News & Events – Page 2 – Byrd Barr Place

Bridge the Gap Stories: Patrice

Patrice moved to Seattle with her family in the first grade. Living almost her entire life in the neighborhoods of South Seattle, she wanted to be more involved in the community once she started raising a family of her own. Patrice began volunteering for the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County, eventually leading to full time employment. Twenty-seven years later Patrice is still passionately employed with the Boys and Girls club, currently fulfilling the Nutrition Coordinator position.

The trouble began for Patrice when she received a call from her landlord letting her know they were selling the spacious five bedroom home in Columbia City where she lived with her youngest daughter and 6 year-old grandson. She did not consider what a hardship moving would be in the rapid redevelopment climate of Seattle and suddenly found herself homeless for the first time in her life. It took five months before Patrice was able to find her next home. During this time she wasn’t able to afford storage for all of her home furnishings and had to give most of them away before she was able to get settled again. “I had no bed, no heat, nothing really, I was starting all over, and everything seemed to be happening at once.” Patrice recalled how she felt learning that her new home was heated by oil and she wasn’t able to pay the high up-front costs for a home delivery service to fill the empty tank.

Patrice reached out to the City of Seattle for help and was referred to Byrd Barr Place. She applied but learned that with her full time job she was just above the income eligibility guidelines to qualify for help. “So I felt very blessed when Haley called to let me know there was another program called Bridge the Gap that could help me during this hard time.” Patrice said, reflecting on the program manager of the Energy Assistance Program, who kept her in mind and coordinated $325 dollars’ worth of oil to be sent to Patrice’s home during this year’s very cold winter. Now, thanks to generous donors, Patrice is able to focus on her family instead of an empty oil drum. She has gotten her daughter a job at the Boys and Girls Club and is exploring funding to support her daughter in furthering education to become a dental assistance.

Bridge the Gap Stories: Kathleen

Kathleen was born in 1946 and raised in West Seattle. She has lived around the city but has always loved the West Seattle area where she grew up. Kathleen worked for Boeing, then transitioned to an independent contractor role. After the 2008 recession hit her income dropped by at least 45%. Then she was injured on the job and was unable to continue working. She makes a small income selling items on E-Bay and living off her pension. However, she began to struggle to keep up with her expenses on a fixed income and went into debt.

Kathleen found her way to Byrd Barr Place after a referral from a Seattle City Light (SCL) representative. She receives a monthly senior discount from SCL and was looking for help with her PSE gas bill. After doing some research on the web for help she made an appointment at Byrd Barr Place, but was told she didn’t qualify for our program due to her income level. Fortunately, Byrd Barr Place was still able to help her through a Bridge the Gap grant. Kathleen was beyond thankful!

She mentioned she has always been the one to help others. She has donated to those who were in need in the past and never expected to be in this type of position but it happened so fast. Fearful of getting her heat turned off in freezing conditions she says she was “rejuvenated” and “full of hope” after receiving our help. Kathleen is working on a budget and plans on selling her home to pay back her debt to friends and family, then hopes to transition into senior living or an apartment in the area.

Bridge the Gap Stories: Katherine

Katherine came to Byrd Barr Place during a desperate time in her life. Born and raised in Seattle, she bought her first home in West Seattle. She has worked in healthcare for over 15 years, then opened up her own social work practice. In recent years, she became a full time caregiver for her mother. After she passed away, Katherine then took over care for her disabled brother and his wife. Kathleen struggles with taking care of two family members while working at her practice. Over time, the emotional and financial responsibilities have taken their toll.

Katherine found Byrd Barr Place after running low on oil without an extra dollar to her name. She initially didn’t quality for our Energy Assistance program as her income exceeded the federal program guidelines, however being self-employed her income fluctuates greatly from month to month and she couldn’t keep up with her bills. That’s where anonymous Bridge the Gap donors were able to help with a $400 grant. Once she found she would receive assistance, she was incredibly grateful.

Katherine said she hadn’t wanted to use oil to heat her home because of her fear of not being able to pay so her home was extremely cold. She remembers her pets cuddling up to her with their cold paws and it really made her depressed. “This grant made a world of difference for everyone in my home, family and pets included.”

Give the Gift of Light and Warmth

centerstone-warm-haus-candle

This winter season, there are people who are faced with tough choices. Pay the power bill or buy food? Keep the heat on or pay rent? Families need to keep a roof over their heads and to feed their children, and so there really isn’t a choice at all, and they face their power being shut off as a result.

You can keep a family warm this winter by supporting Byrd Barr Place’s Energy Assistance Program, which helps thousands of people across Seattle heat their homes each year by providing them with necessary assistance. For every donation of $75 or more to Byrd Barr Place’s Bridge the Gap program fund, you will receive this beautiful Warm Haus candle, generously produced by Salt House Mercantile in Seattle.

Just make an online donation and select “Bridge the Gap” at checkout, and a candle will be mailed out to you. You can also purchase the candle from Salt House Mercantile in Seattle. It’s the perfect gift to bring light into someone’s life, and warmth into their home.

Liberty Bank Project a Beacon of Hope in the CD

Through a formal partnership announced recently, Byrd Barr Place is working together with nonprofit organizers Africatown, Black Community Impact Alliance (BCIA), and Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) on equitable development plans in the Central District. One of our first projects: redeveloping the lot that was once home to Liberty Bank, the first black-owned bank in the Pacific Northwest.

Our goal is to give a voice to Black residents in Seattle throughout the development of the new building. We want to honor the bank’s legacy, and ensure the building’s ownership reflects the Black community. Earlier this year, Mayor Ed Murray announced plans to work with the community nonprofits to honor the bank’s legacy in the Central District. We are excited to see our community unite to ensure this new development reflects the history and future of our great neighborhood, one that is inclusive of all people.

Our progress on honoring the bank’s legacy, and ensuring the building’s ownership reflects the Black community includes:

The four organizations will prioritize renting commercial space to black- and minority-owned businesses at affordable rates.
The groups committed to hiring minority-owned subcontractors from within the community to work on the new construction.
There are plans for numerous art features that will honor the community and history of Liberty Bank.

The new building, which will begin construction in 2017, will include ground-level retail spaces and five floors—about 115 units—dedicated entirely to affordable studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments. Learn more about this project and let us know what you think!

Catch the Limelight with Public Works Seattle

Have a flair for drama? Byrd Barr Place is partnering with the Seattle Rep Theater to launch Public Works Seattle, a unique program that offers free acting classes to the public! We’ll be offering workshops, classes, and performances to join together people in our community through the arts. All people are welcome. This is your chance to shine! We hope you can join us every Monday starting November 7th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Drop-ins are welcome or contact simone.hamilton@seattlerep.org to register. Visit the Public Works Seattle website for more information.

African American Financial Capability Initiative

Partnerships and collaborations are vital to the ongoing success of our organization in meeting the diverse needs of the poor in Seattle. That’s why Byrd Barr Place is currently leading a collaborative partnership or Community of Practice (COP) with Africatown, Seattle King County NAACP, Skyway Solutions, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, and the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs. Together we have launched the African American Financial Capability Initiative to build stronger and broader connections in the local community, and deeper levels of cooperation between agencies supporting the financial needs of Black families in Washington State. By bringing together these organizations and making use of the strengths available both in our organizations and throughout the Black community, our objective is to increase the economic well-being of our community with a newly targeted focus on asset building for the long term. The fact that these very different agencies that focus on very different aspects of the same problem have agreed to work collectively on a solution is a major step forward in Seattle and King County.

Funded by the Northwest Area Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation, our strategic roadmap includes:

Phase 1 (2016)

Build a Community of Practice (COP) for Seattle/King County
Hold a series of Listening Sessions
Increase the capacity of direct-service agencies
Strategic planning for Phases 2 and 3

Phase 2 (January – June 2017)

Conduct discovery and design for a Breakthrough Service Model to evaluate and design a new approach to engage Blacks and meet their needs with relevant, impactful programs
Create a shared policy agenda with city officials that enables Blacks to earn livable wages (net worth), grow assets, and build generational wealth
Continue to build the COP’s strategic leadership skills and connections

Phase 3 (July 2017 – December 2018)

Implement the Breakthrough Service Model pilot
Track progress and assess outcomes over an 18-month period
Continue community engagement and advocacy work
Develop the core competencies and relationships within the COP partnership.

This work is critical now, and the African American Financial Capability Initiative is the optimal vehicle to move concepts outlined in the Creating an Equitable Future Report from theory to reality. To learn more or get involved in this project, contact us at info@byrdbarr.place.

A Voice for Yesler Neighborhood

Do you or someone you know live in the Yesler neighborhood? Byrd Barr Place is helping to shape the sustainability of 30 acres of prime property in the heart of the city as a leader in the Yesler Community Collaborative. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create an equitable and sustainable urban neighborhood. We have helped facilitate action plans for environment, health, housing, and economic opportunity, giving a voice to Blacks in the area to ensure equitable community development. View more progress updates. If you’d like to lend a hand or a voice, please send your input to us at info@byrdbarr.place.

Know the Promise of Community Action

Byrd Barr Place is honored to celebrate May as a Community Action Agency along with hundreds of non-profits across the country, working together to change people’s lives, embody the spirit of hope and improve communities! Together we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other. Community Action (CAA) has put a human face on poverty for 52 years by advocating for limited-income citizens without a voice, so that they may enter the middle class and reach for the American dream, replacing their despair with opportunity. So what does that mean for us here in Washington State? Over 645,000 people in Washington have benefited from CAA services annually, and Byrd Barr Place delivers services to the local Seattle community with Energy Assistance, Housing Assistance, a Food Bank, Financial Education, and advocacy initiatives. Visit these sites to learn about the Washington State and national impact of CAA, and help us spread the word! #BeCommunityAction

Hopscotch CD 2016 is back!

This fun kickoff to summer is a free community event open to the public. Stop by for an hour or the whole day, there’s something for everyone.

All-Day Festivities 11:00 am – 8:00 pm

Hopscotch your heart out on a 1 mile hopscotch route through the neighborhood (route map coming soon)

Free lunch from Dante’s Inferno featuring hot dogs, toppings galore, and chips

Live DJ in Byrd Barr Place’s courtyard

Kid Zone featuring a bouncy house, face painting, Play Street toys and activities, temporary tattoos, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and playground in the Firehouse Park adjacent to Byrd Barr Place
Flavorful cuisine from local food trucks (available for purchase)
Free tours of Byrd Barr Place’s historic firehouse building

Evening Festivities 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm