Human services in South King County: Thanks for your help | Letters

Due to the economic downturn, our human service agencies are seeing more and more women, children and men facing desperate situations, as their options for safety and support are shrinking. There is an increase in calls for critical, life-saving services, shelter and basic needs. As needs increase, there are less resources for help.

It is a well-known fact that South King County has been faced with critical human service needs in 2011.

Due to the economic downturn, our human service agencies are seeing more and more women, children and men facing desperate situations, as their options for safety and support are shrinking. There is an increase in calls for critical, life-saving services, shelter and basic needs. As needs increase, there are less resources for help.

FUSION (Friends United to Shelter the Indigent, Oppressed, and Needy), a local volunteer-based non-profit, has witnessed an increasing demand for housing and support services this past year. More and more families have faced loss of jobs, home foreclosures and an increase in domestic violence during these tough economic times.

FUSION has been blessed with a dedicated core of over 160 volunteers that give their time to provide 16 fully-furnished housing units. The board of directors and volunteers work tirelessly throughout the year to raise sufficient funds to provide support services contracted through Catholic Community Services — the key ingredient for a successful transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency.

Over the past 18 years, at least 80 percent of the families we have served have successfully moved on to permanent housing, becoming stable and self-sufficient.

We obviously could not provide these basic needs and support to needy families without the community’s generous support. Recently, King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer secured a $20,000 grant from the King County 2012 budget to support FUSION’s mission. His actions clearly reflect his understanding of the impact of the economic recession on our community’s most vulnerable residents.

This funding will allow us to continue to provide support services to homeless families and hopefully increase our ability to meet the ever-growing demand for additional housing. We appreciate Pete von Reichbauer’s community awareness and ability to work with his colleagues to address the needs of those less fortunate in Federal Way and South King County. Councilmember von Reichbauer has worked hard to increase services to our residents struggling to get their most basic needs met.

On behalf of the FUSION board of directors and the families we serve, thank you to the City of Federal Way, businesses, churches, service organizations, individuals and volunteers who have assisted FUSION in anyway throughout the past year. By working together, we are able to assist homeless families, giving them hope and the ability to realize their dreams of a stable and secure future. Thank you so much!

With appreciation,

Peggy LaPorte, Federal Way (founder of FUSION)