“My younger brother and I had moved across the country to live with our aunt in Federal Way in the nineties,” shares Shannel. “In that year, my aunt’s household went from one adult and two children to two adults and five children, surviving on one adult’s working-class income.” Shannel remembers her first visit to MSC [...]
“As teenagers, we never thought we’d be where we are at now,” shares Elia. Elia, now age 26, was born in Greeley, Colorado, after her parents had moved there from Mexico. Elia recalls Greeley being a mostly Spanish-speaking community. When her family moved to Kent in 2002, it was quite a change for them. “We [...]
“It makes me feel good to do something,” shares Eric. Eric has been volunteering at MSC’s William J. Wood Veteran House (WJW) for the last two years. After college, Eric joined the U.S. Army. Stationed at Ft. Lewis for most of the time, he was in military intelligence and his last assignment was at University [...]
Last winter, May, Richard, and their four-month-old baby lost their housing. Richard had been out of work for quite some time, and although May was working full-time, they had been unable to pay rent while also providing for basic needs for their newborn. Richard was losing hope that he would ever be employed again, and [...]
“I started using drugs at 11 years old,” shares Linda. Linda is now 58 years old with three grown children. In 2007 and just out of rehab, Linda moved into Titusville in Kent, MSC’s housing for women in recovery. Linda lived there for about a year. “It was hard. I had to focus with [...]
“It was really the lack of access to services,” shares Elizabeth (Liz) Johnson when asked how the Multi-Service Center came to be. In 1971, Liz was the Lead Head Start teacher in Federal Way and had three young children. Her husband, Preston, was just a year out of law school, having attended on the GI [...]
As temperatures start to cool off and the days get shorter, energy costs start increasing for most of us. There are several simple things you can do to both use energy more efficiently and conserve energy. Energy efficiency means using less energy to do the same function. For example, a simple way to become more [...]
When COVID19 first made headlines with its arrival in the United States, it was in our backyard at a long-term care facility in Kirkland. The impact of the pandemic on long-term care residents has been significant. MSC’s Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program has been a vital partner in addressing this impact. Long-Term Care Ombuds [...]
“We weren’t millionaires by any means, but we were doing fine. COVID hit and my life changed,” shares Sara. Prior to the pandemic, Sara worked as a bartender four nights a week. She made a good living and was able to pay all her bills and build up her savings. Bartending gave her the flexibility [...]
Janae, a single mother of four, was unable to work after the pandemic shut down her childcare. After it finally reopened, she was able to go back to work, but found herself behind on her rent. Beverly had to reduce her hours at work due to underlying health issues that put her at higher risk. [...]
