Community Resource Coalition Meeting Minutes

Community Room

320 Pacific Place, Mount Vernon

November 21st, 2013

2-3 p.m.

Attendees

Justin Keefe, Community Action

Gisele Ostrofe, NW Workforce Council

Melisa Nelson, NW Workforce Council

Tracy Montaron, SkagitValley Herald Christmas Fund

Carol Tucker, Red Cross

Linda Madigan, Goodwill JTE

Tommie Yturralde, Community Action

Mariah Brown-Pounds, Community Action

Teri Rogers, CCS

Teresa Pugh, Habitat for Humanity

Margo Grothe, SVC Life Transitions

Julissa Reyes, OIC of Washington

Carmina Villalobos, Community Action

Round-Table Updates

Mariah Brown-Pounds, Community Action Circles Initiative– announced new class starting Jan 9th

Gisele Ostrofe, NW Work Force Council – passed out information about the WorkSourceComprehensiveCareerCenter. Includes workshops and seminars to help people find work.

Tracy Montaron – announced SVH Christmas Fund needs more fluent Spanish-speaking volunteers. Christmas funds helps 2,000 families a year. Must be under 150% FPL. Must call 419-7182 for English and 419-7184 for Spanish. Sign-up period ends December 13th at 5 pm.

Carol Tucker, Red Cross -- announced the upcoming “Real Heroes” event happening in Bellingham Dec 5th at 6 pm. Will be Lakeway Inn. Honors local heroes including Skagit valley residents.

  • Will be a dinner, no cost to attend but each person being asked to donate $100 or more to Red Cross.
  • Call 424-5291 ext 1018 to RSVP or email

Brian Soneda, MV City Library – announced long-time Children’s librarian Linda Allen will be retiring.

Linda Madigan, Goodwill – Goodwill 8-week job training courses starts Jan 6th. Registration Dec 9-12 11am – 3 pm. Handed out flyer.

Terri Rogers, CCS – mentioned Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group, Children in the Middle workshops, Kinship Care Support Program, Nurtured Heart Approach parenting program.

Julissa Reyes, OIC – employment training program for people with background in farm work. Will be moving to office in the Work Source building.

Featured Presenter – Teresa Pugh, Skagit Habitat for Humanity

Teresa presented on Habit for Humanity’s programs in Skagit. Habitat helps low-income people afford to build their own homes. All applicants must go through an orientation to be considered.

General guidelines:

  • Applicants must have lived in SkagitCounty for at least one year
  • They must have income of between 30% and 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI)—that is about $20,000 to $34,000 in 2011 for a family of four
  • They must have legal documentation to be in the U.S.
  • They must pass a credit check
  • a criminal background
  • either live in inadequate or substandard housing or pay in excess of 50% of their income towards rent

If chosen to receive a home through Habitat, family must contribute a minimum of five hundred (500) hours of "sweat equity" labor on its home or the homes of other families.

Teresa gave a quote from a family : “I thought it was all about the house, but my husband has come out of his shell” through the whole process of building the house.

Families don’t have to have kids, they can be single adults or couples.

Typical Habitat homes are one full bath, 3 bedroom homes, 11-1,200 square feet.

Also offers classes to help keep families in their homes including budgeting, repair and maintenance skills to keep their homes ship-shape.

Habitat Helpers

Presented on Habitat for Humanity’s services including a new program called “Habitat Helpers”. The program helps people fix up sub-standard homes. It helps people make upgrades and revitalize their home and make it safe and livable.

  • Uses volunteer labor and donated materials
  • No-interest loan to homeowner to cover cost of project
  • Homeowners contribute “sweat equity” hours

Teresa gave an example of fixing a woman rotten porch, demossed her roof and provided landscaping. The program works with Robert McCracken of Community Action’s Volunteer Services Program to help low-income seniors with repairs.

Call (360) 428-9402 to get started.

Partnerships

Habitat works with Goodwill for sending materials that are donated but which Habitat can’t use. Also works with WorkSource for giving job-training skills to clients. Works with many other partners in the community.

Habitat Store

Takes donated building materials and certain household items. Also can come to pick up materials. Net proceeds go into building more Habitat homes.