From: Steve Decker (via fullcoalition list) <fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2024 3:56 PM
To: Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org>
Cc: fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.org
Subject: Re: Homeless Coalition - Family Promise Funding Question

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Review the sender's email address first, and do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.

She is correct. We have spent the funds allocated to us to do that program. We had been told in error that we could use other funds to help with that program, and upon clarification, were told we cannot.

Steve Decker

CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County

253-444-4563 x391

On Wed, May 29, 2024 at 3:16?PM Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org> wrote:

Hey all,

I had a client reach out to me today saying that she was told by her worker at Family Promise that they lost their funding and can't help her with back rent now. I'm working to find other options, but wanted to reach out to the general community to see if anyone has clearer information on this. She was understandably upset and so I don't know if I'm hearing the whole thing or not.

Does anyone know what's going on with Family Promise, and if they are still able to assist folks financially? I'm not familiar with agencies losing funding without warning, which is how she made it sound.

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Early closure Friday May 24th

Closed Monday May 27th for Memorial Day

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

This listserv is part of the Tacoma/Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.

Re: Homeless Coalition - Family Promise Funding Question by Steve Decker (31 May 2024 19:25 UTC)
Reply to list

All of the clients that had been committed funding were funded. Clients who were after those committals may not have been funded however they were never promised funding.

If other organizations have been promising things on our behalf, we cannot control that.

Steve Decker
CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County
Calendar to connect: https://www.familypromisepiercecounty.org/steve
253-444-4563 x391

On Fri, May 31, 2024, 12:22?PM McKinley McPheeters <McKinley@amarafamily.org> wrote:

Hi Steve,

McKinley McPheeters (pronouns: they/them)
Family Resources and Outreach Manager

Amara

206.260.1705 (direct)

206.206.1700 (main)

Visit us at AmaraFamily.org

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Review the sender's email address first, and do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.

Steve Decker

CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County

253-444-4563 x391

On Wed, May 29, 2024 at 3:16?PM Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org> wrote:

Hey all,

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Early closure Friday May 24th

Closed Monday May 27th for Memorial Day

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

This listserv is part of the Tacoma/Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.

Attachment: image001.jpg (image/jpeg)
Attachment: image001.jpg (image/jpeg)

Re: Homeless Coalition - Family Promise Funding Question by Sage Barber (31 May 2024 21:30 UTC)
Reply to list

Hey Steve,

This didn't seem to answer the question asked, and also conflicts with what some of my clients have experienced. For example, the person I'm working with who I originally reached out about was told very specifically by her worker at Family Promise several times that her back rent would be covered.

Can you help clarify what your organization is able to help with, to ensure nobody else is sending folk your way with the right expectations?

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

SBarber@tacomahousing.org

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

From: Steve Decker <ceo@familypromisepiercecounty.org>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2024 12:25 PM
To: McKinley McPheeters <McKinley@amarafamily.org>
Cc: Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org>; fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.org <fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.org>
Subject: Re: Homeless Coalition - Family Promise Funding Question

You don't often get email from ceo@familypromisepiercecounty.org. Learn why this is important

Caution: External Email

All of the clients that had been committed funding were funded. Clients who were after those committals may not have been funded however they were never promised funding.

If other organizations have been promising things on our behalf, we cannot control that.

Steve Decker
CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County
Calendar to connect: https://www.familypromisepiercecounty.org/steve
253-444-4563 x391

On Fri, May 31, 2024, 12:22?PM McKinley McPheeters <McKinley@amarafamily.org> wrote:

Hi Steve,

McKinley McPheeters (pronouns: they/them)
Family Resources and Outreach Manager

Amara

206.260.1705 (direct)

206.206.1700 (main)

Visit us at AmaraFamily.org

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Review the sender's email address first, and do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.

Steve Decker

CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County

253-444-4563 x391

On Wed, May 29, 2024 at 3:16?PM Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org> wrote:

Hey all,

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Early closure Friday May 24th

Closed Monday May 27th for Memorial Day

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

This listserv is part of the Tacoma/Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.

E-mail the full coalition by sending to fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.orgRemember, this list is distributed to over 700 people - send no information that can identify a client and avoid unnecessary e-mails (a thank you is polite when sent to 1 person, but a nuisance when sent to 700). This listserv is open to everyone.Click away to subscribe to the list, unsubscribe from the list, or take a gander at the message archive

This listserv is part of the Tacoma/Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.

E-mail the full coalition by sending to fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.orgRemember, this list is distributed to over 700 people - send no information that can identify a client and avoid unnecessary e-mails (a thank you is polite when sent to 1 person, but a nuisance when sent to 700). This listserv is open to everyone.Click away to subscribe to the list, unsubscribe from the list, or take a gander at the message archive

Re: Homeless Coalition - Family Promise Funding Question by Steve Decker (31 May 2024 22:20 UTC)
Reply to list

Thanks Sage. I was trying to reply quickly rather than fully. Here goes:

Can you share what the process is/was for clients to be notified of the funds no longer being able to be allocated in the way they had been expecting?

Direct communication was/is being made with all clients that had applied for those funds.

I know learning an update like this can be traumatizing and trigger a lot of distress for families. Are there certain supports or resources you link them to so they aren't left scrambling to fill the gap?

We are still providing full case management and referring to potential other funding sources. We can't provide what we don't have.

Just like other providers, we are constrained by grant contracts and funding streams. Back rent can mean multiple things. If a person was evicted and had money still owing, those back rent amounts that lead to eviction are not able to be covered at this time, unless we get new funding than what is currently available. Back rent can also mean amounts owed that might lead to eviction if not covered, we may have limited assistance for those individuals through our Dept of Commerce grant.

Our current HHP contract with Pierce County covers providing emergency shelter and case management services to families with children.
Our current contract with the Dept of Commerce is able to help with more things, also for families with children, but is a finite amount of money, like all contracts. That pot is what we have used for "back rent" historically.
Both contracts end June 30th.
Our Shelter Hub Contract allows us to operate a shelter hub system for the entire County. Allowing a single intake to be done, and then referring people to reserved shelter beds throughout the County. Additionally, the Crisis Case Managers are able to partner with all shelters in the county to support them and connect everyone. Trying to ensure we have a real time response to individuals in crisis. There is a small pot of money to provide emergency beds in that contract, but clarification is needed to ensure it can be used for more than just inclement weather events. We are still awaiting the actual contract, so I can't get much more specific.

If you have a client that is experiencing conflict, I have not heard about it yet. Please send me a direct message (assuming you have an ROI from the client, or that we do) and we can connect the dots.

Hopefully that more fully answers the questions. I would also like to invite people to communicate directly with me. I put my calendar in my signature so we can work together and help people. And if any shelter program wants to learn more about the shelter hub, I'm eager to come out and meet directly.

Steve Decker

CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County

253-444-4563 x391

On Fri, May 31, 2024 at 2:30?PM Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org> wrote:

Hey Steve,

Can you help clarify what your organization is able to help with, to ensure nobody else is sending folk your way with the right expectations?

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

You don't often get email from ceo@familypromisepiercecounty.org. Learn why this is important

Caution: External Email

All of the clients that had been committed funding were funded. Clients who were after those committals may not have been funded however they were never promised funding.

If other organizations have been promising things on our behalf, we cannot control that.

Steve Decker
CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County
Calendar to connect: https://www.familypromisepiercecounty.org/steve
253-444-4563 x391

On Fri, May 31, 2024, 12:22?PM McKinley McPheeters <McKinley@amarafamily.org> wrote:

Hi Steve,

McKinley McPheeters (pronouns: they/them)
Family Resources and Outreach Manager

Amara

206.260.1705 (direct)

206.206.1700 (main)

Visit us at AmaraFamily.org

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Review the sender's email address first, and do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.

Steve Decker

CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County

253-444-4563 x391

On Wed, May 29, 2024 at 3:16?PM Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org> wrote:

Hey all,

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Early closure Friday May 24th

Closed Monday May 27th for Memorial Day

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

This listserv is part of the Tacoma/Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.

E-mail the full coalition by sending to fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.orgRemember, this list is distributed to over 700 people - send no information that can identify a client and avoid unnecessary e-mails (a thank you is polite when sent to 1 person, but a nuisance when sent to 700). This listserv is open to everyone.Click away to subscribe to the list, unsubscribe from the list, or take a gander at the message archive

This listserv is part of the Tacoma/Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness.

E-mail the full coalition by sending to fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.orgRemember, this list is distributed to over 700 people - send no information that can identify a client and avoid unnecessary e-mails (a thank you is polite when sent to 1 person, but a nuisance when sent to 700). This listserv is open to everyone.Click away to subscribe to the list, unsubscribe from the list, or take a gander at the message archive

Re: Homeless Coalition - Family Promise Funding Question by Sage Barber (31 May 2024 22:44 UTC)
Reply to list

Thank you so much, Steve, this helps a LOT in understanding when a referral to your agency would be appropriate and what I can tell my folks to expect. And the distinction there with back rent makes sense as well - working in housing, I frequently need to explain what THA can and can't cover, and why, and when there are alternatives. A term that's used colloquially doesn't always mean the same thing when you look at contract and what funders expect.

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

SBarber@tacomahousing.org

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

From: Steve Decker <ceo@familypromisepiercecounty.org>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2024 3:20 PM
To: Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org>
Cc: McKinley McPheeters <McKinley@amarafamily.org>; fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.org <fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.org>
Subject: Re: Homeless Coalition - Family Promise Funding Question

Caution: External Email

Thanks Sage. I was trying to reply quickly rather than fully. Here goes:

Can you share what the process is/was for clients to be notified of the funds no longer being able to be allocated in the way they had been expecting?

Direct communication was/is being made with all clients that had applied for those funds.

We are still providing full case management and referring to potential other funding sources. We can't provide what we don't have.

Steve Decker

CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County

253-444-4563 x391

On Fri, May 31, 2024 at 2:30?PM Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org> wrote:

Hey Steve,

Can you help clarify what your organization is able to help with, to ensure nobody else is sending folk your way with the right expectations?

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711

https://www.tacomahousing.org/resources/organizations/

Looking for resources or support? Check THA's Resource Hub here:

THA has the following closures coming up, which may delay response times:

Closed Wednesday, June 19th for Juneteenth

Please note: THA is going through a major software conversion, and this will cause significant delays in processing and response times. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this time.

I work Monday through Friday from 9:00a to 5:30p. I work remotely Wednesdays and Fridays and use Wednesdays as my administrative day; I may be slower to respond mid-week. Thank you for your patience.

You don't often get email from ceo@familypromisepiercecounty.org. Learn why this is important

Caution: External Email

All of the clients that had been committed funding were funded. Clients who were after those committals may not have been funded however they were never promised funding.

If other organizations have been promising things on our behalf, we cannot control that.

Steve Decker
CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County
Calendar to connect: https://www.familypromisepiercecounty.org/steve
253-444-4563 x391

On Fri, May 31, 2024, 12:22?PM McKinley McPheeters <McKinley@amarafamily.org> wrote:

Hi Steve,

McKinley McPheeters (pronouns: they/them)
Family Resources and Outreach Manager

Amara

206.260.1705 (direct)

206.206.1700 (main)

Visit us at AmaraFamily.org

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Review the sender's email address first, and do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.

Steve Decker

CEO - Family Promise of Pierce County

253-444-4563 x391

On Wed, May 29, 2024 at 3:16?PM Sage Barber <sbarber@tacomahousing.org> wrote:

Hey all,

In Solidarity and Warmth,

Sage Barber - he/they

Community Advocate

Client Support and Empowerment Dept

Cell: 253-337-9673

Desk: 253-448-2711