A Musical Extravaganza - benefit for First Place

This Saturday, September 12, join us for a benefit show for First Place at Tost in Fremont. The event features artists performing jazz, African drumming, folk, soul and more. You can listen to many of the artists by clicking on their links below.

Event Details: A Musical Extravaganza for a Great Cause

Saturday, September 12, 2009
Tost Lounge, 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA. View Google Map.
Doors: 6pm, 21+
Cost: $5 - $15 donation at the door

Proceeds benefit First Place.

Evening line-up:
6:30 p.m. - Steve Treseler Trio (Jazz) - http://www.myspace.com/stevetres
7:30 p.m. - Goat (Greg Sinabaldi, Zach Stewart and Byron Vannoy) - (Experimental Jazz)
8:30 p.m. - Colin Higgins Solo Set (Singer/Songwriter/Guitar) - http://www.myspace.com/colinhigginsmusic
9:15 p.m. - Thione Diop and Yeke Yeke (West African Drumming and Dance Music) - http://www.myspace.com/thionediop
10:15 p.m. - Andy Sells/ Forrest Giberson/ Michael Stegner (Americana Soul) - http://www.myspace.com/michaelstegner
10:50 p.m. - Michael Shrieve Group (Legendary Drummer from Santana) - http://www.myspace.com/michaelshrieve
11:50 p.m. - Byron Vannoy/ Thione Diop/ Hans Teuber/ Michael Stegner (A Fusion of Dance, World, Hip Hop and Jazz) - http://www.myspace.com/michaelstegner

A huge THANK YOU Michael Stegner of Creative Music Adventures in Wallingford who is hosting the benefit for First Place.

View the Facebook Invite.

New to First Place - How to Get Involved

We are meeting new people every day who are interested in learning more about First Place. We are the only agency in the State of Washington providing high quality education to children whose families are homeless in addition to providing wrap-around support services to parents.

For everyone just learning about our mission, we invite you to get involved. Our current opportunities include:

Tours. We offer tours almost every Friday at 11am for individuals, families and groups. This is the perfect time to learn about volunteer opportunities. Each tour group gets to hear firsthand a story from a parent who has been a part of our program. To sign-up email tours@firstplaceschool.org.

Back to School Donation Drive. Students start their year at First Place up to 3 grade levels behind their peers. They need the right supplies in their backpacks, in the classroom and at home. We are actively seeking classroom donations. Learn more.

Join our Email List. We send short monthly email update as well as success stories.

Connect with us online through Facebook and Twitter.

What is the newest issue emerging in homelessness policy?

Recently the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had a Q & A session with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Below is her answer from the first of five questions where she specifically talks about homeless families with children. It's exciting to see that families with children are at the top of the list of emerging issues.

What is the newest issue emerging in homelessness policy?
The issue of homelessness among children has become particularly visible as the recent collapse of the housing industry coupled with the current recession has swelled the number of families with children seeking homelessness assistance. I believe that it is possible to increase our efforts to help the growing population of homeless children and families, while also maintaining our efforts to address chronic homelessness. There are sizable opportunities for real collaboration using funding that has been made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as well as with the recent passage of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. In addition, the President’s budget for fiscal year 2010 includes over $400 million in HHS programs targeted to individuals, youth, and families experiencing homelessness, and a total of $338 billion for fourteen non-targeted, or mainstream, HHS programs that can serve persons experiencing homelessness. It will be critical to coordinate these resources flowing into communities to ensure that we are reaching the broadest populations possible, including in our efforts to prevent homelessness. HHS programs provide critical supportive services to homeless individuals, families, and children, and these services help these populations achieve or maintain economic and housing stability. By partnering HHS resources with resources available through other Federal agencies we can ensure a broader reach.

Read the full article here.

Family homelessness up 9% nationally, 56% in suburban areas

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) present its 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. The report showed that family homelessness is up 9% in shelters with the largest increases being in rural and suburban cities with an increase of 56%.

The good news is that the HUD will be begin to analyze homelessness quarterly (instead of yearly) in order to gain a faster understanding of the economic impact on homelessness. Quarterly reports will be put out by the Homelessness Pulse Project. The project will report on data using a sample of cities and communities.

Here is a snapshot of findings in the first quarter of 2009 (January through March):

• Of total homeless persons in the study, 55% of the individuals were in household with dependent children.
• Of sheltered homeless persons, 61% were in households with dependent children.
• Of unsheltered homeless persons, 6% were in households with dependent children.
  

Yesterday the HUD also announced Recovery Act funding awards of $1.2 billion throughout the US for rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention. Of the $1.2 billion, Seattle was awarded $4,993,052. Here is a paragraph from the press release to explain what funds will be used for:

Grants provided under HPRP (Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program) are not intended to provide long-term support for individuals and families, nor will they afford mortgage assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. Rather, HPRP offers a variety of short- and medium-term financial assistance to those who would otherwise become homeless, many due to sudden economic crisis. This can include short-term rental assistance (up to three months), medium-term rental assistance (up to 18 months), security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and hotel vouchers. Payments will not be made directly to households, but only to third parties, such as landlords or utility companies.

Learn more about how First Place helps families through rental assistance, housing and services.

Additional Links:
CNNMoney: Homeless families spike in the suburbs
CBS News: More Families Joins Ranks of Homeless
News Release: HUD Issues 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress

Surprise Shoe Donation!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone at Waypoint Outdoor who last week brought us 33 brand new pairs of shoes!
We're excited to use these at the start of our next school year in September!

Upcoming Event: MXD Championships!

MXD Championships is a mixed doubles tennis tournament held each July at the Bellevue Club. The tournament hosts a player party with a raffle and auction which is a benefit for First Place.

In the past four years, this events has raised over $100,000 for First Place! This year's tournament will be held July 24-26 at the Bellevue Club. Each team is guaranteed two matches. The player party includes food, drinks and a tennis exhibition.
If you are interested in playing in the tournament, you can register online. You can also view photos from last year on our Facebook page.

First Place is also seeking volunteers to help us at the party. Volunteers are needed 5pm-11pm on Saturday July 25, 2009 to help with a raffle and small auction. We are also interested in a volunteer photographer. Email Tammie Conder for more info: tconder@firstplaceschool.org.

Unsung Hero: Volunteer Donna Shattuck

First Place long-time volunteer Donna Shattuck is featured in the Summer 2009 RSVP Newsletter: Experience in Action. You can find the article on page 5.

Donna, our most sincerest thank you's for the time you invest in the students at First Place!
RSVP stands for Retired & Senior Volunteer Program. RSVP encourages people 55 and older to volunteer in their community. First Place currently has two volunteers through the Solid Ground RSVP Program.

You can learn more about RSVP on the Solid Ground website. Learn more about volunteering at First Place here.