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Commencement
Alice Shobe
Every June, I accumulate a small stack of graduation announcements from family friends and relatives. Recently when I sat down to respond to this year’s graduates, their accomplishments reminded me of our own milestones met this year with Sound Families.
In our seven years together, we made great progress—we worked hard, produced encouraging results, and experienced new challenges to keep us focused.
In December 2007, we published our Final Findings Summary report with evaluation findings on the nearly 1,500 families served by Sound Families. Although we were delighted to learn that 68 percent of families successfully transitioned into permanent housing after exiting Sound Families programs, we also learned that one quarter of all families did not succeed and were asked to leave their units early. Like any good graduate, we will continue to learn from this data as we all move forward.
In March, we published the initiative’s equivalent of a senior thesis. The Reflections & Recommended Actions report of the Sound Families Steering Committee candidly documents what we learned over the course of Sound Families. The Steering Committee settled on two broad recommendations: to improve the supportive services system that was at the heart of Sound Families, and to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit housing and service providers, housing authorities, and regional funding streams to better serve families.
Graduation season is also a time of celebration, and we were privileged to have many of you join us on March 18 for our final Sound Families gathering. To read more about our event click here.
| Final Evaluations Released | | In December 2007, we released our Final Findings Summary report on the nearly 1,500 families and 2,700 kids served by Sound Families. In March of this year, the Sound Families Steering Committee released its Reflections & Recommended Actions report describing what we learned from Sound Families and recommending improvements in our future efforts to address family homelessness. |
| | | New HUD Secretary Steven Preston | | On June 6, 2008, Steven Preston was sworn in as the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Previously, he served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration. Read Secretary Preston’s Senate confirmation testimony here. |
| | | National Conference Features Sound Families | | The National Alliance to End Homelessness held its 2008 National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness in Seattle in February. Bill Gates Sr., co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, gave the keynote address. The alliance also unveiled a new advocacy film called “Keys: Ending Family Homelessness” that highlights promising strategies for addressing the problem. |
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Sound Families Celebration
On Tuesday, March 18th, we held an event to thank all partners involved in the Sound Families Initiative. With more than 200 guests including elected officials, grantees, service providers, housing authorities, and families, we celebrated the achievement of our ambitious goal to triple the amount of service-enriched housing in the region. We were honored to be joined by Gates Foundation co-chair Melinda Gates, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, King County Executive Ron Sims, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson, and Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, each of whom made poignant remarks on the impact of the initiative. We were also pleased to hear from Kathy Tingley, a mother and Sound Families graduate, who shared her own inspiring story of success and stability. The Sound Families Steering Committee later moderated a Lessons Learned Convening and released its concluding Reflections & Recommended Actions report.
Though we did our best to call out each of our outstanding partners by name, there simply wasn’t enough time in one morning to thank you all aloud. So many of you—from diligent administrative staff to compassionate case workers—worked hard to bring stability to your neighbors’ lives through Sound Families. We know how committed you are to making family homelessness a thing of the past, and for that, we thank you.
| Washington Families Fund Grows | | In 2004, the state Legislature created the Washington Families Fund, inspired in part by promising early evaluation results from Sound Families. This unique public-private fund provides money for supportive services at transitional housing projects across Washington. The first bill signed by Gov. Gregoire in 2008 added $6 million to the fund, bringing its total to nearly $18 million. |
| | | Sound Families in the News | | Lance Dickie featured the Sound Families celebration breakfast event in his Seattle Times column, noting that “one triumph of the Sound Families Initiative—unity of purpose” was evident among the many supporters gathered there. (The Seattle Times, "A bridge to hearth and hope") |
| | | Credit Crunch Stalls Affordable Housing | | The nation’s credit crisis is stalling the development of affordable housing projects financed through the federal low-income housing tax-credit program. The program is considered one of the most successful federal housing programs and has financed the construction of over one million sub-market-rent apartments. (The Wall Street Journal, "Losses stall affordable-housing projects") |
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Thanking Our Partners
Our Sound Families partners were critical to the success of the initiative and helped us achieve our goal of tripling the amount of service-enriched housing in the Puget Sound region. We formally recognized many of our partners in March, but there are a few organizations whose contributions to Sound Families were so outstanding that we would like to take one more opportunity to thank them here.
Early on, the City of Seattle Office of Housing became the backbone of Sound Families when it volunteered to administer the effort; every facet of the initiative reaped the benefits of its careful implementation. Adrienne Quinn, director of the Office of Housing, deserves our special thanks for serving Sound Families so tirelessly. Adrienne also served as co-chair of the Sound Families Steering Committee, and her astute guidance continually led us to better serve our neighbors in need.
The funding contributions of our public-sector partners carried critical weight of the work we accomplished. Seven Puget Sound housing authorities—the Housing Authority of Snohomish County, Everett Housing Authority, King County Housing Authority, Seattle Housing Authority, Renton Housing Authority, Pierce County Housing Authority, and the Tacoma Housing Authority—all agreed to dedicate federal Section 8 rental subsidy funds to provide a steady source of operating dollars for Sound Families. We relied heavily on the generosity of these housing authorities, and we want to express our deepest appreciation for their contributions.
To all of our partners, we thank you once again. Your dedication to helping our neighbors is truly inspiring and we look forward to our continued partnership to end family homelessness in our region.
About Us
Sound Families: Making Homelessness Unusual Again
Through its public and private partnerships the Sound Families Initiative is
working to eliminate homelessness in the Puget Sound region. Started in July
2001, the initiative will provide $40 million to construct 1,500 transitional
housing units for families in transition out of homelessness in Pierce, King
and Snohomish counties. The goal: safe and affordable housing for all Northwest
residents.
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