Coping with the economy: What West Seattle-area leaders see

May 18, 2009 2:04 am
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Bright and early last Friday morning, more than two dozen people gathered in Fauntleroy to hear six West Seattle-area community leaders discuss how their local organizations/service agencies are handling the economy and its effects on the people they serve. The occasion: the annual Community Panel organized by the board of the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor). Though panel members agreed that job losses and other problems are bringing them more clients, who in turn are coping with more anxiety, they also expressed general optimism. Read on for the main points each made, and the understanding that emerged before the event ended:

DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION, executive director Derek Birnie: Corporations can get tax breaks for investing in low-income housing, but right now, that investment is only 5 percent of what it was 2 years ago. Agencies like DNDA that are looking to provide housing and improve neighborhoods are scrambling to see how they can make up for lost or reduced funding. Birnie also discussed the King County Food and Fitness Initiative, a major campaign with which DNDA is involved right now, and said there’s much at stake – among other challenges, the Delridge neighborhood has the highest diabetes rate of any neighborhood in Seattle.

FAUNTLEROY UCC CHURCH, Pastor David Kratz: Like everyone else, Fauntleroy Church has had to do more with less. Pledges to the church took a hit, but Pastor Kratz was surprised to find that people are still making good on their pledges, even if/when someone in the family gets laid off. The most interesting response he’s seen to economy-related stress is a significant increase in the number of people who want to join the church choir. People are looking for that immediate sense of community that a church, or something even more specific like a church choir, can provide. Toward that end, he said, this year’s stewardship campaign will be themed “Do what you can, trust God and everything will be all right.”

SEA MAR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, vice president Shanon Hardie: Sea Mar originally started out to provide medical services to low-income people, but branched out to serve other uninsured people as well — as people lose jobs, they lose their medical coverage, so demand is way up. Currently the biggest thing on their horizon is the state cutback to the state Basic Health Plan. Originally it was thought attrition could lower the rolls, but that’s not happening, so some decisions will be made about who the plan will and won’t cover. Hardie said they’re seeing funding tighten, even though they get money from diverse sources — state and federal governments as well as about 200 grants.

SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, interim president Gary Oertli: SSCC is the most diverse community college in Seattle — two-thirds of its daytime students do not speak English as their first language. The school is seeing an uptick in demand now that the 4-year state schools are cutting back. He said a community college is no longer seen as just vocational, but as a real educational choice, and lots of students know that. Also, SSCC’s adult enrollment is up due to job cuts – he said he’s seeing lots of men in their 40s who need to learn things like how to e-mail a resume.

SOUTHWEST YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES, executive director Steve Daschle – He said that the mayor’s timing on the Youth Violence Prevention program (in which SWYFS has a major role) could not be better. When the economy has trouble, there’s often an uptick in aggressive behavior and violence. He said stats show that while violent crime is down overall in America in the past decade, it has not declined among young people. Daschle also said SWYFS is devoting more and more time to helping new immigrants learn how to access systems. Some come from nations that are in total chaos, he explained, with no way to deliver services; they arrive in the U.S., where there’s a system for everything, and have no idea where to start. Daschle also said that they’ve seen the demand for utility assistance climb dramatically and he’s seeing more familiea have more anxiety and always about money.

WEST SEATTLE FAMILY YMCA (Junction and Fauntleroy), associate executive Samantha Bowes: People are tightening their belts out of fear and uncertainty. Currently the Y is stepping up some of its academic programs, especially for 9th & 10th graders who need help over the summer to keep up in school. Over the past 18 months, the Y has increased the academics work it does with both West Seattle and Chief Sealth High Schools.

After the speakers’ remarks, attendees formed small groups to brainstorm, then reported to the reconvened large group. A major theme: Community groups need to get together more often to exchange ideas. With better knowledge of what others’ groups do, several said, referrals could be easier. And with more-frequent meetings, groups might be able to more efficiently create methods of assisting those seeking help in learning and finding what’s available.

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