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City of Bellevue, WA Parks & Community Services
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Donations and Success Stories

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    Human Services

    • Program Goals
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    Residents can contribute directly to the Human Services Fund as well as local nonprofit services agencies funded by the city.

    The Human Services Fund is used to help agencies provide needed health and social services to local people in need. Donations to the fund cannot be directed to a particular agency or program, but 100% the money will go to providing services. There are no administrative fees taken out. To contribute, please make a check out to the City of Bellevue Human Services Fund and mail to:

    Human Services Fund
    Parks & Community Services
    PO Box 90012
    Bellevue, WA 98009-9012

    Success Stories

    All of the agencies and programs mentioned in the following true stories receive support from the Human Services Fund. By supporting the Fund, you make a real difference in people's lives in our community. To protect privacy, the names in these accounts have been changed.

    Escaping Abuse

    Nicole had a husband and two children, a beautiful suburban home and a successful career. She also had a secret. Her husband was a violent abuser who often threatened to harm his family. Nicole never imagined she would wind up homeless, but fear for her family's lives finally prompted her to leave their home and enter a shelter.

    They were referred to the YWCA's Family Village Transitional Housing Program and lived there for 10 months. The family had a safe and stable place to live plus intensive case management services, legal assistance and mental health counseling, as Nicole noted, "to help me heal from the abuse, be a good parent and manage the stressful changes in my life." For the first time in many years, Nicole and her children found safety, security and support.

    "Before this happened to me, I vaguely knew there were groups out there like the YWCA that helped people in need. But I didn't pay that much attention. Now, I can say with certainty, we all should pay attention. We have no idea when we or someone we love could be a woman in need." With renewed self-confidence, Nicole returned to her career. In March, the family was able to return to the home that they fled just a year ago, safe from the threat of violence and on the road to new lives.

    An Ounce of Prevention

    Alex, a 14-year-old boy, was referred to Youth Eastside Services by a juvenile court conference committee. He was arrested for shoplifting. Alex was resistant to counseling and initially planned to attend five sessions, the minimum number required.

    During these five sessions, unexpectedly for Alex, he and his YES counselor were able to develop a positive rapport, enough so that Alex felt that it was safe to share more of his life story. Alex was raised primarily by foster parents. His biological parents were divorced when he was six. His father has been in prison for a series of violence offenses, including domestic abuse inflicted upon Alex's mother. His mother struggled with chemical dependency and was in and out of rehabilitation centers and in and out of Alex's life.

    As Alex and the counselor began to fit together the pieces of Alex's young but tumultuous life, he began to understand his feelings of confusion, hopelessness and anger. He was invited to create a new way of defining himself and his realistic potential. After several months of weekly counseling and participation in the YES Anger Management Group, Alex's grades began to improve as did his relationships with his foster parents and peers. Alex continues to see his YES counselor monthly and is now volunteering at school in a peer counseling program.

    Out of Depression

    Lizette, a 28-year old mother of three young children, was referred to mental health counseling by Public Health six months after the birth of her third child. She was depressed and unable to care for her infant, her other two children and her home.

    Lizette completed an assessment by her therapist at Seattle Mental Health and began counseling. She was evaluated by the psychiatrist and prescribed antidepressant medications. With her therapist, Lizette created a "life vision" in which she identified very specific details about her goals in life. Treatment focused for a while on helping her identify her strengths, likes and dislikes. Eventually, she became focused on her desire to attend cooking school and one day start her own catering business.

    Lizette and her therapist developed a plan of action, which guided Lizette toward her identified goals. She enrolled in culinary school, found child care for her children and obtained financial aid, all in accordance with the plan she developed with the therapist. Lizette has graduated from school and recently obtained a business license and other required licenses, and plans to open her catering business this fall.

    Parks & Community Services

    Ruth Blaw
    Human Services Manager
    Telephone
    425-452-4185
    Email
    RBlaw@bellevuewa.gov

    Reasonable Accommodation

    For alternate formats, interpreters, or reasonable modification requests please phone at least 48 hours in advance 425-452-6800 (voice) or email servicefirst@bellevuewa.gov. For complaints regarding modifications, contact the City of Bellevue ADA, Title VI, and Equal Opportunity Officer at ADATitleVI@bellevuewa.gov.

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