you are enrolled with, and don’t fill out paperwork you don’t understand, she said. “It’s just been such a confusing experience,” she said. “It’s just taken its toll.”
You can get more information on Medicare prescription drug coverage by calling 1-888-435-3377.
Career Center can set you on the path to employment
KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY
The Seattle area job market is hot right now. But without the skills employers are seeking or knowing where to find employment that matches your needs, times can continue to be tough.
The YWCA Greenbridge Development Career Center can set job seekers on the path to success through its employment classes and workshops.
Programs at the center include free basic computer training needed for office work; keyboarding and typing skills classes; instruction in e-mail and Internet job research and the how-to’s of submitting on-line job applications.
A special computer program is available to assist ESL students in learning English.
In addition, there is a weekly job club that works to help job-seekers develop a resume, write a cover letter and learn good interviewing techniques.
Services are available to food stamp recipients, King County Section 8 residents, King County HOPE VI clients and all residents of Park Lake Homes and Greenbridge.
The center, located at 10048 Fourth Pl. S.W. in White Center, is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Computer classes are taught on Monday and Wednesday from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. and on Thursday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
For ESL students, the Computer Lab is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, drop by the center or call (206) 763-6922.
Bellevue. Hopelink, 14812 Main St. Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. with services offered in Russian. Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon with services offered in Spanish and Chinese.
Bothell. Hopelink, 18220 96th Ave.N.E. Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. with services offered in Spanish. Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Burien. Burien Community Center, 425 S.W. 144th St. Tuesdays from 5 to 7:30 p.m. with services offered in Spanish. Thursdays from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Federal Way. Multi-Service Center, 1200 S. 336th St. Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. with services offered in Spanish. Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m.
Kent. Alliance Center, 515 W. Harrison St. Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. with services offered in Spanish.
Renton. Salvation Army/Renton Rotary Food Bank, 206 S. Tobin St. Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. with services offered in Vietnamese. Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. with services offered in Spanish.
SeaTac. Airport Jobs office, Room 6447. Take elevator #1 from ticket counter level to Level M. Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
White Center. White Center Assembly/Pasefika, 10237 16th Ave. S.W. Thursdays 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Services in Samoan are offered at both sessions.
New Start, 11216 16th Ave. S.W. Sundays, noon to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays 5 to 8 p.m. Services in Spanish are offered at all sessions.
TRANSLATED ARTICLES FROM THE VOICE
GIÖÕ CHO MÌNH AN TOAØN BAÈNG CAÙCH PHOØNG BÒ THIEÂN TAI
Keep safe by planning for disaster
Nhöõng thieân tai cuõng coù theå xaûy ra ngay caû ôû ñaây. Khoâng ai coù theå ñoaùn bieát tröôùc hoaëc choáng laïi nhöõng traän gioâng baõo, troát xoaùy hay nhöõng côn ñoäng ñaát, do ñoù taát caû chuùng ta phaûi chuaån bò. Thieân tai coù theå caét ñöùt nhöõng phuïc vuï caên baûn nhö – gas, nöôùc, ñieän – do ñoù, ñoà duïng cuï phoøng bò cho thieân tai cuøng vôùi ñoà döï tröû caên baûn laø ñieàu caàn phaûi coù.
Quùi vò coù theå caàn phaûi rôøi khoûi nhaø ngay khi ñöôïc thoâng baùo, vaäy thì coù saün ñoà döï tröõ luùc ra ñi khieán cho tình huoáng coù khaùc hôn.
Nhaát laø trong danh saùch soá ñoà döï tröõ, quùi vò neân coù maùy rañioâ xaùch tay. Nhaân vieân chính phuû seõ khoâng chæ ñònh nôi truù aån cho ñeán khi hoï xaùc quyeát ñöôïc cao oác naøo coøn vöûng chaéc vaø ít bò hö haïi. Nhöõng thoâng baùo ñoù cuøng vôùi caùc tin khaùc seõ ñöôïc loan ra baèng rañioâ.
Ñoà döï tröõ cuûa quùi vò neân coù nhieàu moùn. Quùi vò caàn phaûi coù ñoà döï tröû ñeå duøng cho 3 ngaøy. Toái thieåu, laø phaûi coù rañioâ, 3 galloâng nöôùc cho moãi ñaàu ngöôøi duøng trong moät ngaøy, moät ñeøn baám vôùi pin ñeøn döï tröõ, ñoà hoäp, traùi caây, rau caûi, hoäp nöôùc traùi caây, söõa, hoäp suùp, hoäp ñoà cöùu thöông cuøng vôùi caùc loaïi thuoác uoáng quan troïng, quaàn aùo, chaên meàn vaø bình chöõa löûa.
Caùc vaät naøy neân ñeå chung moät choã trong moät tuùi ñeå deã laáy ñi- tuùi ñeo sau löng laø tieän lôïi hôn. Haõy laøm ra moät tuùi cho moãi ngöôøi lôùn trong nhaø maø hoï coù theå töï mang theo cho hoï. Neân nhôù raèng ñöøng ñeå tuùi xaùch ôû taàng haàm, hay ôû trong moät caên phoøng vì coù theå khoù laáy ra trong tröôøng hôïp khaån caáp. Haõy nghó caùch ñeå nhöõng ñoà döï tröõ cuûa quùi vò trong caùi thuøng gaàn cöõa ra vaøo.
Ammaan u hay qorshaynta aafada
Keep safe by planning for disaster
Aafo way ka dhici kartaa halkaan xitaa. Qofna ma saalaadin karo ama ka hortagi kara Duufaanta, Dabeesha, ama Dhul gariirka, marka annaga dhammaan waa inaan u diyaar noqonaa iyaga. Aafada waxay jari kartaa dhammaan hawlaha wax qabadka iyo qalabkii khasabka ahaa.
Waxaad u baahan tahay inaad gurigaaga ka tagto waqti, marka qalabka diyaar ha kuu ahaado si aad wax u baddesho.
Marka hore liis ka samayso waxa loo baahan yahay, Raadiyo la qaadi karo. Saraakiisha Dawladda ma samayn karaan Gurmad deg deg haddii adigu aadan u diyaar ahayn. Ku dhawaaqidda Raadiyaha ayuu ka imaanayaa.
Dambiishaada Aafada waa inay ku jirtaa wax kasta oo loo baahan yahay ilaa saddex maalmood ku filan. Ugu dambaystii Dambiisha waa inay ku jirtaa Raadiyo la qaadi karo, Saddex Gallaan oo biyo ah qofkiiba maalintii, Nal ama toosh iyo batari, hilib qasacadeysan, qudaar, Juus qasacadaysan, caano iyo maraq qalabka gar gaarka oo daawooyinka muhimka wato, dhar iyo googol iyo dab demis.
Qalabkaan waa in la hayaa wadajir ahaan meel Baag ah taas oo sahal u ah qof kasta inuu qaato. Baagga u samee qof kasta oo qoyskaaga ka mid ah oo ku filan inuu qaadi karo baagga iyada ama isaga. Xusuusnow, ha ku hayn qalabkaan qolalka hoose ama qol dhib ah in laga soo saari karo waqtiga deg degga ah. U tixgeli haynta alaabtaan meel albaabka hortiisa ah.
THE VOICE