Human Interests Blog Human Services

Human Interests

Seattle Human Services news and events

Public input needed on plans for community centers

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In response to challenging budgets, Seattle Parks and Recreation has been asked by City Council to re-think how community centers are operated. Seattle Parks will hold two community meetings to received. The public is invited to attend and hear about the latest options for re-thinking our community centers.

  • Wednesday, June 15, Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Ave N, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 16, Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Ave S, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

 The draft options for changing community center operations are available on this Web page.

Budget cuts bring end to Old Timers Picnic

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Budget cuts and the loss of a major sponsor have brought an end to a 38-year tradition, the Old Timers Picnic, offered by several City agencies each August as a summer outing for seniors. 

Co-sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Human Services Department’s Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens, and Senior Services, the picnic provided a hot dog lunch, an outdoor experience at a park, live music and entertainment, information from the Mayor, civic leaders, and service providers, and a social experience on an August day almost guaranteed to bring fair weather. 

In recent years the picnic has taken place at the Woodland Park Zoo, where picnickers could wander the exhibits after lunch. Each agency brought in-kind resources to the event, so the only real expense was the food. In 2010, the sponsor providing funding for the food ended its support, and the cost of the food fell to Parks. Parks has experienced a 10% reduction in its operating budget in 2011 and can no longer support the event.  

“I’m terribly disappointed to have to end this great tradition,” said Acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams, “but we just don’t have the funds to pay for it. When financial times improve, we’ll try to put together another event that celebrates the energy and wisdom of our seniors.”

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City’s shelter investment report

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The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) invests more than $6.7 million annually from local and federal funding sources in emergency shelter programs for homeless people. This report, “City of Seattle Investments in Shelter Programs,”  provides information on these investments, including a brief history of HSD investments, a description of the current funding sources and program services, and a look at populations served.

Join Soda Free Sundays!

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Soda Free Sundays, a project of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition and partners, is encouraging everyone in King County and beyond to take a break from soda and sugary drinks each Sunday for the next six weeks. This six-week effort kicked off at the Seattle Center on April 26th. It’s not too late to participate.

Sugary drinks are one of the major contributors of obesity today, particularly among kids. In King County, one in five middle and high school youths are overweight or obese, and over half of King County adults are either overweight or obese.

For more information, visit www.sodafreesundays.com.Questions? Contact Jennifer Trott at jen@sodafreesundays.org.

City, County receive $1M in homeless assistance grants

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 The City of Seattle and King County have been awarded nearly $1 million to support the operating costs for two new homeless housing projects in Seattle opening in 2011-2012, bringing the total for 2011-2012 federal homeless assistance awards to more than $22 million for the region from the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the award on April 29, 2011, following the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announcement of nationwide awards. For more information, please see this news release.

Get wired with seniors training seniors computer classes!

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Want to learn how to use the World Wide Web, e-mail friends and draft basic Word documents? The Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens’ Seniors Training Seniors computer classes may be for you. Seniors Training Seniors Technology Program offers unique computer classes for adults 50+ at sites throughout Seattle. Small class sizes of three to six seniors are taught by trained volunteer instructors in a safe and relaxed atmosphere. Each person learns at his or her own pace. Most classes cost between $10 and $15 per person. Classes include the basic computer Introduction skills, advanced e-mail skills, Microsoft Word and photo editing. For more information on class locations and schedules, please contact Patti-lyn Bell, Human Services Department Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens, at 206-684-0639 or patricia.bell@seattle.gov.

FREE water-saving toilets for low-income home owners

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Save water and money with free high-efficiency toilet for qualifying city residents. Toilets offered by Seattle Public Utilities flush well, help conserve water, and save homeowners money. Replacement of older toilets with high-efficiency models can save a family of four up to 24,000 gallons of water and $140 each year. If you meet the following criteria and income guidelines, you can qualify for free toilets and installation by a licensed professional plumber:

  • You are a homeowner of any age with a Seattle Public Utilities account.
  • You currently live in the home you own.
  • Your existing toilets were manufactured before 1994.
  • You meet income guidelines for your household size

 The Seattle Human Services Department’s Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens is partnering with Seattle Public Utilities and Senior Services’ Minor Home Repair program on this program. To sign up or get more information, contact Minor Home Repair at 206-448-5751 (TTY 206-448-5025) or e-mail UDP@seattle.gov.

Applicants sought for Seattle Youth Commission

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 Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle City Council are looking for applicants aged 13-19 interested in helping to represent the voices of the city’s youth to elected officials. The Youth Commission provides young people with the opportunity to participate meaningfully in local government and ensure that their interests are represented, and it also provides the City’s elected officials with the opportunity to work with and receive input from teenagers throughout the year. Serving on the Youth Commission represents a one-year commitment, from June of 2011 to June of 2012.

If you are a Seattle resident between the ages of 13 and 19 and you’re interested in applying to or want more information about the Seattle Youth Commission, please contact Sol Villarreal in the Mayor’s Office at 206-427-3062 or sol.villarreal@seattle.gov. To be considered, please visit the Youth Commission’s Web site at  and submit your application by May 4, 2011.

New leaders to join Human Services Dept. on June 6th

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Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) Director Dannette R. Smith announced today that two new, dynamic leaders will soon be joining the department: Catherine Lester will be the new Deputy Director, and Kelly Guy will be Director of the Community Support & Self-Sufficiency Division.  Both Ms. Lester and Ms. Guy will begin work at HSD on Monday, June 6th, 2011.

Catherine Lester brings a wealth of leadership experience in human services, mental health services, and child welfare.  As Director of Cuyahoga (Ohio) Tapestry System of Care at Cuyahoga County’s Office of Health and Human Services, she provides program development, evaluation, and fiscal management for the organization.  In this role, she has improved child welfare recidivism and implemented a Continuous Quality Improvement process to maximize performance-based contracting for the county.  She received a Master’s of Science degree in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Ryerson University. 

Ms. Lester was born in Boston, and grew up in Toronto, Canada, where her father was a professor of astronomy.  She is passionate about serving children and families and working in the community. In recent visits to Seattle she was touched by the passion and engagement of Seattle’s human services providers and advocates.  “I’m excited about being engaged and visible and involved in Seattle’s community both with traditional and non-traditional partners,” says Ms. Lester.  She is also eager to involve staff and community in helping implement HSD’s new Strategic Plan.

Kelly Guy is the National Child Welfare Partnerships Advisor at Casey Family Programs in Seattle.  She is responsible for developing national partnerships with community-based organizations focusing on disproportionalities among youth in foster care, kinship integration and on integrating the juvenile justice system and child welfare agencies.  She has worked in a variety of leadership roles at Casey in the past 10 years, including strategic planning, contracts management, and prevention and family support.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Guy worked for eight years at Seattle Parks and Recreation in the Late Night Recreation program for teens, and as a coordinator of the Rainier Community Center.  Ms. Guy received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Seattle University and a B.A. from the University of Washington.

Born and raised in Seattle, Ms. Guy has a passion for community service and engagement that she attributes to growing up in a community-oriented family.  She is active in her church and volunteers as a partner in the Social Ventures Partnership in support of small nonprofit organizations, and serves on the board of the nonprofit Central District Forum for Arts and Ideals, which promotes arts and cultural exchange.  She is eager to transfer her passion for community work and professional experience to the work of HSD.  “The people we serve need to be part of the process and have a voice in creating wraparound services for Seattle residents,” says Ms. Guy. “I want to involve everyone.”