Minutes - Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness Provider Meeting – November 8th, 2019

Welcome

· James Pogue, Comprehensive Life Resources – jpogue@cmhshare.org

· Coalition Website – http://pchomeless.org/

· Resource Information – https://www.piercecountyresources.com/

· Goal here is to network so we can better serve our clients

Increasing Shelter Capacity and Addressing Homelessness in Tacoma

· Rob Huff, Metropolitan Development Council (MDC) - rhuff@mdc-hope.org

· Last week we kicked off the work MDC is doing – we sent out notes.  If you have other suggestions or ideas, please send them to me.  We are looking for potential shelter sites around the City. (have you thought about using public parks?  Kidding –ed)

· We did not have an official public meeting in the last week.  Metropolitan Development Council did meet with Associated Ministries and the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance to start and continue the conversation with that group – to see how they may get involved in that effort.  The leadership of the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance has invited us to a larger membership meeting on Tuesday – hopefully we’ll have more information to  present next week.  They’ve been involved in this effort to help those living without shelter for quite some time – though not too visibly.  They are interested in stepping up and serving in a more visible way. (Tacoma Ministerial Alliance has a couple recent grants to help people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness – there is lots of excitement about their work extending deeper into responding to homelessness. –ed)

· Coming public meetings  - different times to engage the public

o Tuesday November 19^th, 5:30-7:30pm (may change based on an overlap with the City Council Meeting)

o Friday, November 22^nd, noon to 1:30pm

· Updates since last week – new email impact@mdc-hope.org – or phone Rob Huff at (253) 284-9096 – send information there and it will get to Metropolitan Development Council and to Associated Ministries.

· As we move towards December 1^st, there is a dual track going on – a 6^th month process to identify different shelter sites. There are deliverables on that.  (I’m guessing there was a second track I somehow missed, but let’s go ahead and assume it was immediate shelter. –ed)

· Maureen – we appreciate this work

· Maureen – for the South Sound Summit – can we get some cards that are specific to this project so we can hand them out at the Chamber summit – so we aren’t just rattling off an address.  Rob – what content?  Maureen – one line with phone, e-mail, event locations.  Al –do  have meeting locations for sure?

· Theresa – are you hoping that some of us will come to these public meetings, or do you want people who aren’t us?  Rob – we are reaching out to different parts of the city, but everyone is welcome.  It is up to you to attend.  Theresa – you won’t feel  unsupported if we don’t come?  Rob – no, we won’t. 

· Question – I’m interested in Martin v. Boise (a great overview of Martin v. Boise at https://nhchc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/martin-v-boise-infographic-printable.pdf and the full opinion at https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2018/09/04/15-35845.pdf -ed)  – there seems to be a lot of folks interested in this court decision who may be coming to a meeting.  Rob – we are interested in starting or continuing a conversation on locations for temporary shelters, and what organizations see as barriers to creating those sites.  Question – is there any part to educate the public about the civil rights component about Martin v Boise – many community members or people experiencing homelessness may not be aware of the new civil rights component.  Rob – we are not planning to do that at these meeting.  If folks ask off-line, we can certainly share these things. (this is certainly within the realm of activities the Coalition can undertake as well – I’m not sure who asked this question, but perhaps they can get with me and we can find some folks at the Coalition willing to spearhead an education campaign –ed.)

· Maureen –  a follow up on Martin  v. Boise – I’ll send some key links about this to the list – about what the cities are doing through Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC - http://mrsc.org/ -ed) and what the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty has out there (I’ll point again to their infographic - https://nhchc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/martin-v-boise-infographic-printable.pdf -ed) – and any info I have in my inbox. 

· James – National law Center – they have a card that says “know your rights” – there is a link for that with cards you can print out and hand out. (I looked and couldn’t find it- hopefully James sends out the link –ed).

City of Tacoma Question  and Answer Session

· Tiegan Tidball, Neighborhood and Community Services – TTidball@ci.tacoma.wa.us

· City met with Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority – to get a lease on their property. going to council on the November 19^th – as soon as we have more information we’ll share it with you. 

· Theresa – the City Council meeting is on November 19^th.  We are also going to study session on November 19^th. MDC’s meeting is at 5:30. Rob – we may need to change that time (Rob was nodding from his seat. –ed)

· Maureen – people may not know the difference between what the city is doing with emergency mitigations and what Metropolitan Development Council is doing with emergency shelter. Tiegan – Metropolitan Development Council is doing the outreach – to help remove some barriers.  For temporary shelter, the quickest we can get permitting is 45-60 days – for an existing site with no concerns or appeals.  Bethlehem Baptist is in the permitting process and have about 2 weeks left. Altheimer Memorial Church is in the permitting process – they just submitted so they have 2 months to go through the process.  Metropolitan Development Authority is looking for barriers identified by non-profits and those  in the faith-based community - where they are seeing barriers.  The code is complex, and the City is looking for ways to make it easier to engage so we can fill that need. 

· Linda – in addition to establishing temporary shelters under the temporary shelter ordinance, the city is working to use to create an “emergency shelter” – under that emergency declaration we can act very quickly to establish emergency shelter. Going through the process in the ordinance takes a while. We have established the need to create a temporary shelter and council will hear about that on the 19^th at noon in Tacoma Municipal Building North, room 16.  We will also provide information on extending the emergency declaration.  That will allow us to continue to do what we are doing – which allows us to use temporary funding and act quickly.  We’ll be doing some clarifying amendments to the ordinance – need to clarify some language and articulate that. The council is OK with no more than 2 sites per police sector or to up to 150 individuals in each police sector.  That is a clarifying amendment that can move forward quickly instead of going through the planning commission process.  Those 3 things will be talked about at the study session on the 19^th.  Those will go for action to the Council that night. 

·   (so for those of you keeping score at home, there are three processes to create a homeless shelter in Tacoma.  When I double checked this with the City for correctness –they said it was “generally accurate”, which I’ll take as “meeting expectations”, which is what my kids get from their teachers when their teachers really meant “B”, which won’t get me in the best colleges, but it is better than “approaching”:

1. A non-profit, government or faith-based organization can use the Temporary Shelter ordinance to establish a shelter, which fast tracks the permitting process, but has lots of limitations, such as the temporary nature of the shelter. 

2. The City can use powers granted by the Emergency Declaration and bypass many rules, processes and regulation to create an “Emergency Shelter” in a very short period of time. They used this for the creating of the Stability Site.

3. Anyone can follow the slow, formal process to establish a permanent shelter for people experiencing homelessness – a shelter like Nativity House used this permitting process

There is lots of specialized terminology In all this, so, if you are confused, you are among friends. Trust me. –ed) 

· Question – if I wanted to contact my City Council Member to extend the “thing”, what is that “thing” called? Linda – that is the “Emergency Declaration around homelessness”. (”Where are you taking this…Thing?” “Prisoner Transfer from Cell Block 1138.” –ed)

· Al – I belong to a small to mid-size church interested in safe parking.  The ordinance as it exists now – we are aghast at the requirements.  We just wanted to create 3-5 spaces of safe parking.  I read in the ordinance that there are two definitions – temporary housing and temporary shelters.  Temporary housing refers to automobiles – nowhere else references that.  We need a simpler set of rules that applies to small, safe parking rules.  Linda – that is other than a clarifying amendment  - anything outside a clarifying amendment would need to go through the planning commission amendment process.  We are hoping that recommendations for changes like that will come through the Metropolitan Development Council process which will get rolled into changes brought forth for consideration.  We cannot make substantial changes to the ordinance quickly. So, you’ll hopefully bring that concept to the “convening table” which will hopefully come to the City (although now it is written down all pretty, so hopefully someone will include it on the stuff-to-research-list. –ed).  Al – so in the interim – just go ahead and do it, since there is no reference to safe housing?  Linda - …

· Derek – how many people will die from exposure because we aren’t doing something right now? (well, I just removed a veteran experiencing homelessness from our Pierce County Veteran Master List because he died, so for Fall of 2019 the number is at least 1. I’ll need to wait till next summer for the State to release the winter’s death records for me to give you a more definitive number.  –ed)

· Carolyn – two questions – does the stability site extend?  Linda – the mid-biennial modification for the City budget – the city will present recommendations on November 19^th for first reading – with have funding to continue the stability site in that budget (although with capacity reduced from 85 to 58 units. –ed).  Carolyn –if you make substantive changes to the ordinance – can we allow more than 150 people, especially in areas of concentration – maybe increase police instead of limiting people that can be sheltered in certain areas? Linda – please bring that to the convening table.

· Theresa – I want to say that there is something happening right now – and I know, I absolutely agree that there should be a way to keep people from dying from exposure.  But I appreciate the City is doing what we can within the parameters of the law. These folks at the City are working hard and trying to do what they can – they are working hard to work through the bureaucracy (I just want to say I spelled this word right without spellcheck having to even give me a hit. I hate the word “bureaucracy” for so many reasons. –ed).  Linda – I appreciate all the advocacy in this room.  We are doing something different to address the issue – the something different is to create a table where advocates, service providers, interested community members, and individuals experiencing homelessness all get together (I’m glad someone is finally creating a forum for this type of collaboration. –ed). This isn’t a City meeting, this is a community meeting that the City is supporting and being a part of. You are all identifying locations for potential shelter sites. We appreciate all the coordination of volunteers and food gifts and recommendations so we can include them in the 2021/2022 funding cycle. That is the purpose of the next 6 months.  During this time, we will also be standing up emergency shelter like we are doing right now.  We’ll stand up additional faith-based organization sties.  We will also push the goal of housing – we are not talking right now about housing, and I think someone should come and address you all on the affordable housing action strategy – about upstream prevention of homelessness and downstream of homelessness.  I’d like to get someone here to talk about getting people housed. Temporary shelter is temporary, but that is not the goal.  The goal is to have them in housing. (I reached out to Community and Economic Development with an invite – haven’t heard back from them yet. –ed)

· Question – November 19^th- The study session and council meeting and Convening meeting  at the same time.  Rob – we’ll have a discussion.

· Craig – as someone who is new to this – I can’t tell you how many hours I spent calling people at the City trying to find any person who had information  about all of this stuff – about what is happening.  No one knows who to transfer you to.  I called the City, I asked what is happening around the new laws and the new shelters – the City has no idea.  They send you to the police – police sends you to the City.  Someone finally sent me here.  You all are with the City – I’m asking you what the plan is to communicate that out to the citizens of Tacoma after this meeting so that the citizens of Tacoma have some information.  Linda – thank you for that.  The City and the Tacoma Police Department is all one organization.  When you call customer support – if they think it is public safety, they’ll send you to Police.  If they think it is homelessness, they’ll send you to Human Services. I’ll give everyone my phone number - 253-591-5225  - call me directly. I’m Linda Stewart – Director of Human Services.  You can also talk to Tiegan – 253-597-2320.    You have the customer support center – if it is public safety it goes to police.  This is a meeting where these topics are discussed in public. The other venue is the City Council meetings – where we engage the public through the Council – you can watch on TV or come and comment on agenda items.  Next citizen forum in November 12^th – you can talk about anything on your mind in the City of Tacoma.  We are working on some communication around a shelter site we are setting up.

· Question – I know the city does a lot more than just homelessness – who makes the decisions on the permitting – we would like to expedite the process – is that possible.  Could we backburner other things so the permits don’t take 3-6 months.  Linda – that is why we are doing emergency shelter right now – that doesn’t take a 3-6 month process.  We are developing it right now.  If we need another site we are able to do that under the emergency declaration.   Tiegan – in addition to the wait period – we’ve already expedited the process to bypass some of the permitting.  Question – can you remove some of those barriers.  Tiegan – a lot of the permitting is fire and safety and making sure it is appropriate and safe.  We don’t want to do anything that puts someone at risk. (someone spoke recently about risk – not sure if it was at this meeting or elsewhere.  They said that as organizations who serve the homeless, we are often unwilling to accept risk so we force people experiencing homelessness to absorb even more risk themselves.  As a community we say it is unsafe to have a shelter without showers, but if we do not provide shelter without showers, people experiencing homelessness will be living in a less safe environment, also without showers. As Voltaire said, “Il meglio è l'inimico del bene"  - often expressed as “the perfect is the enemy of the good”.  It is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Not the Latin part – I had to look that up.  And Voltaire was a bit obsessed with a few not-so-healthy ideas, like the “enlightened despot”, so I’m not sure my appeal to Ethos is terribly effective - although I like the idea of Voltaire being pen pals with Catherine the Great – arguably an enlightened despot. – ed) 

· Derek – I’m upset with bureaucracy that is in our way of saving lives.  The question is how are you facilitating us to help you.  This fellow wants to have 4 cars have safe parking – can we make that happen today? Can we do that? Linda – that is what we want to do today.  Derek – he has assets and wants to get them to you.  Linda – you have our telephone numbers. Derek – he wants to have parking spaces for kids.  (this was another question from the folks from the Satanic Temple – I like that our Coalition brings such a diverse set of folks together to help the most vulnerable in the community). 

· Darren – from the Sheriff’s Department – like all the talk about the city.  I’m in the county and I see a lot of the resources we use in the county – our people use the City’s resources.  Is there discussion with other agencies and governments around this regional problem?  You guys are putting money where your mouth is – it seems silly for each agency and government to work separately. Linda – Mayor Woodards is getting mayors together and we are convening around that.  Part of the conversation is about keeping people housed.  The City of Tacoma has the 10^th of 1% mental health tax that the county doesn’t have –tax is available and we can access that funding.  We use that funding in a lot of ways – we use that funding at the stability site.  The county will hopefully adopt that tax.  There is no jurisdictional boundary.  I was just talking to Heather Moss, the County Human Services Director.  We were talking about our different approaches to homelessness and how we manage shelters and encampments.  We are looking how we can work across jurisdictional boundaries. (interesting word, jurisdictional – it is from the latin “ius” – law – and “dicto” – a saying.  So, it is the “pronouncement of the law”, or more simply, the “range of administrative power”.  –ed)

· Maureen – I  think you started to say something – but the sentence didn’t get completed.  Once this emergency shelter site is good to go, is the city willing to entertain standing up additional emergency shelter sites?  As we head into winter, we know there are numerous encampments out there.  Linda – if it is identified that there is an acute need for emergency shelter, we will stand up a shelter site. (my numbers show around 4,350 people homeless in Tacoma tonight – and only 750 or so are sheltered.  The rest – some 3,600, are on the streets of Tacoma, unsheltered. –ed.)

· Al - you mentioned the mayors’ meeting – are those public?  Linda – no, they are not public.  You can contact the Mayor’s office to inquire about attending.

· Theresa – anyone who is  County voter – the 10^th of 1%  is one of the biggest things that can happen.  The fact that the County has not passed that has gotten in the way of other funding from the state.  Lobby for that mental health tax.  Craig was talking about having it – would be good to add information on the Tacoma homelessness website – just a thought.

· Rich – I appreciate what you both do – on the legal side as well as City policy.  I had a visceral reaction to what Darrell said. I work across the County, people were discharged from hospital to their cars – there is just a lack of locations to accommodate all these needs.  What Al said is near my heart.  Isn’t there something we can do this very second?  Linda – now that you have Tiegan’s phone number, she can do navigation to see what resources there are for those folks.  Family shelters we mentioned will be expanding capacity. The emergency is not just felt in the community, but also in City Hall.  I called a meeting with each department head and the City Manager on this topic, and everyone came to this meeting.  Every executive was in the room engaging on this topic. They left behind what they were working on to establish an emergency shelter site.  They all came.  That is the sense of urgency in City Hall.  We talk about this all the time where you can’t see it in the community.  Our Mayor, Council, City Manager, all staff, all department heads, are committed to doing something different because what we are doing isn’t working.  We need you to figure out what that different thing is.  The heat I’m feeling I transmit daily to our staff and my peers in City Hall.  We are 100% committed and feel the sense of urgency. 

· James – this meeting is always open to everyone.  We aren’t a 501c3, not a government agency, just all folks from around the County trying to end homelessness.  we bring all the work we can do here and try to get it all out in the public.  Our push is balanced by the impacts to the community.  There are a bunch of sides to this. 

Advocacy Update

· The Continuum of Care Strategic plan is still where it was last week – with Pyramid (the consulting firm –ed.) doing technical edits.  It will then go to Heather Moss – then County Council – to meet the state deadline in early December.  (having both pyramid and consulting firm in the title somehow makes my mind go to the word Ponzi, even though I know lots of consulting firms add real value to a project. I’m not saying you need to rename your firm, but I can’t be the only one wired this way. –ed)

· I did watch part of the meeting Gerrit was at out at Step-by-Step – an in-district meeting for District 2 – Pam Roach’s district.  For background, Dow Constantine, the King County Executive, has converted a prison to a homeless shelter. While that has bad optics, I’ll take anything inside, anything respectful, anything safe.  There have been small jurisdictions on the fringes where police open their building on cold nights. People are trying to do things.  Pam Roach is putting forth money for 2 requests – $50,000 for a contactor to review County owned properties for shelter use, and a staff member responsible for homelessness issues to report to the County Council.  Those of you who filled out the survey last week – you asked for lots of pages.  What was interesting to me was the 30 surveys back – more than ½ wanted the information from the groups listed down below , Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Pierce County Affordable Housing Consortium, Tacoma Housing Authority, Tacoma Tenants Rights group, the Pierce County Housing Authority, etc.  What I’ll do with them is what I’ve been doing with Erica Azcueta with  the City every Thursday morning – asking for update.  I’ll add what comes in to this. 

· I have a request in around the affordable housing action strategy – around the Tag teams.  I want to find out who is on the homelessness tag team.  There will be an update quarterly on the affordable housing action strategy. 

· Will have an e-mail with links of presentations you  might be interested in – either housing Washington or the homeless conference in Spokane. 

· The mayors meetings – I did contact the Mayor’s office and was on the distribution list – there was a point where we were invited as observes, but they were at 8am in Puyallup – not my thing. 

· County – also has 1406 money – not just opportunity for .1%.

· Theresa and I met with Linda and her staff around expediting permitting.  We want things to go through the planning process faster – it is expedited and fees are waived – that piece of the bureaucracy is working well. Thank Peter Huffman and his staff- we can sign on to that to thank them for that work.  They are pulling people away from other project for that work.  It is an imperfect world and we are making our way through as best we can. 

· Hopefully you saw the summary of the conversation with Linda, her staff and rob.  The City will provide a modest stipend – recognizing the park dwellers community – for resident client managers.  There are porta-potties and hand washing and trash services.

· The legislature is in an uproar around the 976 – stopped all projects that have not yet begun.  We’ll see it soon.  Anyone working anywhere in the trades – ask them to hold their cash.  I don’t know what the City will do – but that topic will take over the legislature.  Be prepared – look at your clients employment and their ability to survive = it could ripple back – billions and billions of dollars not going into the trades.

· One person sleeping outside is one too many.

MDC Co-occurring Disorder Treatment and Supported Employment (powerpoint attached)

· James Oliver – outpatient program manager for MDC  - joliver@mdc-hope.org - (I hate using acronyms, but I’m tired of typing out Metropolitan Development Council – and everyone knows them as MDC anyway.. –ed).

· Happy blue Friday – I’m sorry for not wearing blue (I’m not wearing it either – I hate the idea of paying money to do their advertising for them. Logo merchandise should be at a discount, not a premium –ed)

· I manage a group of phenomenal people.  When you think of MDC and the Center and the co-occurring disorder program – I want you to think of these people. 

· Outpatient Services

o Co-occurring program

o Substance use disorder outpatient services – “The Center”

§ Lots of transformation happening here.  We have lots of co-occurring disorder clients

§ Using Living in Balance Curriculum ( https://www.hazelden.org/web/public/livinginbalance.page ) developed by Hazelden (an English name for “Hazel valley”, which is what I’m going to name a retirement mobile home park, if I ever get christening rights to one –ed). Lots of evidence based practices built into the curriculum.  It is easy to use for practitioners and has great outcomes for clients.  Has a number of tracks for training.

§ Recovery coaches are embedded in everything we do.  Recovery coaches make it all work

o Paul Bruce – pbruce@mdc-hope.org - catch phrase: “Never give up” (James introduced his staff with their catch phrases, which reminds me of a rather mediocre episode – the Griz origin story -  of one of my favorite TV shows - We Bare Bears. The episodes are like 10 minutes long and always have a happy ending – perfect for people with short attention spans.  And Ice Bear rocks, as do most of the episodes. –ed) 

§ I came out of a world on nonsense for 30 or 40 years – I was a percussionist – could play with any band.  I took a lot of drugs – it was a very irresponsible way to live.  I got down to one best friend, and he said he couldn’t support that lifestyle.  I lived in different girls houses – bouncing around – not taking life seriously.  You can party every night in Seattle – I put all my money into that.  I didn’t realize what mental health issues I really had – had 10 hospitalizations in 10 years, with 2 commitments. 

§ What really turned my life around- a Mental Health Professional recommended inpatient treatment.  She said the meds you need can better be worked out in an inpatient program. 

§ Then someone told me I could be a peer – that I had something to give back.

§ As a recovery coach – I help  folks .  often they tell me things they don’t tell their therapist.  I can share stories about homelessness and eating out of dumpsters and all the things you do to stay warm. 

§ There is more than helping people than just putting them into shelters.  People come in with no shelter – they need a place to get shelter and some clothes and food.  We connect you to those resources – those that we have in the community.  There are some great resources and a lot of hope in this community. 

§ “not one person sleeping outside”.

§ James – when I met Paul – I was amazed at how amazing he was.

o Vernell Hennings  - vhennings@mdc-hope.org - “You can do this”

§ I stared at MDC about a year and a half ago.

§ I came from prison – 20+ years.  I got lucky, and I got a conditional release.  After doing all this time - I’ve been to prison 4 times - I was a drug addict – bottom line.  Every time I got out I said I was going to do it this time. But I went back to drugs  and prision.  This last time, they gave me life without the possibility of parole – gave me 777 years, 77 months, and  77 days.  You get out one day before Jesus comes back. (it is all about the timing. –ed)

§ I was fortunate I had someone who believed in me.  She was my girlfriend, and she became my wife. She kept saying “you can do this”.  She said there was work I could do as a peer.  Someone at MDC gave me a job.  I couldn’t believe I had a job.  My friends in prison called me every week – they couldn’t believe that I had a job. 

§ What happened was I started believing I could do something positive.  People needed help, and all I want to do is help them.

§ I started seeing the police different too. 

§ I’m now going to court and shaking judges ands, prosecutors hands.  Before now, I never walked into a courtroom and walked back out again.

§ Thank you

o We do treatment at the Nativity House Shelter – our staff does EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - EMDR is maybe a bit like OMD, but without all the digital sampling? Maybe not.. -ed) – we’ve seen some amazing transformation.   She is pretty booked out. Hiring another one for that program. We have a clinician station there.  Catholic Community Services is great to work with. (I’ve heard that too. –ed)   We couldn’t do that work without Catholic Community Services – and we appreciate the City’s financial support.

· Supportive Employment

o If you have clients that need jobs – this is the go-to gal.  she has placed some of the hardest to place clients

o Shannon Hayes – shayes@mdc-hope.org

o Vernell and Paul – their stories both ended with employment. (holy smokes, what a segue. –ed)  I believe in employment with my heart and soul. 

o We all have these histories of substance use and mental health

o We are Medicaid funded

o Program Requirements

§ Medicaid eligible – with significant  barrier to employment

§ Have to want a job

§ Even if doesn’t meet requirements – send them to me – we can work with them to get them pointed in the right direction

o The supported employment program – we have till 2021 to prove that this program works. 

o Client driven – you and I developing strong relationship, building trust, and finding a place you can feel valuable

o Every day we are making a difference – why wouldn’t we want that in our lives.

o Process

§ Refer a client to me – phone (Office: 253-284-7811, Cell: 253-278-6693) an e-mail ( shayes@mdc-hope.org )

§ Initial intake over the phone

§ Get Foundational Community Supports approval (Amerigroup) – takes 5 days

§ Formal intake – long conversation where we try to build trust.  Most clients haven’t been through something I haven’t been tested by

§ Career assessment

§ Job plan

§ Resume building

§ Intensive job search –in office 2 days, out enthusiastically working to find folks jobs (and after listening to Shannon talk, I have no doubt about the enthusiastic part. –ed)

· Lots of education about how everyone has the skills and desire – and they just need clients to stand in front of them

· No one wants to be a addicted and homeless.  The needs of this program can happen to anyone.  

§ Client Meetings

· Kenneth – what is the chance of someone getting a job?  Shannon – I’ve helped 14 people so far this year.  Kenneth – we are always looking for ways to connect folks. Shannon – you have my name and my phone number

· We’ll make sure to connect folks to mental health or drug treatment if they want it

· If I can’t help you, chances are I know someone who can.

· James

· MDC also has Housing Assistance, Energy Assistance, and an EOC program

Coming Attractions

· November 22^nd – Councilwoman Pam Roach will visit to chat about expanding shelter in Pierce County, MDC’s withdrawal management and evaluation and treatment center will come present, and we’ll also have Crossroads Treatment Center in Lakewood (and perhaps soon on the Key) come talk about their work.

· November 29^th – Black Friday – no meeting

· December 6^th – The Port Gamble S’Klallam Reentry Program will come present, and we’ll hear about a new Community Engagement Taskforce around youth employment (among other topics). We’ll also do a “year in Review”

· December 13^th – Forum on Libraries and Homelessness

· Evening of December 20^th – Coalition Christmas Party

· January 3^rd – Are mismatched socks a nod to the triumph of interracial marriage, a humanitarian (sockitarian?) embrace of socks widowed by ravenous dryers tendency to leave a survivor in every pair, or just another awful quirk of urban hipsters.  Join our panel of experts, including Albert Einstein, Randy Goldberg, David Heath, and Dobby.

Recipes with 5 ingredients or less you should really try making – Beer Bread

I’m no fan of giving unsolicited advice (that is a complete lie. -ed), but some of the world’s great foods are made with just a few ingredients and are so easy, they just can’t be messed up. Beer bread is one of those recipes.  Preheat oven to 375. Mix  3 cups flour, 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ cup of sugar, and one 12oz can of beer in a bowl till mostly combined.  Pour into a greased bread pan, top with ½ cup melted butter (or ¼ cup, if that much butter makes you nervous), bake an hour at 375 (till a knife inserted in comes out clean), let rest 15 minutes, and eat all in one sitting.  At least that is what I do – I love bread fresh out of the oven.  I often whisk 1 part soft butter with 1 part honey and serve the bread with that, but you don’t have to.  And any beer will do. My kids loved to make it when they were little – there is a definite novelty involved in pouring the beer in (and the alcohol cooks out, of course – so no getting drunk on bread, unless you are suffering/benefiting from auto-brewery syndrome). Use vegan butter to make it vegan.  Use gluten free beer, skip all the ingredients except  the beer, and then drink the beer, to make it gluten free. Bon appetite.

Attendees

· Carolyn Weisz, University of Puget Sound

· Larry Seaquist, League of Women Voters

· Mike Craw, The Evergreen State College

· Al Ratcliffe, me

· Peach McDouall, Clubhouse model advocate

· Stephen Pagiar, Pioneer Human Services (pretty sure I botched that last name. –ed)

· Derek Piersing, The Satanic Temple

· Heather Wiley, Helping Hand House

· Christina Da, Comprehensive Life Resources

· Stuart Bruce Laidlaw, SeaMar

· Alice McMartin, Seamar

· Mary Anderson, Metro Parks Tacoma

· Cathy Hall, Community Health Care

· Emily Less, Tacoma Pierce County Health Department

· Charleen Fitzgerald, Coordinated Care

· Mike Blair, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department

· Amanda Kenyon, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department

· Darren Moss Jr., Pierce County Sheriff’s Department

· Carolyn Read, St. Leo’s Parish, Volunteer

· Craig Paynter, Community Member

· Maureen Howard, Housing Advocate

· Jess Thompson, Tacoma Housing Authority

· Gary Darley, MHS (not sure what that stands for. –ed)

· Rob Huff, Metropolitan Development Council

· Lauren Angelo, Metropolitan Development Council

· James Oliver, Metropolitan Development Council

· Shannon Hayes, Metropolitan Development Council

· CC Mendoza, Metropolitan Development Council

· Vernell T. Hennings, Metropolitan Development Council

· Paul Bruce, Metropolitan Development Council

· Stephanie Prudhomme, Adonai Counseling

· Theresa Power-Drutis, New Connections

· Tammy Creley, FOB-Hope

· Daphine Niguette, FOB-Hope

· Shelly Lileks, Northwest Integrated health

· Cameron Rowe, Northwest Integrated Health

· Rich Berghammer, Fellowship Bible Church

· Kelly Blucher, Goodwill Industries

· Glenn Keeling, Comprehensive Life Resources

· M.J. Gruenewald, Comprehensive Life Resources

· Jessica Hall, Greater Lakes Mental Health

· Trisha Munson, Greater Lakes Mental Health

· Barret Daniels, The Satanic Temple

· Kenneth Moultry, Schrader’s Safe House

· Amy Tower, Tacoma Tenant Organizing Committee

· Alfred Kirk, Tacoma Tenant Organizing Committee

· Tiegan Tidball, City of Tacoma

· Savannah Calvert, Comprehensive Life Resources

· Greg Hollmann, Associated Ministries

· Rosemary Power, New Connections

· Gerrit Nyland, Catholic Community Services

· Linda Stewart, City of Tacoma

· Bryan Green, Olive Crest

· Pastor John, Currently Homeless

· Gail Misner, Molina Healthcare

· Kelly Triggs, Tacoma Pierce County Health Department

Gerrit F. Nyland

Director of Client Information Systems, SW

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington

gerritn@ccsww.org

Mobile: 253-304-5105