Vashon HouseHold

The
HouseHold
2 013 A n n u a l R e p o r t
Va s h o n H o u s e H o l d • A f fo r d a b l e H o u s i n g fo r O u r C o m m u n i t y
Our Mission
The mission of Vashon
HouseHold is to provide
access to quality, affordable housing options for
low and moderate income
Islanders in order to preserve and foster the economic and cultural diversity of the community.
Who we Are
Board of Directors
Sue Gardner, President
Leslie Ferriel, Vice President
Beverly Miller, Secretary
David Van Holde, Treasurer
Ellen Call
Bill Dorn
Charlotte Dardis Joy Goldstein
Mike Yates
Staff
Chris Szala, Executive Director
Sharon Hook, Accounting
Jennifer Coe, Property Manager
Barbara Brown, Asst. Property
Mgr./HomeShare
Michele Kimble, JG Commons
Service Coordinator
Phil Marmorat, Maintenance
Nick Turchyn, Maintenance
Ted Walgren, Groundskeeper
VashonHouseHold.org
206.463.6454
A Tenant’s Story
Vashon HouseHold purchased in
April 2009 the Davis Freeman Apartments and renamed it the Mukai Commons Apartments. Over the next year
the buildings were completely renovated
with grants from King County and the
State of Washington. In March 2010, we
began re-housing five of the original tenants, and offering homes to 15 new tenants from our waitlist. With additional
funding from the State
of Washington we have
been able to offer our
tenants apartments with
rent at approximately
30% of their income.
The apartments are filled
with interesting folks,
many of whom are longtime Islanders.
This is the story of one
of the original tenants
who benefited from the
renovation and the new
rent structure at Mukai
Commons.
Skip Luhr has lived on Vashon for 39
years. Growing up in the Spokane area,
living in Deer Park, where his dad built
a service station called “Tuffy’s Public
Service” during WWII (when customers
would flash the “V for Victory” sign and
said “fill ‘er up” - meaning two gallons,
please); Kettle Falls, before the Grand
Coulee dam was built and submerged
the falls; Colville, where his parents built
3 houses, and his dad ran a saw mill; and
finally “the Ranch” where his dad taught
his sons what he had learned as a kid
about the discipline of working a farm,
changing the sprinklers for their crops
of alfalfa and timothy, baling hay, driving and maintaining tractors and other
equipment, and caring for horses. From this experience, Skip
was inspired to earn a degree in
Mechanical Engineering at Washington
State University, and his love of horses
was inherited by daughter, Sydney.
Skip and his wife, Sammy, moved to a
large house on Vashon in 1974, where
they raised their four children. Skip
worked at IBM and Pemco Insurance,
commuting daily to Seattle until retiring
for health reasons in 2006.
After the sudden passing of his dear wife,
Sammy, Skip moved into
the apartments in 2006
and has seen many changes. When he first moved
in, his rent was $900
per month which took
a considerable chunk
of his pension. Now it is
set at 30% of his retirement income and this
has given him a sense of
security. He knows his
home is permanent, and
that his rent will not become a burden to
him. While enjoying his home, he carefully maintains the library of books his
wife collected during a lifelong love of
reading. “Sammy had a brilliant mind
and lots of curiosity,” reminisces Skip.
“I feel it is my duty to keep the library
intact.” Skip has developed a shelf system to organize the approximately 1,000
volumes, and he says it helps him feel
connected to her. He is also very grateful
to be able to remain on Vashon Island,
which is also home to two of his three
sons and his daughter.
Providing affordable housing to great
people like Skip is what makes our
jobs at Vashon HouseHold continually rewarding.
– by Barbara Brown,
Assistant Property Manager
From Our Executive Director
Housing positively impacts both the
ability to live independently longer and
ensure transitions in life are done with
forethought and confidence. Everyone
at VHH is excited about our progress
and you will read more later in this
newsletter.
V a s h o n
HouseHold has
embraced our
partners in the
social service
and faith communities to create the OASIS
(Or ient at ion,
Assistance, Services, Information Station). The OASIS
is a community wide service that is
funded by HUD through JG Commons
as part of the HUD Network Neighborhood Centers. These Neighborhood
Centers are a hub for the community
and can take many forms. Our OASIS
center has two goals and programs. One
is to be a place where anyone on the
island can get information about
social service needs. This includes
referrals to clinics, housing, counseling, or other types of organizations
that someone may need both on and
off-island. The second goal is to provide classes that assist people in our
community to live as independently as
possible, which of course means staying
in their homes as long as possible.
offered at OASIS. For example, we plan
to be an on-going hub to help people
sign-up for health insurance as part of
the on-going effort to help islanders
under the Affordable Care Act.
VHH has by no means lost our sight
on the need for affordable housing in
our community.
The backlog of
state-wide funding and lack of
funding at the
federal level has
made it more
difficult than
ever to get projects funded. We
are actively planning, internally and
with many of our community partners,
to embrace new ways of creating affordable housing for our island community.
We will let you know of the exciting
possibilities in the next year. Always
remember that each of you as supporters and donors are the backbone that
allows us the privilege to enhance and
maintain the 5 properties we manage
and the 100+ islanders served by our
organization each year. Thank you for
your continued support!!
...to provide classes that
assist people in our
community to live as independently as possible
Vashon HouseHold has had
a wonderful year moving
forward with the goals of
our Strategic Plan.
We have definitely taken
several steps that look
beyond just building housing
but also ensuring housing
remains secure for those who
have come to us. We have done
this in two significant ways.
VHH has added a Services Coordinator to our staff for JG Commons, which
houses senior residents. The Services
Coordinator is part of what is a growing movement throughout the United
States to provide Supportive Housing.
Supportive Housing basically means
assessing resident health and social
needs and identifying ways to improve
conditions in the individual’s life. This
has become part of our work at JG
Commons. Our Services Coordinator
is available to assist residents with coordinating medical issues, daily living
skills, self-advocacy, and planning for
the future when living independently
might not be possible. There is ample
evidence nationwide, that Supportive
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Our first set of classes will be basic
computer skills for seniors. As we know,
more and more services are on-line and
many people do not yet have the ability to access these. Vashon HouseHold
has purchased 3 computers for OASIS
classes. Each class will have a maximum
of 8 people and will be intensive so seniors can get actual hands on time with
an instructor present. We plan to have
this class taught 3 times per year.
Furthermore, we are collecting data
from OASIS about what people are
seeking when they come to us for help.
This will drive what classes will be
Finally, as we end this year and enter
the next, there continues to be many
challenges as our country emerges from
our greatest recession in decades. Here
on our island, we see those challenges
too. Individuals and families are trying
to make ends meet and I am sure all of
us know someone in that situation. We
at VHH are part of the solution as we
continue to expand our housing and
programs to support the people of our
island so that Vashon Island is a leader
in creating a great Community. Your
continued support makes that happen!
Thank you,
Chris Szala, Executive Director
The HouseHold Word, Winter 2013
HomeShare Program
in its Third Year!
In late 2011,
Vashon HouseHold felt the need
to expand affordable
housing options on Vashon.
We began exploring the
concept of matching folks
in need of affordable housing with homeowners who
had an extra room in their
home, who perhaps could
use additional income, help
with cooking or chores,
and/or companionship.
Research led us to several
successful
homesharing
programs in other areas
such as Whidbey Island, Tacoma, and Vermont before
settling on the procedures
and requirements for our
VHH Homeshare Partners
program.
Vashon HouseHold Homeshare Partners connects people who may be
interested in sharing a
home. We require applications, references, and background checks to make the
process of finding a housemate more manageable.
All informtion is kept confidential. When a person
seeks a homeshare through
Homeshare Partners, they
are drawing from a select
group of applicants, rather
than the very broad reach
of a public listing such as
those found on the internet
or in the newspaper.
Give
Where You Live
We need your support
We have six approved
home seekers who are looking for a wonderful home
to share. Our greatest
need is to enroll additional
home owners in the program. Please explore our
program with your circle of
friends and acquaintances.
Anyone who is interested in
sharing their home, please
contact Barbara Brown at
206-463-4880 x704.
Local donations build our homes and help us explore new
housing opportunities for Islanders. Your donations buy
appliances, play equipment, landscaping, and so much more.
Homesharing is an option for all ages. For both
housemates, homesharing
offers a more affordable
way of living, the security
of another person in the
home, and the opportunity
to create a lifelong friendship.
Other
– by Barbara Brown,
Assistant Property Manager
Name
VashonHouseHold.org
Our projects take time. They are complex and costly to
develop. They also make a real, lasting difference in
the lives of our neighbors and friends.
Join us in making a difference!
Yes!
I am giving to Vashon HouseHold.
$25
$50
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Method of tax-deductable donation:
Check Enclosed
Donated online via PayPal at www.VashonHouseHold.org
My employer matches my donation. Contact me for details.
Contact me to make a secure donation on my credit card.
Address
Phone Email
Mail to: Vashon HouseHold
P.O. Box 413
Vashon Island, WA 98070
Thank you!
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Vashon’s Own OASIS
In June of 2013 the Vashon
Social Services Network
launched the OASIS
Center, a one stop shop for
Vashon residents seeking
social services on the island.
The Orientation, Assistance, Services,
Information Station, aka the OASIS
Center, was created to help islanders
access resources that are available both
on the island and in King County. In
the past, it has been challenging for individuals to learn about different programs and services because they are offered by a wide range of organizations.
At the OASIS Center, all the relevant
information can be found in one place.
The OASIS Center was established
with the help of a U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) grant secured by Vashon HouseHold. The grant provides an office,
computers and enough funds to offer
classes. Currently, the office is staffed
by volunteers who have been trained to
assist people with their questions and
direct them to programs and organizations that can help. Volunteers and staff
from Vashon HouseHold, Vashon Youth
& Family Services, Vashon Community
Care, The Interfaith Council to Prevent
Homelessness, Seeds4Success, DoVE
and the Senior Center provide their
time and expertise to staff the OASIS
Center.
Since opening its doors, the OASIS
Center has provided people with information regarding such essentials as
food, shelter and health care. It has also
directed folks to resources such as the
Dental Van, Vashon Youth & Family Services, Vashon HouseHold and DSHS.
For example, a young woman came to
the office looking for assistance for her
elderly grandfather. She was unfamiliar
with the services available on the island
and the OASIS Center was able to direct
her and her grandfather towards many
useful organizations, such as Vashon
HouseHold, the Food Bank and the Senior Center.
This autumn, the OASIS Center will
initiate the next phase of its devel-
opment by
offering
classes
to
the
communit y.
The first is
a basic computer class
designed for
seniors with little to no computer skills.
The class will be taught by a paid, professional instructor and the class size
kept small to allow for plenty of hands
on learning and individual guidance.
Other classes on the horizon are budgeting for home ownership, healthcare
in your future, and maybe even a class
on how to use that smart phone.
The OASIS Center is located in the
Vashon Senior Center. The office is on
the north side of the building, off of
100th Ave SW. Office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10am
to 2pm. The phone number is 5679794. Messages will be returned during office hours.
–by Jenn Coe,
Property Manager
Ten Wonderful Years for JG Commons
It is hard to believe that
10 years have gone by since
we opened the doors at JG
Commons! Last spring, some
of the residents thought it
would be a good idea to have
a party in August to celebrate
the 10th anniversary and they
began planning right away.
When the big night arrived,
everyone who was available
descended upon the community room for a fun evening
of food, beverages, games and
songs.
Back row (L-R): Gini, Gail, CeeCee, Connie, Sue, Bonnie, Pat, Maxine, Paul
Front row (L-R): Kay, Gerry, Don, Francoise, Marilyn, John, Joanne
The building name, like the majority
of our properties, is named after long
time Islanders. The “J” is for Joy Goldstein and the “G” is for Grace Crecelius.
In the early 1990’s (and before), they
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were some of the visionaries that realized the need for affordable housing
on Vashon. It took some time to get the
funding for senior housing but once it
arrived, it didn’t take long to complete
the building and have residents move
in. Of those who moved in
during the first few months,
almost half are still here and
everyone is enjoying life to its
fullest. On any given day, one
or more residents can be found
helping out in the community
at The Food Bank, Granny’s
Attic, The Eagles or The Senior
Center; babysitting grandkids
or helping other residents go
shopping or to appointments.
In talking with several of the
residents, they all agreed they
are thankful for an affordable, warm,
clean and safe place to live and we, as
staff, are so glad we are able to provide
just that for them. Here’s to another 10
wonderful years!
–by Sharon Hook,
Accounting
The HouseHold Word, Winter 2013
The
“Glue” Crew!
In order to keep with our long standing tradition of providing clean and safe places for our
residents to live, we have three maintenance
employees who are “the glue that holds the
buildings together”. On any given day, they can
be found hard at work keeping up the standards our residents are accustomed to.
During the last 5
years, Phil has provided his expertise.
He has crawled into
places most of us
won’t go, done minor
and major repairs
when needed and in
his “spare time”, does
janitorial work as well.
Nick joined our staff
almost a year ago and
brings with him over
25 years of construction experience. Whether the work is on the
roof, in an apartment
or under it, Nick can
be found cheerfully
working on the project until it’s done.
Whether it is an urgent repair or regular maintenance, Phil and Nick are always there to respond to the call (which could be at 2:00am!).
G rou nd s ke epi n g
is not the first position
Ted has had with
Vashon HouseHold,
he was also Rental
Manager and Maintenance staff. After
“retiring” from those
positions, Ted has
maintained the grounds at Charter House and
JG Commons for over 10 years and is starting his
13th year with us. No matter what the weather, he
can be found planting bulbs, mowing the grass,
trimming trees, adjusting the exterior lights or
keeping the fountain in tip top shape.
Our apartments are in great shape due in large
part to the diligence of these three men. They
keep us glued together!
–by Sharon Hook,
VashonHouseHold.org
Accounting
Focusing
Our Activities
cess to those programs.
Outside of contributing to the
likes of National Public Radio or
Audubon, Vashon HouseHold is
the first non-profit organization
I’ve ever been involved with. I had
no idea what a board of directors
did. The best way to find out what
they do is to be on one. All boards
provide learning opportunities.
One of the things I learned was
the role a Mission Statement plays
in focusing an organization’s activities and decisions. A couple of
years ago, the VHH board took
the time to revisit our mission.
There was quite a debate about
the power of words to convey an
intent and purpose. We all had a
vague sense of who we were as an
organization, but it was tricky to
capture that sense for all to read.
Let me tell you what some of the
thoughts were behind the words
of our Mission Statement.
The mission of Vashon HouseHold is to provide access... Access, that is, to the many resources
made available by federal, state,
and county agencies. Our reputation for being a fiscally responsible organization ensures we
will be around for many, many
years to come. Our commitment
to mastering the regulations that
come with government housing
programs ensures people have ac-
...to quality, affordable housing
options... “Quality” is our benchmark. VHH has a commitment
to provide housing environments
with a level of quality that many
of our residents have never before
experienced. “Affordable” housing is a very slippery term. What is
affordable for one family is totally
out of reach for another. There
are governmental formulas for
determining who can get some
help with their housing costs. Our
range of building types includes
a variety of housing “options” because we want to meet as many of
the island’s housing needs as we
can.
...for low and moderate income
Islanders... In this day and age,
low and moderate income applies
to a lot more Islanders than it
used to. If we weren’t here, where
would people go for help getting
into quality, affordable and safe
housing?
...in order to preserve and foster
the economic and cultural diversity of the community. This last
piece, the connection between affordable housing and the population diversity that is so prized on
this island, was a new idea for us
on the board. We feel we play a
major role in helping this community stay vibrant, healthy, and
idiosyncratic. If we as an island
are intent on not becoming ‘Mercer-ized’ then we must embrace
all levels of our community and
make sure there is a place for all
us to live in our community.
Sue Gardner, VHH Board President
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Never Bored on the Board!
the reason more than a few leave after
a few years. Still, we’ve never regretted
our choice – we quickly fell in love, not
primarily with Vashon’s beauty, but with
the unique and cohesive community
here.
Raised in western Oregon, my wife
Anne and I moved to Vashon from Corvallis in 1995 when I was offered a position in energy conservation at Seattle
City Light. We had visited the island
once before and were entranced by with
its beauty, but in large part the choice
to live here was, ironically, economic:
we couldn’t really afford a house of reasonable size in a nice neighborhood in
Seattle in ‘95, on a City Light salary. Additionally, moving from a smaller town
in Oregon, Seattle seemed very large,
pushy and loud to raise a family… So we
chose Vashon, and have lived here for
most of the years since. In retrospect,
the cost of living on Vashon has probably long since exceeded what settling in
Seattle or its environs would have cost,
in ferries and island price premiums.
But that was a slow drain as opposed to
high initial costs – a problem many modest income families struggle with, and
Since coming to Vashon we have raised
two girls through the school years in
Vashon schools and beyond, while we
both commuted most of those years to
workaday jobs ‘outside’. We have built a
wide circle of friends among our neighbors, something we notice that most
modern Americans don’t seem to do
anymore; we largely credit Vashon’s
community rather
than ourselves for
that. We left for
three years in ‘01,
when I was offered
an excellent job in
Boulder Colorado,
but could not stay
away. We kept coming back for vacations, to visit friends,
and in ‘04 I took a substantial demotion
simply to be here again. People in Boulder said “where would you want to go
from here?” I just smiled and said “to my
cold, dark and rainy home”. No regrets.
I remember getting ‘back on the back of
the bus’ the first day commuting back
to Seattle and having my ‘bus pals’ say,
“Gee, haven’t seen you for a while – did
you change your commute schedule?”,
after which we picked right back up
on the same conversations, grumbling
about getting up in the dark, the ferries,
and all that. I was home. We are getting
through our middle age years now, and
Anne says “I’m going to die here”, which
I must say I agree with. The older we get,
the less interesting the notion of moving
to suburbia has become.
Volunteer service came later in life for
me, largely because raising our girls and
working commuting jobs used up all the
time. For me, family and sanity (which
means some free time) comes first. In
2009 my good friend Leslie Ferriel suggested I join the board of Vashon HouseHold. I immediately agreed, having been
very impressed by what I’d observed
– this local-grown, thriving yet low-key
organization that
was providing affordable housing.
Amazing, and so
much a part of the
Vashon culture I
knew. I jumped on
the opportunity,
and have greatly
enjoyed the last
4 years helping
VHH as best I can. I felt, and still feel,
that providing secure and comfortable
housing to all of Vashon’s residents is
imperative. Because shelter is a right,
not a privilege, and our island must not
become defined by economic exclusion
– A threat I see constantly, that we must
actively resist. Our community is already
made of a rich mixture of people, and
that one of its aspects we all really cherish. To retain and actually grow our diversity – essential for a real community we must keep those housing doors open.
Volunteering at Vashon HouseHold is
my minor contribution to that effort.
...shelter is a right,
not a privilege, and our
Island must not become
defined by
economic exclusion
Our Vision
Vashon HouseHold is a fiscally responsible, sustainable non-profit affordable
housing organization with a diversified
funding base and housing portfolio. It
partners with other organizations as
needed to enhance and preserve the
quality of life on Vashon-Maury Island
and has a visible presence in the community.
Our Values
Appreciation for All People
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
- Encourage Flexibility
- Promote Spirited/Positive Energy
- Use Informed/Intelligent
Thinking
COMMUNITY BUILDING
- Help People Get the Tools to Help
Themselves and Each Other
- Forge Relationships
- Share Resources
- Promote Cultural and Economic Diversity
- Collaborate with Other
Organizations
- Believe Shelter is a Basic Human Need
RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS
- Act with Compassion and
- Act with Integrity
Our Principles
- Seek opportunities to expand and
preserve affordable housing.
- Provide affordable housing
that meets or exceeds the quality
standards of market rate housing.
- Engage Intuition
RESPECT FOR ALL PEOPLE
- Accountable Staff and Board
- Support the availability of services
to residents that build and sustain
the community.
- Seek input from residents,
neighbors, funding stakeholders,
and other community based
organizations in order to improve
both our housing and relevance.
- Efficient & Effective Use of Donor
and other Financial Supports
2013 Financial Summary
For year ended December 31, 2012
Rental Income 55%
Income
Donations & Grants..................................... $56,737.99
Rental Income............................................ $181,039.18
Management Fees........................................ $56,747.98
Donations &
Grants 17%
Other Income.................................................. $1,917.85
Government Grant..................................... $34,993.00
Total Income.............................................. $331,436.00
Other
Income 1%
Government
Grant 10%
Management
Fees 17%
– by David Van Holde, Treasurer
Expenses
Improving Daily!
Administration &
Salaries 14%
Rental Expenses 36%
Rental Expenses......................................... $187,396.43
Administration & Salary Expenses............ $75,250.57
Taking a look around the Vashon HouseHold properties finds improvements
everywhere. The landscaping at Mukai
Apartments is filling in beautifully (left).
The new, clean, bright and insulated windows of Charter House (right) make for
better views both inside and out!
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VHH Financial Report to our Community
Depreciation Expense............................... $256,951.00
Fundraising Expenses................................... $6,427.00
Depreciation 49%
Total Expenses........................................... $526,025.00
Fundraising
Expenses 1%
The HouseHold Word, Winter 2013
VashonHouseHold.org
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Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 132
Vashon, WA
Our Vashon Island
Neighbors
Roseballen, CLT.
Support Services Come to Vashon HouseHold
I am pleased to introduce myself as the first Service Coordinator at Vashon HouseHold (VHH). Through a generous
grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), VHH was given money last Fall to begin
support services in-house for JG Commons residents.
Supported Housing Services for seniors and the disabled
are expanding country-wide in an effort to
assist the aging and those with special needs
to remain in their own homes and independent for as long as possible. As the Baby
Boomers retire, and a fiscal crisis looms
around how to pay for the aging needs of
the “Grey Tsunami”, the trend toward Supported Housing communities will only grow
with the need. It is wonderful to see Vashon
embracing a trend that supports health, dignity, independence and enrichment of life.
As Service Coordinator, I am available to
link residents with an array of needed services, from medical and mental health to
those of daily living. During the past year, I
have coordinated Meals on Wheels services,
assisted with Medicaid applications, referred eligible residents for in-home chore and care service through Medicaid, untangled health insurance coverage problems, and
referred several individuals to the Legal Clinic and Senior
Rights Assistance programs. In the Summer, we began
using a van to transport people to the food bank weekly,
along with offering rides to the Franciscan
Medical Clinic – Vashon (aka Vashon Health
Center), post office, pharmacy, church and
the Vashon Athletic Club. We have hosted
several presentations on site to educate JG
Commons residents about local community resources and will continue to bring in
guest presenters for subjects of interest to
our residents, from Medicare to addressing
end-of-life issues.
Michele Kimble, new Service Coordinator
at Vashon HouseHold.
It’s been lovely getting to know so many vibrant, active and creative individuals. I look
forward to another successful year getting
to know more residents and helping people
to get their needs met.
– by Michele Kimble, Service Coordinator