November 2005:
Contact us:
24-Hour Crisis Line
(206) 461-3222
(866) 4CRISIS or
(866) 427-4747
(206) 461-3219 TDD
Available 365 days
a year
Community
Information Line
(206) 461-3200
(800) 621-4636
(206) 461-3610 TDD
Monday-Friday,
8am-6pm
Teen Link
(206) 461-4922
(866) TEENLINK or
(866) 833-6546
(206) 461-3219 TDD
Every evening,
6-10pm
Business Office
1515 Dexter Ave N
Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 461-3210
Fax: (206) 461-8368
8am-5pm, M-F
Youth Clinic Adds Dental Resources
6-9pm, Nov. 10
6-9pm, Nov. 17
6-9pm, Dec. 1
6-9pm, Dec. 15
The 45th
St. Homeless Youth Clinic is adding dental hours on a trial basis and
will assess interest in continuing the program. A dental instructor and two to four dental students from UW come in twice a
month. They can see up to six youth a night and will be able to do cleanings,
cavity fills and the dental basics. The youth do not need to be patients at
the medical clinic. They need to be ages 12-23, and currently homeless or
formerly homeless in the past year. For questions, call (206) 633-7639.
Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference
Nov. 17-20
Sheraton Seattle
Hotel
The annual Gay & Lesbian
Leadership Conference offers LGBT leaders a unique opportunity to gather in a
peer community and speak out on the challenges they face today. The
event provides networking and leadership development and is presented each
year by the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute in collaboration with the
International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials. For more information click here.
Local United Way Campaign Underway
The United
Way of King County has kicked off its fundraising campaign for 2006.
Those who can are encouraged to give to the United Way to help others in the
community. Money given to the United Way goes to a variety of local programs including those that focus
on early childhood development, ending homelessness and other projects. For
details, call (206) 461-GIVE or visit the Web site here.
Teen Leadership Weekend Retreat
Nov. 11- Nov. 13
Camp Sealth, Vashon Island
Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting this free
interactive weekend of workshops to teach teens how to structure and maintain
a teen advisory council. Topics include project planning, member recruitment
and retention, and fundraising techniques. This leadership retreat can be
used for service learning hours and is intended for students, ages 13-18, who
are actively participating in a teen-driven activist group. Registrations
must be submitted by agencies, and registration deadline is Nov. 8. For more
information or to register call (206) 684-9273.
Aging in Place Resource Fair
10am-3pm, Nov. 12
Seattle Center House
Gather information, speak to
professionals and hear from experts on topics related to successfully aging
in place. Click here for more
information.
Medicare Part D Seminar
9:30am-3:30pm, Nov. 16
Lopez Room, Seattle Center
Local mental health officials
will explain the specifics of the new Medicare Part D in this upcoming
seminar, including costs and requirements. People
in the public mental health system who are on both Medicare and Medicaid or the state’s
Medically Needy Program through “spend down” will begin receiving their medications through Medicare.
Each person must select a prescription
drug plan
from among several offered. One-on-one
assistance in making informed decisions will be available. To RSVP or
for more information, call NAMI
Greater Seattle at
(206) 783-9264.
Hurricane Katrina Resources
Crisis Clinic continues to actively maintain and
update information and resources for survivors of Hurricane Katrina and their
families and friends. Click here
for more information.
Women and Multiple Sclerosis Event
6:30-8:30pm, Nov. 21
Shoreline Conference Center’s Ballinger Room
18560 First Ave, NE
Women with MS are invited to a
discussion about the issues and concerns specific to women living with MS.
Discussion items include diagnosis and prognosis, treatment and therapies, as
well as research. To register, contact the Multiple
Sclerosis Association of King County at (206) 633-2606. Cost is $10.
Local Job Listing Listserv
Available
Bellevue
Parks and Community Services – Cultural Diversity Program offers a daily
e-mail list of employment opportunities, events and announcements in the
Puget Sound area.
E-mail the coordinator to
subscribe to the list.
Pride Foundation Scholarships
The Pride
Foundation and the Greater
Seattle Business Association are offering scholarships to students who
are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and straight allies
(straight and supportive of LGBT issues) as well as students from LGBT families.
The scholarships are for post-secondary education (community college through
graduate school) including nontraditional programs, creative study and
vocational training. For more information about the program click here.
Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 13.
Crisis Line Volunteer Helps Katrina Evacuees
Read about Terry Hill’s work with college students
displaced by Hurricane Katrina who are now at the University of Washington here.
Hill has been a volunteer on Crisis Clinic’s Crisis Line for more than a
decade and is the program counseling services coordinator for UW.
15th Annual Cultural Crossroads Event
Nov. 11-13
NE 8th & 156th Ave. Bellevue
The Ethnic Heritage Council is presenting its annual
celebration of our community’s cultural riches with ethnic music and dance, a
cultural bazaar and a parade. The parade will be at 10am on Saturday. Other
highlights are the Balkan Cabaret on Friday and the 'Rouge' & Tango Noir Orchestra on Saturday.
Admission is free. For details, click here.
Did You Know?
Individuals who voluntarily
leave work due to domestic violence or stalking may collect Unemployment
Insurance benefits. Click here
for more information.
Caring for those with Multiple Sclerosis
6-8pm, Nov. 15
Salty’s on Alki
1936 Harbor Avenue SW
The
National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Greater Washington Chapter is
hosting a social for care partners of people with MS in celebration of
National Family Caregivers Month. It will be a time to relax, socialize and enjoy delicious food and the spectacular
views of the Seattle skyline. Call to sign up by Nov. 8 at
(800) FIGHT MS
(800) (344-4867), ext. 1.
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Community Information Line Ready
to Refer Clients to Holiday Resources
Jeffrey Markwardt, Certified Resource
Specialist
Those calling Crisis
Clinic’s Community
Information Line can now be referred to one or
more of the 200 programs we have listed for the 2005 winter holiday season
such as Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve.
In 2004, we took more than
2,300 calls for holiday assistance. We’re expecting and have prepared for an
increase in call volume this year.
Holiday resources can also
be viewed for free at Community
Resources Online. To search for holiday resources, click on the above
hyperlink and look for the Winter Holidays topic category. Beneath this
category are separate hyperlinks for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Other Winter
Holidays (Halloween, Hanukkah, New Years, Kwanzaa, etc.). Click on one of
these hyperlinks.
A disclaimer will notify the
user that winter holiday information changes quickly. Click on the button to
confirm that you have read the disclaimer. On the next screen if you are searching in Thanksgiving or
Christmas, select a subcategory. If you would like to narrow your search to a
specific geographical region, check up to four different geographic
locations, then click the search button at the bottom of the page.
A preview screen appears
with your search results. To get detailed information on a specific resource,
click on the service name to see the service screen which lists detailed
information on application procedures, eligibility requirements, service
description, etc.
To make sure that your
holiday service is listed in our Holiday Resource List, call Jeffrey at (206)
461-3210, ext. 678. If you would like to purchase a paper copy of our holiday
list for yourself or to distribute to agency clients, please click here for
more information. •
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Local and Federal Help Available for
Victims of Human Trafficking
Jeffrey Markwardt,
Certified Resource Specialist
Human trafficking is an ongoing problem in King
County and throughout the U. S. with 17,000 to 25,000 people being illegally
trafficked in the U.S. every year.
Traffickers use force, fraud or coercion for the
purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Who is being trafficked and
who is doing the trafficking might come as a surprise to those in our area
not familiar with the issue.
“(A trafficker) could be anybody,” says Judith
Panlasigui with Asian
and Pacific Women and Family Safety Center. “A trafficker could be this
well-known person in the community who also is generously giving back to the
community.”
Detective Harvey Sloan with the Seattle Police
Department has observed people trafficking and exploiting others not only in
their own ethnic group but also within their own families.
Victims of human trafficking could be educated or
uneducated, documented or undocumented, citizens or non-citizens, white or
persons of color, male or female and young or old.
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery.
It is tied with the weapons industry as the second largest criminal industry
in the world. It is used as a form of exploitation not only in the sex
industry but also in restaurants, hotels, domestic work, construction and
agriculture.
Traffickers manipulate
victims by playing on their fears of being turned over to Immigration Customs
and Enforcement, formerly called Immigration and Naturalization
Services. This creates a dependency between the victims and traffickers
because few know that there is a process where victims could legally enter
and stay in our country.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
established the “T-Visa” to give victims of human trafficking temporary
status in the United States after which they can apply for permanent
residence. However, most of the 5,000 available T-Visas go unused.
According to Detective Sloan, most victims of human
trafficking don’t want to stay. They want to make money and then go back to
their countries of origin and live with their family. This desire for a
better living is the primary reason human trafficking exists today. Other
countries’ increased poverty, government corruption and lack of employment
opportunities create a situation where people are vulnerable to the deceitful
promises used by human traffickers. And these deceitful promises used by
human traffickers work not only abroad, but also on U.S. citizens who are
vulnerable themselves.
Countering the fears that human traffickers instill
in their victims is difficult. Once having escaped the physical restraints of
guards in front of their living quarters, victims have to deal with the
psychological restraints holding them back from escaping their traffickers.
Once placed in a safe house, victims of human trafficking sometimes end up
running back to their traffickers.
Below are five questions that can help identify
victims of human trafficking:
· What
kind of work do you do?
· Are
you paid what you have been promised?
· Are
you forced or coerced to work?
· Has
your passport been taken away from you?
· Are
you being threatened?
The Trafficking Response Team affiliated with Refugee
Women’s Alliance is a great state resource for dealing with issues
related to victims of human trafficking. They can provide assistance in 20
different languages and are available 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday at (206)
898-4741 and after hours or on weekends at (206) 467-9976.
The Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline is
a national toll-free hotline providing assistance 24 hours daily at (888)
373-7888.
For more information about human trafficking visit, www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.•
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Critical Resource Updates
Compiled by Crisis Clinic’s Resource Center
It is always recommended to check Community Resources Online
for additional information and for the most current information updates of
following resources.
The Bunkhouse
operated by SHARE/WHEEL
provides shelter for men and women experiencing homelessness. Shelter is open
for day and overnight rest and operates a hygiene center including a kitchen,
showers, coin-operated laundry, lockers and a TV room. Weekly house meeting
is required, and all residents share in chores. Sobriety on site is required.
There is no limit to how long a person can stay.
Catholic
Community Services – Family Center – South King
is coordinating a new men’s shelter program in Renton called ARISE,
which is similar to the HOME
program already in Kent. Through the program, Renton area congregations will
rotate hosting the shelter on a monthly basis. The shelter opened Nov. 1.
Des
Moines Area Food Bank offers additional hours every 3rd Tuesday of the
month from 6-8pm, beginning this month. Regular hours are from 9-11:45am
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
El
Centro de la Raza’s central office phone number is now (206) 957-4601 and
the social services phone number is now (206) 957-4634.
An online database, www.findaride.org, has been created
to help people with special needs, case managers and agencies find special
needs transportation services in the Central Puget Sound Region. The database
provides information on transit agencies; other transportation providers;
agencies which help riders pick providers or arrange for rides; agencies
which pay for rides; rideshare and vanpool information; home delivery; and
programs which lend, rent or purchase vehicles for people with special needs.
King
County Winter Response Shelter has opened and will provide 50
severe-weather shelter beds for men this winter at the King County
Administration Building. Shelter is open every night with no connection to weather
forecast. No meal, hygiene, or daytime storage services are provided. Shelter
is open until March 31.
Appointments are now available with LIHEAP
for people who need help with their heating bills. Call the toll-free Heat
Line at (800) 348-7144, and you will be given an appointment with the agency
that serves your ZIP code. Seattle residents should call (866) 223-1068.
Salvation
Army – Renton Corps has moved to 206 S Tobin St, Renton, WA 98055.
Seattle
Parks and Recreation’s Van Asselt Community Center will be closed for a
remodel until approximately September 2006.
The city of Seattle’s Severe
Weather Shelters are ready to open when inclement weather hits: (1)
Occurrence or prediction of 32 degrees or below; (2) Occurrence or prediction
of a high temperature of 35 degrees; or (3) Excessive precipitation - snow or
rain. The severe weather shelter at Frye
Hotel has beds for 25 women, and the shelter at the Seattle
Municipal Building has 75 co-ed beds.
Applications are no longer
being accepted for housing at the Wintonia,
run by the Archdiocesan
Housing Authority. The waiting list is full.•
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November and December
Selected Resources
Compiled by Crisis Clinic’s Resource Center
This column highlights available timely
resources in the community information database that might otherwise go
unnoticed by our users. It is always recommended to check Community Resources Online
for additional information and for the most current information concerning
the following resources.
November Resource Highlights
Artist
Trust
Awards $10,000 annually to one female visual artist older than age 60. The
money is unrestricted. Artists must be nominated by individuals other than
themselves. Applications are available in November. To receive an
application, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Artist Trust, walk in
or visit the Web site. Nomination forms are accepted each year in January.
Catholic
Community Services – Family Center – South King
During severe weather, provides motel vouchers for homeless seniors,
individuals with disabilities and families in Kent. Program operates from
Nov. 1 to March 31. Language interpreters are available if prior notice is
given.
Central
Area Motivation Program
Offers limited emergency cold-weather motel vouchers during winter months
(November-March).
Federal
Way Community Caregiving Network
Serves hot meals for anyone in need. From November to April, may have socks,
hats, gloves, tarps and hygiene items available for dinner guests; supply
fluctuates and is subject to donations received.
Rebuilding
Together Eastside
Recipients will have a one-day, home repair project completed by volunteers.
Services include interior and exterior painting, carpentry, minor plumbing
repairs, electrical work, accessibility modifications, yard work, etc. Call
for an application. Applications are due by Nov. 30 of each year and final
selection of houses will be announced by Jan. 30 of each year. Applicants are
encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Washington
State Utilities and Transportation Commission – Consumer Affairs
Begins its moratorium on utility disconnection. Under state law, utilities
supplying electricity or natural gas for home heating cannot discontinue
service for low-income households between Nov. 15 and March 15 for reasons of
nonpayment, provided the customer complies with the provisions of the law. If
the customer does not comply with the provisions, the company can disconnect
the electricity and refuse to reconnect until the entire balance owed to the
utility is paid.
December Resource Highlights
Artist Trust
Provides support for artist-generated projects through Grants for Artist
Projects (GAP) which can include the development, completion or presentation
of new work. Awards are up to $1,400 annually. Applications for GAP are
available in December.
Seattle
Vocational Institute
Kwanzaa Festival 2005 will create a holiday marketplace for sharing
collective resources and creating financial empowerment by featuring business
retail vendors, food vendors and exhibit floor entertainment. Hourly
educational seminars offer information on housing resources, credit repair,
energy assistance and legal and employment clinics from various agencies.
Festival takes place 6-9pm, Friday, Dec. 9; Noon-7pm, Saturday-Sunday, Dec.
10-11, 2005. Visit http://sviweb.sccd.ctc.edu/kwanzaa/index.htm
for more information.
Southeast
Effective Development
Offers a Northwest Native Holiday Bazaar with crafts, food and cultural entertainment
including films and dances from 10am-5pm, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005.
Friends
of Francois
Provides a New Year's meal outdoors for anyone in need from 1-3pm, on New
Year's Day, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006, as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas
meals.
GriefWorks
– A Bereavement Resource for Education and Support
Hosts two monthly open community meetings to discuss topics of grief and
loss. Topics change each month. See Web site at http://www.griefworks.org for details.
10:30am-noon, Monday, Dec. 12 - Grief and Surviving the Holidays.
7:00-8:30pm, Thursday, Dec. 22 - Grief and Surviving the Holidays
City
of Seattle – Human Services Department – Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens
Organizes a free holiday ball for seniors at Seattle City Hall from
noon-3:30pm, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2005. Must RSVP. Main entrance is on 5th
Avenue. Includes a light lunch.
SEAFAIR
– Christmas Cruise
Coordinates an annual cruise for individuals with developmental disabilities
from 3:30-5:30pm, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005. Call by Monday, Nov. 21, 2005 to
register. This cruise is a holiday boat parade on Lake Washington and Lake
Union. Local yacht clubs and independent boat owners donate time, boats, and
crew. Boats are launched from various locations. Boats cruise parallel to the
520 bridge and then return to their respective loading locations in Lake
Union and Lake Washington. The boat parade can be viewed from West Montlake
Park and along the Montlake Cut.
Seattle
International Church
Gives out more than 10,000 toys. There will be a drawing for about 60 girls
and boys bicycles. Every child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to
receive a toy. A short Christmas program geared toward the kids will be held
at 10:30am and 6pm, Sunday, December 18, 2005. Gifts will be given at the end
or the beginning of the program. Mass attendance is not required.
Many more holiday programs in our community can
be found by searching our Winter Holidays topic category at Community
Resources Online. •
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“Resource Talk,” Crisis
Clinic’s free monthly e-newsletter, provides critical resource changes,
community events, feature articles on important health and human service
topics and updates to the annual publication of the Where to Turn Plus
directory. Click here
to subscribe or unsubscribe to Resource Talk. You may view past issues of
Resource Talk by clicking here.
Crisis Clinic offers
a variety of products to help connect people with critical resources.
Information about purchasing Crisis Clinic’s Where to Turn
Directories, Where to Turn CD-ROMs, customized reports, customized
mailing labels and holiday lists can be found online by clicking here.
Crisis Clinic respects the privacy of our Web site
users.
For business purposes, please e-mail us at ResourceCenter@CrisisClinic.org or call us at (206)
461-3210.
www.CrisisClinic.org
This Newsletter was last updated on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 10:55 AM
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