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YouthCare, King County Metro Provide Safe Space for Youth in Crisis Help is just a bus away for the 1,000 young people in King County without a safe place to go, thanks to a new partnership between King County, YouthCare, Auburn Youth Resources, Friends of Youth, and “Safe Place”, a national non-profit organization that builds community safety nets for young people in crisis. How does it work? When a young person in crisis needs help, all he or she has to do is approach any Metro bus driver and say, “I need a safe place.” The operator will then make a call that will trigger contact with a youth service provider, who will arrange to meet and transport the youth to safety. What happens next depends on the needs of the youth. Sometimes it’s counseling and providing help to reunite the child with family or friends. In the absence of alternatives, youth can be taken to a safe shelter. In addition to help from Metro drivers, young people in King County have another option if they need help quickly. “Text 4 HELP” is a National Safe Place service being introduced that uses technology to offer information about the closest location to access immediate help and safety. By texting the word “SAFE” and their current location to 69866, youth can get help within seconds.  In our area, they will be referred to shelters that will provide the assistance they need. Why do we need Safe Place? On any given night, United Way estimates there are 700-1,000 young people with no safe place to sleep in Seattle alone. Some are abandoned, some are abused, and few know where to get help. It’s estimated that at least 300-500 children in King County under the age of 18 are sexually exploited each year. That’s a troubling statistic, given estimates that one in three runaways will be lured into prostitution within 48 hours. Many young people already ride Metro buses; now they know they can ask a bus driver for help, and the bus driver knows where to direct them to be sure they get the help they need. With the addition of Metro and the local service agencies—YouthCare, Friends of Youth, and Auburn Youth Resources—King County becomes the largest Safe Place partner in the state of Washington and one of 1,529 communities nationwide with a Safe Place program. The purpose of the program is to have the necessary community resources in place to get help to young people quickly, decreasing the potential for harm. Questions? Please contact Liz Trautman at 206-204-1407 or elizabeth.trautman@youthcare.org for questions about the program or how your business can partner to make King County a safer place for youth. More information about National Safe Place can be found on their website. Return to the top Disability Lifeline Ends This Month The Disability Lifeline (DL) cash program is ending October 31, 2011 as required by the Legislature (ESHB 2082). All cash assistance under the DL program will end at that time. Medical benefits and coverage won’t be affected by this change. People receiving Medical Care Services (MCS) or Medicaid coverage will continue to receive medical without re-applying. Beginning November 1, 2011, there will be three new programs: · · Aged Blind or Disabled Cash Assistance (ABD) – Provides a monthly cash grant for adults who are and 65 or older and: · Blind, or · likely to meet Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability criteria. The grant is proposed at no more than $197 a month for one person. To meet SSI disability criteria, a person must have a mental or physical impairment that prevents them from working for at least 12 months. We need medical evidence to verify the impairment. · Pregnant Women Cash Assistance (PWA) – Provides a monthly cash grant for pregnant women who can’t receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The grant is proposed at no more than $197 a month. · · Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) – People who receive MCS and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless may qualify for HEN. The Department of Commerce will give grants to local communities who will provide the HEN services. HEN may pay for limited rent and utilities, personal health and hygiene items, cleaning supplies and transportation. HEN does not provide a monthly cash grant. What happens November 1st? · People receiving Medicaid based on age or disability will receive ABD cash and Medicaid in November. · Pregnant women who are otherwise eligible will receive PWA cash and Medicaid coverage in November. · People receiving MCS because they are incapacitated will continue to receive MCS coverage in November. They may also be eligible for HEN. If you have questions about these changes, call DSHS at (877) 501-2233. You can apply for any of our programs online at www.washingtonconnection.org/home/ . You can also apply at a local Community Services Office. Return to the top Medicaid Customer Service Center Expands Hours Beginning October 3, 2011, health care providers and Medicaid Clients will have increased access to the Medicaid Customer Service Center. The new hours for providers will be from 7:30am-4:30pm; the hours for clients will be from 7:30am-5pm.  Providers and clients will continue to have 24-hour access to the Contact Us website at:  https://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/p1contactus/. Answers to many provider and client questions are available online or through Medicaid’s interactive voice response system (IVR): · For providers, self-service instructions and shortcuts to the IVR can be found in the Billing and Resource Guide at: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/download/ProviderOne_Billing_and_Resource_Guide.html o For tips on using ProviderOne, Medicaid’s payment system, go to: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/ProviderOne/documentation/P1Tips.doc. That page also includes a list of Webinars available for providers who need training. · For clients, internet links that address their major concerns are listed at http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/HRSAClient.htm. The page also includes specific, step-by-step help for clients who want to use the IVR system links and shortcuts. Return to the top Critical Resource Updates The Central Area Senior Center, in partnership with Casey Family Programs, has received start-up funds to open a Kinship Center that provides Kinship Navigator services, resources, support, educational advocacy, legal options and a place to rest and unwind for Kinship Families. The center officially opened on September 26, 2011. Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation. Multi-Service Center has started a new program called THRIVE (Transforming Homelessness and Reestablishing Independence Via Employment) to help those without permanent housing or job skills find work. Participants receive help with job readiness, resume development, interviewing skills, financial management, customer service and conflict resolution skills, continuing education options and more. For more details, call Jim Boland at (253) 838-6810 x115. Alliance of People with disAbilities has moved its East King County office from Redmond to Bellevue.The new address is 1150 140^th Ave NE Suite 101, Bellevue, WA. 98005. Email, website, and phone numbers remain the same. Return to the top Upcoming Resources This column highlights 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. October Resources Seattle Human Services Department’s Winter Shelters at City Hall and the Frye Hotel are set to open from October 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012. Previously the shelters were opened only under certain severe weather conditions. Last year the program expanded so that shelters are open from mid-fall through winter to reduce health risks to people who are exposed to winter weather conditions. The City Hall program is located at 601 5th Avenue and will serve adult men and women nightly from 8:30pm-7:30am. The Frye Hotel will serve women only from 8pm-7am. During extreme temperatures, when overnight exposure is life threatening, HSD will open additional emergency shelter sites, such as at the Seattle Center. November Resources Washington Women in Need’s Education Assistance grant applications will be available ONLINE ONLY on November 1 and 2, 2011. The applications will be available on our website for those two days only.  You will need to have been accepted to a school that accepts Federal Financial Aid and have filled out a FAFSA prior to applying. There will be one page of the application that your school will need to fill out so we recommend that you be on campus when you print out the application. Once received by WWIN, complete applications are processed on a first come first served basis.  If your application is processed, WWIN will call you on the telephone to do a phone screening. If you appear to be eligible after the initial screening you will need to come into our office in Bellevue for an in person interview. Applications will only be available by this procedure. We also recommend that you sign up with TheWashBoard.org to learn if you might be eligible for additional scholarships and grants. Return to the top	In this issue: · YouthCare Safe Space · Disability Lifeline Update · Medicaid Extends Hours · Critical Resource Updates · October and November Resources Free Flu Vaccine Clinic Public Health – Seattle & King County is sponsoring a free vaccine clinic on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Tukwila Community Center at 12424 42^nd Ave S, Tukwila. Flu vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from flu. Flu vaccine is for people 6 months and older — especially children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with health problems like diabetes and heart disease. You will not be asked for proof of health insurance or citizenship. Interpreters available. DSHS Budget Reductions Discussed Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Susan N. Dreyfus will lead a series of Town Hall Meetings across the state in the next two months to lay out the Department’s budget reduction options as part of Governor Chris Gregoire’s call for state agencies to proposed reductions of up to 10 percent over the next two years. The next meeting will be 2:30-4pm on October 26^th at 3600 South Graham Street, Seattle 98188 Landlord Tenant Law Training Lifelong AIDS Alliance will be hosting a Landlord Tenant Law Training for community housing partners, providers, and social services staff, Oct. 20, 1-4 pm, at Lifelong AIDS Alliance.  The training will include information on the following topics: · The Residential Landlord Tenant Act  (59.18 RCW) · The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) · The Unlawful Detainer Process The Legal Action Center’s (LAC) mission is to reduce homelessness by preventing illegal and unnecessary evictions.  LAC offers free legal assistance to low income persons in King County facing evictions and subsidy terminations, landlord/tenant issues, and debtor/creditor is-sues related to past tenancies. RSVP to Laura DeBellas at (206) 957-1671 or laurad@llaa.org SCHIP Premiums to Increase for Some Parents of children who are not U.S. citizens and do not have legal immigration status or an application pending for immigration status will have to pay an increase for their children’s health insurance starting Nov. 1.  Premiums will increase to $98 per child not to exceed $196 per household for the Apple Health for Kids program. This only affects the children who do not have legal immigration status and whose parents are above 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, making them not eligible for Medicaid. The health care community is working to make sure that no child loses their health care coverage through Apple Health for Kids. There is financial help for your family if you cannot afford the increased premium. If you have questions and would like financial assistance, please contact Apple Health for Kids Hotline at (877) 543-7669. 24-Hour Crisis Line (206) 461-3222 (866) 4CRISIS or (866) 427-4747 (206) 461-3219 TTY 24 hours, daily Volunteer Services (206) 461-3210 ext. 611 M-F, 8am-5pm Business Office (206) 461-3210 Fax: (206) 461-8368 M-F, 8am-5pm Info@CrisisClinic.org Teen Link (206) 461-4922 (866) TEENLINK or (866) 833-6546 (206) 461-3219 TTY 6-10pm, nightly TeenLink@CrisisClinic.org Follow us on...
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