“Don’t stop, keep going, those words meant a lot,” says Sharon. Over a decade ago, Sharon’s family moved back to the Seattle area from Minnesota to be close to Sharon’s mom who was having medical issues. Sharon and her partner had been together for 23 years and had three children. In Minnesota, they owned a [...]
“I really enjoy and believe in helping people without judgment, and that’s what housing first and harm reduction is. They go hand-in-hand.” Chris Cates is one of MSC’s housing supervisors and is also one of the first in King County to use the housing first and harm reduction model back in 2011. After five years [...]
MSC needs volunteers for its Federal Way Food Bank to help us provide essential resources to individuals and families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first weeks of this crisis, we have already seen a 25% increase in the number of customers to the food bank. We are following CDC and public health [...]
Theo was struggling in his traditional high school. He was experiencing severe social anxiety and sensory issues. His mental health issues were making attending school difficult, and led to him eventually dropping out of school during his tenth grade year. Theo still wanted to graduate from high school, so he joined the Open Doors program. [...]
“At times it can be difficult to be a champion for someone who doesn’t see it for themselves and some people don’t have any support,” Julie shares. “But, when you see people have success and know it will have lasting effects on their whole family, including their children, it’s all worth it.” As MSC’s Employment [...]
“Volunteering makes me happy,” shares Chang. Even though he’s retired, 73-year-old Chang continues to work almost full-time; however, it’s not a paid position. Chang is a valued volunteer in MSC’s food bank. You can usually find him at the check-out station during food bank open hours, but he also helps with sorting, stocking, and other [...]
“I grew up in shelters. It was really hard and stressful and I didn’t want to follow the same path with my kids. I didn’t ever picture myself being homeless when I grew up,” shares 35-year-old Janel. Janel is mom to a 17-year old boy, 15 and 7-year old girls, and has another on the [...]
“I’m a proud father with my kids in college,” Jermaine shares, “but you know what? They told me they are proud of me for making this change in my life.” He is the father of five, 2 boys and 3 girls, ages 18-22 years. Jermaine found himself homeless after his grandmother passed away and he [...]
Skyler is a real-life superhero and goes by SkyMan. He feels a strong sense of serving his community through inspiration and peer support. Skyler’s sense of purpose as a real-life superhero and duty to help others is linked to the years he has spent struggling with sobriety and behavioral health issues. At 35 years old, [...]
“MSC helped us a lot and is still helping us. They got us a home. Our MSC case manager is always the first person I call,” shared Takisha. In August 2018, Takisha’s family lost their apartment home to a fire. The fire started in another unit, but caused significant damage to the building. Takisha and [...]
