Friendship Heights Village Community Advisory Council (CAC) Meeting Notes: March 2022

The first CAC meeting was held on March 22, 2022. Below are some notes and opportunities to get involved.  The opportunities to get involved are colored purple

Attendees: Washelli, Pastors at Epic Life and Four Square Church, various community members, various folks who work for LIHI and at the Friendship Heights Village.

  • The Epic Life and Four Square Church have been going to the Village and giving out doughnuts, coffee and hygiene kits.  They had reached out to the Greenwood neighborhood and were flooded by donations for the hygiene kits.
  • LIHI has 15 tiny house villages across the region and all of them have a CAC. Having a CAC is a requirement of the ordinance to have the Villages. 
  • CAC Goal: learn about the village, address concerns, receive operations updates, connect folks with ways to get involved. Right now all the CAC meetings are virtual. They will be monthly for 1-1.5 hrs in duration.
  • Two buildings were demolished to build the Village: two old dilapidated motels that were not safe anymore. LIHI purchased the property where the Village is located.  LesSchwab, Anita's and the 125th St Grill are tenants that are renting space from LIHI.
  • Some of the residents came from the Bitter Lake encampment.
  • Operations Update: 
    • Mon - Fri three staff on day shift and two staff on night shift.  On Weekends there are two staff on site during the day and two during the night.
    • The encampment opened before it was 100% ready, but there was a desire to open as soon as it could to get folks out of the cold.
    • Zero tolerance for physical violence at the Village.  Anyone who engages in physical violence will get an exit letter, but the individual can appeal.
    • 41 houses in the village with 52 total villagers, 11 couples, one pet (a cat named Mr. Meow Meow).  The Village is full.  Outdoor pergola covers went up this week and outdoor seating will be added.  A garden will be added.  
    • Looking to have artists come and do art, such as painting cool designs on the doors, murals, etc.  If anyone is interested please contact: josh.castle@lihi.org
    • Also need to paint some of the houses.  If interested in helping, contact josh.castle@lihi.org
    • The exterior fence needs to be painted.  Someone graffitied the fence. There is interest in painting a mural so that it will not get tagged again.
    • Discussion about creating a theme for the village to inform the art?
  • Case Management and Outcomes
    • There is a representative from Therapeutic Health Services (THS) is onsite.  She has been building a lot of relationships with the villagers and making connections with the THS methadone program at 163rd and Aurora.  Several folks have started on methadone since moving in. She is a therapist and can provide diagnoses that can be helpful for villagers to access certain services.
    • To date, two people have been housed.  Six to eight more people are expected to move in the next few weeks as they just got housing vouchers.
    • A mobile medical van came out, but the services were not well received by the villagers. There will be work on this. May partner with UW Nursing school
  • Security Issues
    • There was an issue with people hopping the fence to get into the village. The hoppers were other homeless people that were friends of the villagers. Lattice has been put up to prevent it from happening.
    • Recently upgraded the camera system and added emergency exit gate alarms.  Had to ask a few people to leave that were continuously sneaking people in.  For extra precaution they have added an overnight security guard because some folks staying in the village were not feeling safe.  No other Village has an overnight security guard. A staff member circles the property hourly.  Since doing these things there have not been trespassers and the villagers are feeling more safe. 
  • Washelli Report: 
    • Have seen an increase in vandalism and fence trespassing, broken down vehicles in parking lot.  Believe this is related to folks attracted to the Village, but not staying there.  Overall things have been very pleasant and quiet though. Pleasantly surprised with how clean the area is kept!
  • Donations Needed/Desired:
    • Quick prepared food (microwaveable itesm, cans of ravioli's really popular).  This village does not have fridges in the homes, so anything shelf stable.
    • Plants for beautification.  Offer to get together for a large gardening event?
    • Underwear, socks, shower shoes.
    • Mothers Day cards, Fathers Day cards and stamps.
    • If you want to donate, you can bring items to the Village anytime of the day or night.  You will take it to the Security Office that is directly behind the Anita's taco truck. The Security Office is staffed 24/7.
  • Request to hear turn over rate and ratio men:women at future meetings.
  • Village staff frequently checking with Anita's, the Grill and LesSchwab for any issues. They will be meeting with Lowe's next week to check in. 
The goal of the CAC is to have open communication and updates with the Village and local community.  if you have any input for the CAC, please send it to hallerlakecc@gmail.com and we will be sure to share it with the CAC.

Submitted by: Karen Bamert

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Junction Point Homeless Shelter Off 128th Street

Image
 I was able to tour the Catholic Community Services Homeless Shelter, Junction Point, last week.  This shelter is located at 1132 N 128th St. near Stone Way and 128th St.  There shelter is a series of small, individual building for the residents that look something like "tiny homes".   I met up with Sharonda Duncan, Division Director within CSS Homeless Services.  She manages 4 of CCS's shelters around Seattle.  This shelter became active last June.  It has capacity for 49 individuals, men or women who are 50 years old or older.  The shelter is currently at full capacity. The shelter does utilize volunteers from the community.  They can use help with their plants/gardening and putting together hygiene packs and move out packs for the residents.  If you are interested, you can visit the shelter and ring the door bell. This is a shelter that moved from the old Junction Point location along Elliot Avenue.  The Elliot avenue shelte...
Read more

Green Tips From The Community - November 2024

  Let’s build soil! This time of year gives us a great opportunity to build our soil. If you haven’t picked up your leaves yet, please consider using them. Also, how about woodchips in your yard? Nature is amazing at building healthy soil if we get out of the way and let it. Healthy soil is rich in nutrients and does a get job managing water.    It helps grow happy plants and creates an ecosystem system within its self. Here are a few ways you can help nature build your soil…. Leaves - if you still have leaves on the ground, leave them. You can put them under your trees and shrubs, in your home composter, turn them in your garden bed or spread a layer of them on your garden paths and top them with arborist woodchips. These lovely leaves are great at making soil! Arborist woodchips - woodchips are excellent at building healthy soil. I say arborist woodchips because woodchips you buy at the store generally aren’t great soil builders. Reason… arborist chips come untreated, s...
Read more

From The Archives - December 2024

As a teen floating around the Lake on my all wood paddleboard I made in the 1960s, I couldn’t help but notice the many flowering lily beds tucked on shorelines.  The bright green pads fashioned as designer plates looked stunning against multi- colored full-open flowers.  Add blue dragonflies whizzing about to get the full effect.  R. C. Byers, an early Haller Lake pioneer dating to 1910s, was known as the “lily man” not to mention he built his own cabin, cleared land, and replanted trees, shrubs and…25 varieties of lilies.  A story appeared in Sunset magazine “The Lily Grower of Haller Lake” claiming his status.  Our own Shawn MacPherson’s aunt, Anne Segale, told her local kids would sell Mr. Byers lilies at Pike Place Market. Today many Lake homeowners have the coveted lilies, well, perhaps some are coveted. They spread from Byers's shore front to around the Lake over 100 years.  It’s a tedious job to clear lilies. I’m told people spend several sessio...
Read more

Baldwin School Report

  I interviewed Guillermo Covajal, social worker at Baldwin.  Twenty elementary schools are considered for closure in SSD for 2025-26.  In any case, the new and large Baldwin will take on twice their number of students.  Not a done deal yet, but Broadview looks to close sending their staff and students to JB.  District officials will speak at Baldwin on October7, at 6:30 under the topic “Well Resourced Schools.”  With the huge school deficit, the meeting will cover cost saving measures. We’re off to a good start with 3rd grade science.  Our overarching theme is saving orangutans from lost habitat due to palm oil production.  Students look at three islands as refuge.  They study the landscape, collect climate data and do weather experiments. Randy Baldwin Liaison
Read more