We introduce our Inclusion & Equity Director and prepare our first Supportive Emergency Housing project
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Volunteer makes & donates client photos
Thank you to photographer Matt Villanueva for again volunteering to take beautiful photos such as this, and donating them to our clients!
Inclusion & Equity Director aims to turn intent into impact
DESC introduces Rhonda Banchero, our first Director of Equity and Inclusion. Rhonda joined us in early June.
"I came to DESC because I believe wholeheartedly in the organization’s values for both employees and our clients," she says. "I believe equity and inclusion apply to everyone and I strive to help change the culture to one that exemplifies balance and inclusion in all areas of the organization."
Born and raised in Seattle, Rhonda graduated from the University of Washington in 2002.
At the UW, she played women's basketball and left as the Huskies' all-time leading scorer, going on to play professionally overseas and for two seasons in the WNBA.
Rhonda is a community activist and is now pursuing her masters in Human Development from the University of Oklahoma.
She is a lifelong resident of Southeast Seattle and resides with her spouse and three children.
DESC to operate new supportive emergency housing on Aurora
King County has selected DESC to operate one of their newly-acquired hotels in North Seattle as emergency housing with robust 24/7 onsite support services through the Health Through Housing program.
Known for now as North Aurora Supportive Emergency Housing (formerly the Holiday Inn Express) , the facility at 14115 Aurora Ave. N. will open this fall. About 100 people who have been staying at the Renton Red Lion Hotel since spring 2020 will be able to move into private and secure rooms as they stabilize and prepare to find permanent homes.
A new kind of emergency housing
The new supportive emergency housing ultimately replaces our former Morrison hotel congregate walk-up emergency shelter. To learn more about the evidence for hotels versus congregate shelters, read this study posted on our website.
Gimme Shelter is here at 7 p.m., Oct. 27, register today!
All funds raised at this event will go toward training and DESC staff development, as we work to make an impact in the lives of our clients. These donations will be matched at 100% (up to a total of $25,000). This is an event you don't want to miss.
Billy Joe Huels and the Dusty 45s invite you to join us for this long-time favorite DESC event, our 13th annual Gimme Shelter benefit concert to end homelessness!
It's even easier to participate this year--Zoom into the concert from your living room!
Updates on two DESC PSH projects
A group of Washington state Legislators toured Hobson Place Phase 2 on Aug. 6 to see how the money awarded through an ultra-high energy efficiency program is being put to use.
Rep. Nicole Macri (also DESC Deputy Director for Strategy) and DESC Director of Facilities and Asset Management Sondra Nielsen explained Hobson's all-electric thermal system, showed off the rooftop solar panels, the underground parking garage and rooms then under construction, and answered questions.
Watch for more details about Hobson's unique energy features in a future post.
You can also read about our Passive House precertification at Hobson Place Phase 2 here.
DESC Woodland: Construction of a new building is to begin in May 2022 at 4905 Aurora Ave. N. The affordable housing project will feature 95 studio apartments, wraparound supportive services, and indoor/outdoor community spaces for the tenants.
On Aug. 26, we held our first neighborhood meeting via Zoom to provide neighbors with details, and answer some questions about this new project.
Tenants will be disabled single adults who are experiencing chronic homelessness. We are seeking funding through the City of Seattle Office of Housing.
Tenant story: Sonya smiled
Gaining housing after years, sometimes decades, of homelessness can be a too-good-to-be true moment for some of our clients. They’ve often had close calls, heard idle promises and have had people lie to and take advantage of them, so it is understandable.
This is the story of one of the nearly 1,500 people in DESC’s permanent supportive housing programs. We will call her Sonya.
Come along with us as this new tenant sees her home for the first time, and staff members feel the positive impact of the work we all do together...
It's not too late, order a tile for our donor wall
There's still time to purchase a tile for our newest donor wall! This glass-tiled mosaic wall, designed by muralist Sarah Robbins, will feature a compliment of keys, suggesting DESC's logo and the fact that mental and physical health are key to everyone's success.
Each donation of $100 or more will entitle the donor to a 1" x 3" tile to be etched and permanently installed in the "Keys to Health" mosaic wall, which will be located at the main entrance to the Hobson Clinic.
This is a permanent installation, built with the rigors of high traffic in mind.
DESC and Harborview Medical Center are partnering in the Hobson Clinic project, a full-scale health care clinic with permanent supportive housing in the North Rainier neighborhood.
Students SCRAM and DESC clients benefit
On Sept. 1, DESC loaded a van to the ceiling with bedding, sheets, comforters and pillows for our clients, courtesy of departing students, via the University of Washington's Mini-SCRAM event.
Mini-SCRAM is the August version of SCRAM (Student Cleanup, Recycle and Moveout), which is held in June and organized by UW Recycling and UW Housing & Food Services. The university collects all the good usable items students don't want, and donates the bounty to several local nonprofits.
We're hiring for many positions at DESC!
"London" and "The Priceless Art" win hearts at DESC's Impact Short Film Festival on Sept. 23!
Congratulations to the winners, "London" and "The Priceless Art," in our first Impact Short Film Festival, held online on Sept. 23. Our audience was spellbound during two hours of poignant, compassionate, hopeful, creative and imaginative films addressing the subject of homelessness. A jury watched thousands of hours of film--more than 3,000 submissions from over 100 countries--to choose 14 finalists to screen for viewers.
The audience scored each of the films on how well they met the theme, showed compassion and promoted social impact/justice, and at the end of the night, we tallied the scores. Thank you to all of the wonderful filmmakers, our award sponsors, AHT and 4EA, judges, viewers and donors!
"London" won the Grand Prize, the AHT Impact Award. Directed by Cullen Blanchfield of Dallas, Texas, "London" also won the 4EA Social Justice Award.
The AHT Compassion Award goes to "The Priceless Art," Directed by Mohamed Asif Hameed of Chennai, India.
You can still donate to DESC, at www.give.desc.org/donate
