Oaks Shelter Updates and Impact Stories

Last fall, members of UUC gave generously to Lake City Partners Ending Homelessness (LCP) for a “diversion fund.” This fund was to help with up front move-in costs, including first and last month’s rent, security deposits, application fees, and moving costs. Now, we would like to share with you an excerpt from the most recent LCP newsletter, telling a little more about the impact of these donations.

About 55 people have been helped into housing since the Oaks began operations in April 2021 with 6 people in the month of January alone. Our in-house team has guided over 10 people through rehabilitation/treatment options. 

Thanks to the diversion funds from United Way of King County and generous private donations such as yours, people beyond our program’s participants were able to be reached and led closer to housing. We are pleased to share the stories of 2 individuals that were at the Oaks and have now moved into permanent housing! 

Ms. A moved into the Oaks in August 2021 and was an extremely positive energy to our environment. She worked a full time job at Virginia Mason while attending case management meetings, building and fostering her relationships, as well as looking for an appropriate and permanent housing option for herself. In December, she communicated with staff at The Oaks that she was able to find a unit for herself and had already met with the landlord about moving in. Everything was approved and she was able to move in all on her own. The Oaks was able to help with covering first and last month’s rent, along with 12 months of utility payments to ensure that she had secure housing as she was exiting her homelessness. Ms. A had been experiencing homelessness for the last 6+ years and was now able to successfully call a place her own. She still continues to work at Virginia Mason full time and is very excited to start building her own life outside of the shelter. 

Shelly joined The Oaks in April 2021. She had been dealing with cyclical homelessness for the last 10+ years. Before the displacement, she was in a domestic violence situation and broke free from it, ultimately leading to her homelessness. Her prior situation made her face many barriers while trying to get into housing. Flash forward to 2022, she signed her own lease early in January and overcame all those barriers. Shelly grew to believe in herself and grew stronger as an individual during her time at the Oaks. She is now in her first apartment that she has ever had! In her new apartment, she will now be able to focus more on her relationships, especially with her son, who was separated from her after the divorce. While she was at the Oaks, she worked very hard to find this stable and permanent housing while also focusing on her health and wellbeing. Since she has moved out, she has let staff know how well she has been doing and that she is hoping to get her very own cat soon too! 

Newsletter from Lake City Partners Ending Homelessness

Thank you for your support for Lake City Partners Ending Homelessness. For more information about how to become involved in UUC’s efforts to support LCP and its programs, please contact Sallie Dacey at dacey.sallie@gmail.com or 206-409-4749.

Sallie Dacey, Cynthia Salzman, Judy Oerkvitz
UUC’s LCP Project/Economic Justice Team