King County Alliance for Human Services

09/16/2024

Dear KCAHS Members,

We are excited to invite you to a special gathering with Councilman Girmay Zahilay, hosted by the King County Alliance of Human Services (KCAHS).

This is a unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and discuss community issues directly with our District 2 Councilman.

Date: Friday September 20th
Time: 2:30-3:30pm
Location: Stone House Café, 9701 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118

Join us for a productive conversation about our community's needs and challenges. Let’s come together to ensure that our voices and the voices of the people we serve are heard.

Agenda Highlights:
Community updates from Councilman Zahilay
Open Q&A session
Networking with other local non-profit leaders

In partnership,

Anthony Austin and Krystal Marx
King County Alliance Human Services Co-Chairs

09/16/2024

Dear KCAHS Members,

Join us virtually next Tuesday 9/17 , as we are excited to announce that our former KCAHS Co-chair, Laura Smith, will be visiting us in her new role as the MIDD Renewal Manager. Laura and her team are eager to hear from us about how these local funds can better serve our organizations and community.

This is a unique opportunity for us to provide direct input on how the $80 million in annual funding from the King County Behavioral Health (MIDD) sales tax can make an even bigger impact on Mental Health and Substance Use programs.

We look forward to having a productive discussion and contributing to this important initiative.

Thank you,

Anthony Austin and Krystal Marx
King County Alliance Human Services Co-Chairs

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87887598612

Meeting ID: 878 8759 8612

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07/11/2024

Welcome Krystal Marx as Our New Co-Chair!

I am thrilled to announce the addition of Krystal Marx as our new co-chair for the King County Alliance for Human Services (KCAHS). Krystal brings a wealth of experience, passion, and dedication to our mission, and we are excited to have her join our leadership team.

Please join in warmly welcoming Krystal Marx to her new role as co-chair.

03/18/2024

Join us on March 19th from 3-4:30pm for our first in-person meeting since 2020!

Tukwila Community Center- Room A
12424 42nd Ave S, Seattle, WA

We hope you are as excited as we are to finally be coming back into community with one another in person! This month’s meeting is a Connection meeting. There will be three in-person Connection meetings in 2024.

See you Tuesday.

Thank you,
Anthony Austin & Laura Smith
KCAHS Co-Chairs

02/18/2024

Join us for the next KCAHS General Meeting on February 20th 3-5pm

*Self-Care in Human Services from 3-4:30pm
*Join us in celebrating Leo Flor, Director of KC DCHS, from 4:30-5pm

We are excited to welcome Dr. Vanessa V. Villavicencio, EdD, LMHC to provide the first member training of 2024! We are offering the Self-Care in Human Services training in an effort to give us tools to support ourselves as well as tools for supporting our teams across the human service system.

Often working with individuals who have and/or are experiencing traumatic events can impact our ability to sustain compassion and empathy as the exposure over time can become overwhelming. Recognizing our compassion fatigue and burnout and developing resiliency skills can help us grow in our ability to withstand the stresses our work can bring. Resilient people tend to display certain personality traits, reflection, and tend to have daily practices that keep them mentally and physically strong. Building resiliency is not one-size-fits-all and starts with developing a set of personal wellness strategies. Practicing resiliency skills to manage exposure to traumatic stress in the workplace promotes a trauma-informed environment.

About Dr. Vanessa V. Villavicencio:
Dr. Villavicencio is from Puerto Rico and relocated to Seattle in 1997 to pursue graduate school. Her hobbies include photography, concerts, day trips and traveling with her family. She works in the mental health field in different capacities: as an instructor for the behavioral health bachelor's degree at Lake Washington Tech; she is an adjunct faculty member at Heritage University teaching at the graduate level; and she also works at the Center for Human Services as the Mental Health Director. In her many roles, her hope is that she continues to grow as an educator and leader for the sake of growing capacity and sustainability for all of us to continue to do the work that is so important to make our communities strong.

Celebrating Leo Flor:
You are encouraged to stay on the call or join us at 4:30pm as we celebrate Leo Flor, Director of KC DCHS. For more information regarding Leo’s departure, please visit https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAKING/bulletins/38a55de

Please join the monthly meeting at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87887598612

01/14/2024

Join us for maximum engagement in 2024!

The King County Alliance for Human Services (KCAHS) is excited to hit the ground running in 2024!

The first meeting of 2024 is January 16th from 3-4:30pm and we will be welcoming Leo Flor, Director, Department of Community and Human Services; Leon Richardson, Director, Adult Services Division; and Kelly Rider, Chief of Staff, Department of Community and Human Services to share news from King County. We plan to have ample time for questions and conversation. Please join the monthly meeting at
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87887598612.

11/29/2023

Thanks to YOUR advocacy, the Committee of the Whole voted to RESTORE $6m to the human services workforce stabilization initiative! 🎉

Now, the implementation plan will go back to RPC, who will need to pass it with the human services workforce funding still intact.

Thank you, and keep up the pressure! Let’s get this done right.

Sincerely,

Anthony Austin, KCAHS Co-chair

Laura Smith, KCAHS Co-chair

11/29/2023

Please join us in taking action before Wednesday!

The Regional Policy Committee voted on Monday to cut $6.5 MILLION from the human services workforce stabilization initiative in the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy Implementation Plan.

The Committee of the Whole will vote on the VSHSL Implementation Plan on Wednesday morning.

Please review this action alert https://bit.ly/VSHSL and the send comment to the King County Council.

Or, join us to give public comment at the Committee of the Whole (COW) THIS WEDNESDAY at 9:30 AM. To join the COW, please go to this link: https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/council/committees/cow. The most current zoom meeting ID will be listed there.

Here is a sample script for public comment:

Hello. My name is ______________________ (name) and I am the _________________________(position) at _________________ (organization) in District ____(district number).

We learned Monday afternoon that the Regional Policy Committee voted to cut $6.5 MILLION from the human services workforce stabilization initiative in the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services levy implementation plan. The implementation plan was built recognizing the significant challenges facing the human services work force.

$6 million of this cut came in an amendment from Councilmember Dembowski. There was NO public comment at Monday’s Regional Policy Council, and there has been NO public engagement around these changes. This process lacks transparency and sets a poor precedent.

As a person who directly experiences the workforce strain, I am recommending that the $6.5 million be returned to the implementation plan for workforce stabilization. It is unacceptable to cut funding that is intended to stabilize the human services work force. Every dollar of that is needed to accomplish the goals of the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy. Thank you.

11/22/2023

Your Advocacy is Needed by 11/27 8 a.m.

The Regional Policy Council (RPC) is considering a striker ($500,000 reduction) to the $58 million proposed in the Veterans Seniors and Human Services levy that is currently for workforce stabilization. Please join the King County Alliance of Human Services in providing a written comment to both the RPC and the King County Council.

There is no public comment at the 11/27 11am RPC meeting. These comments need to be received by [email protected] no later than 8am on 11/27. Please state that your comments apply to the 11/27 RPC meeting and the 11/29 Committee of the Whole meeting.

Sample written comment:

Dear King County Council and the Regional Policy Committee,

The King County Alliance for Human Services is writing to express a strong recommendation that the King County Council retain the full $58 million in the Veterans Seniors, and Human Services Levy implementation plan that is designated for workforce stabilization. Additionally, we urge you to vote against the proposed “striker” that seeks to amend the allocation of funds.

The VSHSL is a vital resource that addresses the critical needs of veterans, seniors, and vulnerable members of our community. The proposed $58 million allocation is carefully structured to provide essential services and support to those who have served our country and our senior citizens.

Reducing the funding through a “striker” amendment would jeopardize the effectiveness of the VSHSL implementation plan, potentially limiting the scope of services and diminishing the positive impact on our community’s most vulnerable members.

It’s crucial to prioritize the well-being of veterans, seniors, and those in need, and we trust that the Council shares this commitment. Maintaining the full $58 million dollars in workforce stabilization within the VSHSL implementation plan will ensure that the intended services are delivered without compromise.

KCAHS respectfully recommends you vote NO on the proposed “striker” and uphold the originally proposed funding amount. Your support for the full allocation will undoubtedly contribute to the betterment of our community and the lives of those who depend on these essential services.

Thank you for your time and dedication to serving the needs of our community.

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Thank you for your efforts!

Anthony Austin, Co-chair

Laura Smith, Co-chair

11/21/2023

The KCAHS General Membership meeting is 11/21 at 3pm. If you need the link, please let us know. We hope to see many of you there.
Agenda:

11/01/2023

Please join us right now- 9:30 am 11/1 to give testimony to the KC Commiof the Whole about the importance of maintaining inflation adjustments in the VSHSL.

Zoom
Meeting ID - 853-1323-8538

Please join. No one has spoken about VSHSL inflation adjustments yet.

11/01/2023

Your advocacy is needed at the Committee of the Whole meeting on 11/1/23 at 9:30am!

The Veterans Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) Implementation Plan is actively being shared and we have several opportunities for advocacy. These opportunities span 11/1-11/27. During this time, we will want to advocate with council members. There will be amendments proposed that we may or may not like, that we will need to advocate about. (This is a three part process: Briefings, Deliberation and Amendments, then Voting.). Please mark your calendars and plan to join 11/1 and 11/27 at a minimum. We have included sample testimony below.

Nov. 1 Committee of the Whole (CoW) 9:30am
The VSHSL Implementation Plan is being presented to the Committee of the Whole at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, November 1. It would be good if we had some folks there to let the council know we are paying attention and this is important to us.

To join this meeting remotely:
You may provide oral public testimony at the meeting by connecting to the meeting via phone or computer using the ZOOM application at https://zoom.us/, and entering the Webinar ID below.

You are not required to sign-up in advance. Testimony will be limited to ordinances and motions listed on the meeting agenda for action. On the fourth Tuesday of each month, the council allows general public comment on matters relating to county government.

CONNECTING TO THE WEBINAR
Webinar ID: 813 1719 0179
If you do not have access to the ZOOM application, you can connect to the meeting by calling 1 253 215 8782 and using the Webinar ID. Connecting in this manner, however, may impact your ability to be unmuted to speak.