South King County Human Services Profile |
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Return to South Community Profile Key Human Service Issues for South King CountyAs communities grow increasingly diverse, systems and organizations are being pushed to change and respond in new ways. There is a growing consciousness in South King County of the importance of culturally relevant services. Organizations and institutions have realized that cultural relevance, in addition to being socially just, also has a direct impact on overall effectiveness. This awareness has propelled an increased commitment to understanding why and how culture has influenced and continues to impact organizations. One concrete way institutions and organizations have been moving towards more cultural relevancy is the increase in the recruitment and hiring of bilingual/bicultural staff. This is an acknowledgement and recognition of the unique skills and experience they contribute to organizations. Other efforts to improve cultural competencies include:
New Human Services ResourcesIn response to demographic shifts, several agencies offering ethnic specific services have expanded into South King County including:
The Village at Angle Lake has opened to provide services to residents close to where they live instead of having to travel great distances to access services. Services include an extended hour child care center, a medical clinic, low income housing for older adults and a Family Resource Center. Making Connections is a ten-year investment started in 1999 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to improve the outcomes for families and children in tough or isolated neighborhoods. The Casey Foundation’s research has shown that children do better when their families are strong, and families do better when they live in communities that help them to succeed. White Center is one of 10 communities across the nation where Making Connections is making a 10 year, multi-million dollar investment in the neighborhood. Making Connections is working with the simple premise: Children succeed when their families are strong, and families are stronger when they live in neighborhoods connected to the community, economic opportunity and necessary services. (http://www.wccda.org/our-community/making-connections) BuRSST for Prosperity is a bold, long-term community directed initiative that attacks the root causes of poverty and generates prosperity for low-income residents of Burien, Renton, SeaTac, Skyway, and Tukwila. The Northwest Area Foundation and Children’s Home Society of Washington, in partnership with these five richly diverse communities, created the venture "BuRSST for Prosperity" to focus on reducing poverty and creating wealth by working and advocating directly with and for the community to create long-term sustainable income-generating opportunities. BuRSST will be working to build bridges within the community, develop community collaborations, and attract investments to the BuRSST area. HousingWhile South King County is often sited as affordable relative to other parts of the county, housing affordability is still of great concern relative to area incomes. Current situation in housing is grim for lower income families:
The largest growth in housing units has been in Auburn (mostly in Pierce County however), Maple Valley, Federal Way and Covington. New residents are attracted to South King County both due to
affordable new construction and existing homes. There is also a lack of rental units for larger families and
for families where multiple generations wish to reside together.
New and proposed activity in the housing market include: 5th and Williams project in Renton, Korean Woman Associations housing for Elders in Federal Way, and a large housing project for older adults in the East Hill of Kent/Covington community under development by the Multi Service Center. HomelessnessAlthough the data is limited, we know that efforts to end homelessness in South King County needs to focus on families, youth and a smaller number of single adults. It is difficult to count numbers of people that have lost permanent housing and are staying with family and friends, youth that are couch surfing, families living in cars or camping in the numerous campgrounds, or simply putting a trailer on someone’s property. South King County Homelessness ForumTo more effectively address homelessness in South King County, the Human Services staff of the City of Kent convened the South King County Homelessness Forum. The Forum meets the first Wednesday of the month with the purpose of networking, learning about local programs and opportunities and to give input into various planning/committees working to end homeless in the County. Currently about 40 people participate monthly representing local cities, food banks, housing providers, DSHS, faith communities, KCHA, and non profit agencies providing support services to homeless residents. Staff from the King County Committee to End Homelessness (CEH) provides monthly updates about committee work, funding opportunities and potential new efforts that address ending homelessness. Beginning in 2007, the CEH Interagency Council began rotating monthly meetings around the County and added additional representation from South King County and an additional council position focused on homeless youth. United Way of King County in partnership with the Committee to End Homelessness, cities and non profit providers have created the South King County Response to Homelessness. This plan was released in January 2008. The goals of the plan are to:
Download the South King County Response To Homelessness (pdf file) Download the Executive Summary (pdf file) HealthAdequate healthcare continues to be an issue for communities in South County.
These issues are compounded by a lack of funding for existing service providers and the challenge of getting aid to vulnerable populations. Hunger-Free & Reduced LunchesFor the 2006 school year, OSPI reports that a total of 44,568 children in the nine school districts of South King County received either free or reduced lunch. Of these students 10,719 received reduced lunch and 33,849 (76%) received free lunch. These services are crucial to the livelihood and academic success of the students, particularly in school districts such as Tukwila where 60% of the students depend upon free or reduced lunches. In the Summer Food Service Program site listing for the year 2007, the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction reports a total of 79 sites that serve food to hungry children during the summer months which are scattered through out South King County. Status of the Service SystemThere is a network of agencies providing critical services to residents in South King County. Long standing organizations in South King County include the Youth and Family Network organizations, Food Banks, and many others. Many large organizations have offices and long term services in South King. Recently, organizations that have primarily provided services in Seattle are beginning to expand to South King County and open offices here. Examples include
Many refugee and immigrant communities have been establishing networks and services. There are a variety of small newly emerging organizations to serve the diverse communities in South King County. Examples include:
The challenges in solving community issues include:
There is a network of providers that have long provided services in South King County and a variety of new providers addressing the needs of newer arrivals. However South King County has historically not had the resources and support that Seattle or the East side has enjoyed. The network of nonprofits is less robust, and many of our existing nonprofits struggle with insufficient infrastructure to support their work, operate effectively or grow. Coalitions/Networks
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| 2007 - United Way of King County - Questions and Comments? |