LIHI invites you to celebrate 20 years of serving our neighbors in need at our Gala and Auction on Friday, October 28th, at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle. Presented by KeyBank and numerous other sponsors, this event is our premier fundraising event of the year. All proceeds will go to our housing and supportive services programs, and the Urban Rest Stop. Please join in as an event sponsor, help secure an auction item, and register early for the event. For more information, contact Shelly Tolo at 206.443.9935 ext. 140 or auction@LIHI.org . See you there!

LIHI celebrated the opening of its newest building, Gossett Place, on September 14th. Gossett Place, named in honor of King County Council Chair Larry Gossett, has 63 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans, young adults, singles and couples. The event was attended by community leaders, elected officials, residents of Gossett Place, and Larry Gossett and his family.

 

Sharon Lee, Frank Chopp, Beverly Sims and Alan Castle with Larry Gossett

  

King County Executive Dow Constantine, House Speaker Frank Chopp, Mayor Mike McGinn, Bob Santos, Senator Ed Murray, and others gave tribute to Larry Gossett's incredible career of social justice work in King County. Two residents also spoke at the opening, a husband and wife who had been homeless in the University District for 18 years before moving into Gossett Place. In a very moving speech, they described how good it felt to be able to call Gosset Place their home.

 

Click here to view the press release on Gossett Place, and here to view a video of the opening.

Sharon Lee, LIHI's Executive Director, was presented with two awards in September. On September 15th, OCA-Seattle honored Sharon at their annual Golden Circle Award Gala. They gave a wonderful tribute to her work in affordable housing. "Sharon Lee may have done more to develop housing for the poor than anyone in the history of Washington state. No one has been more of an advocate for low-income and homeless housing." (OCA-Seattle)

 

On September 24th, Norwest Asian Weekly honored Sharon with an award at their Women of Color Empowered luncheon. The theme of the luncheon was "Eco Women," and the awards focused on women who have made a difference in the environment. Sharon was honored for her work in developing green affordable housing in Washington state.

 

LIHI's Meadowbrook View summer camp for kids transitioning out of homelessness was a huge success this year thanks to a team of fantastic volunteers who donated over 500 hours helping to make the camp a fun & safe experience. Volunteers led outdoor games and sports activities, arts and crafts projects, taught campers about growing vegetables and plants, and coordinated daily meals for the kids. Since our young residents at Meadowbrook View are at high risk for experiencing summer hunger, LIHI partnered with the Seattle Food Program to provide a nutritional breakfast and lunch each day of the camp. Thank you Christen, Dana, Julia, Tovan, Lynn, Mira, Carl, and LIHI's resident interns, Mohammed & Shantell, for making our camp possible! Here's what the volunteers shared about their experiences:

 

"I loved getting to know all the kids who were part of the camp! It was good to see how happy the camp made them despite the incredible challenges facing their families. It was heartbreaking to know that some of them would have gone hungry without the food program running throughout the summer." - Dana Hellie

 

"My time spent with LIHI has helped to broaden my exposure to varied cultural perspectives, and made me aware of the diverse multicultural presence here in the greater Seattle area." - Christen Aiguier

 

 

 

Did you take part in the United Way Day of Caring this year? Nearly 11,000 King County residents did, and tackled over 416 different projects. LIHI was thrilled to host three volunteer teams, including Microsoft and Fortune Bank employees. Volunteers helped preserve our housing sites in Auburn & North Seattle, and collected donations in support of LIHI's resident support programs and the Urban Rest Stop. Thank you Rorie Zajac, Ronnie V Henderson & Varsha Bolar for recruiting your co-workers and teammates and for choosing LIHI as your Day of Caring site!

 

See more photos of LIHI volunteers in action on our flickr web site: http://bit.ly/LIHIvolunteers_in_action 

This summer, residents at LIHI's Denny Park Apartments were busy growing and enjoying organic vegetables and berries. Thanks to Lettuce Link and volunteer Rafael Ravenet, residents received free plant starts and gardening help. Their gardens include a diverse crop of tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, blueberries, letttuce, collards, and more. Click here for a full article by the folks at Lettuce Link.