St. Vincent de Paul

Seattle Nonprofit

St. James Hosts Mayoral Forum–Sept 28

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Seattle Mayor Candidates’ Forum at St. James Cathedral

The St. James Housing Advocacy Committee invites you to attend our Annual General Meeting on September 28 as the final two candidates for the Mayor of Seattle address the issues of homelessness and low-income housing in Seattle. Last year, over 200 parishioners heard from the City’s Director of Homelessness, the Director of Facing Homelessness, and Catholic Community Services’ clients and staff. This year, we have invited the candidates for Mayor of Seattle to participate in a forum so we may hear their views on the growing crisis of homelessness in our community.

 
Questions or comments should be directed to Patrick Barredo, Director of Outreach and Advocacy, pbarredo@stjames-cathedral.org | 206-382-4515 | St. James Cathedral | www.stjames-cathedral.org

DACA CHILDREN

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PROTECT OUR DACA CHILDREN!

Every day at the St. Vincent de Paul Centro Rendu offices in Kent and Renton we encounter families that have benefited from the DACA program. Our “dreamers” are bright and gifted students who contribute to our society every day.

These are ALL of OUR children and we need to support them! Unless we have a better option for them, that includes a path to citizenship, DACA must be protected.

Please make your voice heard by calling your local representative or by calling the White House at 1-855-589-5698.

Here is a link to important DACA Resources with links to important dates and other information.

Here is a link to a very well written piece published by a staff member from Maryknoll, Kevin Foy. 

Brettler

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Brettler Family Place Will Not be Defined by One Incident

by Ned Delmore | Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle|King County

Brettler Family Place is a small city, a miniature League of Nations of sorts, and a rich mix of many cultures. It is a plurality of beliefs that St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle King County has come to know and respect.

For the past three and a half years our St. Vincent de Paul volunteers, my wife and I included, have been making hundreds of home visits to our neighbors at Brettler on Sandpoint Way. We are invited into their sacred space to be in relationship with them and their families.

The June police shooting was horrific and devastating as the residents continue to deal with the waves of anguish that pour over their community. Yet a fierceness remains in the soul of these residents as they gather their second wind and move forward.

Over the past several months following the shooting, they have had much lodged in their hearts to share as we listen and respond to their varying needs from rental, utility and food assistance, to signs of depression, trauma, and fears of safety for their children and themselves. The people of Brettler know and trust St. Vincent de Paul, and often it is as simple as making ourselves open and available, affirming and empowering face to face, igniting the spirit of engagement.

Let me for a moment take you into the Brettler community through the eyes of several mothers we have come to be in relationship with as they tell their story and express their grief and joys with conviction.

Below are the words of several residents of Brettler Family Place:

“Yes there is a terrible weight we are all carrying from this incident but way before it occurred we were and still are a loving community that looks after each other. We come together as families and share our food and lives as we watch our children play freely on the playground. We all have strong family traditions and beliefs expressing our love to one another regularly. Many of us work several jobs contributing to our society and our children are graduating from high school and college.”

“Unfortunately, the average citizen may presume we are nothing but a housing project. We are a community filled with life and joys and sorrows like everyone else. Our children want to live and breathe as our Creator intended, not just survive.”

We, as human beings, have a tendency to devalue each other. One incident can distort our perceptions and set us on a path of confirmation bias in support of our own beliefs. We can all judge quickly and miss the truth (as my wife frequently reminds me).

The folks at Brettler are permanent residents; this is their turf, this is their home. What we have witnessed are many individuals who have picked themselves up, have their hands on the rungs of the social ladder and are climbing out of their predicaments.
They have legitimate concerns regarding their safety as they wait for fear to pass. Some are in the fight for their lives to regain their dignity and yet they remain good and decent human beings that hunger for the same dreams and hopes that we seek for all of our families. There exists a deep triumphant spirit within that will not be extinguished. These parents have their hearts tenderly wrapped around their children.

My wife, myself, and other fellow volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul love to do home visits at Brettler. It is a radiant moment to be in the midst of this community as we admire the connectivity within as they cradle each other against the odds and invite us into their homes.

We are humbled by the life experiences of our Brettler neighbors and offer to our city a small window of light into the bright lives of our fellow citizens on Sandpoint Way. 

eBay

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We are very pleased to let you know we are now on EBay with a St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle|King County store. The link to get there is http://stores.ebay.com/svdpseattle

We are selling vintage, stylish and fashionable jewelry we have carefully assembled from our five thrift stores in King County. The pieces we are selling on EBay are exclusive to this store portal only. The prices are low and the quality of the items is exceptional. Each piece has been hand selected, reviewed by our EBay team specialist, photographed and then posted. You will not be able to find these items anywhere else. We will keep adding to this collection as well as expand into other collections over time.

Please note that the public listing of new items to the site will take place every Sunday night at 8 p. m. This is a great way to start the week in your shopping activities. 

St. Vincent de Paul is engaged in the delivery of important services in King County. Your purchases provide us with financial resources to help thousands of neighbors with eviction prevention assistance, food, self-sufficiency training, clothing, education and job placement. We are grateful for your support.

 Please visit our store, shop with us and give us some feedback at communications@svdpseattle.org

Back to School

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We are asking businesses and individuals all over King County to help St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle King County with back to school donations. We need your help collecting and donating back to school clothing, school supplies, backpacks, coats, socks, shoes and dresses in all sizes for kids from K-12. Please help us with a donation drive at your church or school to help St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle King County. We can really help lots of families, even if we get items in September after school has started. It is not a secret that kids are judged by clothing, school supplies and other factors that influence social norms. We want to help kids get clothing and supplies that help strengthen self-image and performance in class. To get more information, contact Jim McFarland at jimm@svdpseattle.org or Meghan Gescher at meghang@svdpseattle.org

 

Request Help Here

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St. Vincent de Paul Helpline assists people who need help. Please note this form is for new Help Requests only. We have it in both English and Spanish below. If you have already called the Helpline and have a request that is pending, please follow-up with our Helpline Call Center at (206) 767-6449, M-F, 8am-3pm.

English

Espanol

KIRO Interview May 26, 2017

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Josh Kerns of KIRO FM Radio 97.3 recently interviewed St. Vincent de Paul Executive Director Ned Delmore and John McDermott, President of St. Catherine Conference to learn more about the work we do as Vincentians to prevent homelessness. The interview is about six minutes. This is a good interview. We hope you enjoy it. Click on the arrow button below to start the interview.

 

 

Memorial Day 50% Off Sale

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Memorial Day is one of our biggest 50% Off sales days of the year. We have lots of new donations and items still left from our fabulous Fashion Brand Event. Everything is 50% off except beds, bed frames, new linens, and purple tags. The donations are pouring in and we have more furniture and housewares than we have had in some time. The donations are pouring in and we have more furniture and housewares than we have had for several months. When you shop with St. Vincent de Paul, you help us fund our programs to help people. Our locations:

Sale Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Seattle – 13555 Aurora Ave. N. 206.364.8495
Burien – 13445 1st Ave. S. 206.243.6370
Kenmore – 7304 NE Bothell Way 425.483.9497
Kent – 310 N. Central 253.277.0211
Renton – 575 Rainier Ave. No. 425.226.9426

Best Antidote

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The Best Antidote to Reducing Homelessness
Is Preventing People from Becoming Homeless.

St. Vincent de Paul joins the community to listen, engage,
and build relationships that assist and advocate for individuals
and families to meet basic needs and achieve stability and self-sufficiency. We inherited a set of values, convictions, and ideals from our founders. They taught us a radical love that honors and protects human dignity as a birthright for all of our neighbors. You have to stick with love. It is the only answer.

Keeping families and individuals in their homes and preventing eviction is one of the primary functions performed by St. Vincent de Paul. We have been doing this work in Seattle for 97 years. Founded in France in 1833, we are now serving people in 150 countries.

Our essential work in King County revolves around 800 volunteers who work in over 50 local neighborhood volunteer groups, listening and helping our neighbors in need. Our Helpline Call Center manages over 40,000 calls per year from neighbors seeking assistance. Many of these calls are desperate families and young mothers seeking help to pay rent or utilities. (Callers are often referred to other agencies for services and may not result in home visits).

We want you to meet Leah and her son Rylan, who were homeless for two years. Because of generous financial support from donors, we were able to support this young family in their journey to find stability. Leah now has employment and, just recently, she found housing with assistance from St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle|King County. This short video gives you a unique and special insight into their lives. Watch her video.


Last year in King County, we responded to over 120,000 requests for aid, through home visits, case management, the Georgetown Food Bank and other related programs. Out of all the requests, we assisted in keeping over 4,000 families in their homes and off the streets.

St. Vincent volunteers go out in pairs and conduct over 12,000 home visits annually. We see, listen and respond to the needs of our neighbors. Our home visit work gives us a true and accurate picture of struggling families here in Seattle and King County. St. Vincent is often able to assist neighbors to get ahead of eviction by helping to pay that extra rent of $300 or $400 dollars for the thousands of people teetering on the edge of homelessness.

According to numerous research reports fighting homelessness by preventing evictions can save taxpayers as much as $50,000 per year per person.

Ned Delmore, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul, made a powerful observation at the 2017 Blue Dress Breakfast on May 10 after presenting Leah’s Story to 350 donors attending the breakfast.

He said, “St. Vincent de Paul believes that the best antidote to reducing homelessness
is preventing people from becoming homeless.”

(read his breakfast remarks here)

When SVdP is called, we show up on the front lines in neighborhoods all over King County. St. Vincent de Paul works with other agencies for single mothers and our senior citizens who cannot stretch their limited dollars and need to pay the overdue electrical bill while worrying about the threat of eviction. It can stem from insufficient income, unexpected health diagnosis, job loss, an injury, a mental disorder and more. All of these situations can and do hasten the inevitability of homelessness. Poverty has no boundaries.

 

Relive Blue Dress Breakfast 2017

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Our Fourth Annual Blue Dress Breakfast was held on May 3, 2017.  Our generous donors gave over $310,000 to this event, which focused on preventing homelessness. The hour-long breakfast event included a lively and energetic fashion show that showcased clothing available at our stores. The models were students volunteering from Holy Names Academy, St. Joseph Seattle and O’Dea High School in Seattle. Staff from our thrift stores also volunteered in the fashion show. 

We also featured an inspiring and heartfelt video presentation about a young mother, Leah, and her son Rylan. They had been homeless for several years and, thanks to our generous donors, are now in a stable housing situation.

Leah’s Story Video

Our Executive Director, Ned Delmore, summed up our campaign for the event like this:

“St. Vincent de Paul believes that the best antidote to reducing homelessness is preventing people from becoming homeless.” (read his breakfast remarks here)

Every year, our 800 St. Vincent volunteers in 50 neighborhoods in King County are able to help someone on the verge of eviction by donating that extra $300 or $400 needed to pay rent. This support keeps thousands of families and individuals from ending up in a shelter or on the streets.

Last year we helped over 4,000 people avoid becoming homeless. According to research, the cost to taxpayers can be as much as $50,000 or more a year when someone is living on the streets. What is more cost effective?  And more importantly, what is more humane?

We encourage you to watch the video and share it with family, friends, business colleagues and community connections.

By donating to St. Vincent de Paul, you can directly help people with rental assistance and other critical needs, keeping them in housing and off the streets. We are hopeful you will consider making this very special gift to support our unique effort in preventing homelessness.

Thank you for supporting your neighbors and the work of St. Vincent de Paul!

 

If you prefer to write and mail a check, please make it payable to:

Blue Dress Breakfast
St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle | King County
5950 4th Ave South
Seattle, WA 98108

Leah’s Story Video

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Leah’s Story

We want you to meet Leah and her son Rylan, who were homeless for two years. With your generous donations, we were able to support this young family in their journey to find stability. Leah now has employment and, just recently, she found housing with assistance from St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle King County. This short video gives you a unique and special insight into their lives. 

Ned Delmore, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul, made a powerful observation in his remarks at the 2017 Blue Dress Breakfast on May 10 after presenting the Leah Story Video to 350 donors attending the breakfast.

He said: “St. Vincent de Paul believes that the best antidote to reducing homelessness is preventing people from becoming homeless.”
(read his breakfast remarks here)

 

Environmental Works Helps St. Vincent: Give Big!

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St. Vincent & Environmental Works (EW) GiveBig Partnership!
Donate to EW to Help SVdP Georgetown Food Bank!

Environmental Works is excited to partner with St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle/King County for GiveBig 2017 on May 10, to raise money for pre-design services for SVdP’s growing food bank and other critical social service facilities in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. 

SVdP’s 76-year-old food bank building requires extensive improvements to stay intact, to be able to house their continually growing and evolving services. A wall nearly collapsed last year, just one of many structural concerns that arise on a regular basis. And now that a new homeless encampment has opened in Georgetown, less than a mile from SVdP. The agency is eager to add shower and laundry facilities to meet these new residents’ needs.

Every dollar raised through GiveBig 2017 will make possible assessment of improved ways to use SVDP’s space, identification and prioritization of facility repairs and improvements, and development of preliminary plans and budgets (for work including the addition of shower facilities) that will enable SVDP to continue providing critical, responsive social services in Georgetown for decades to come. 

Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, your GiveBig donations to Environmental Works on May 10 will be matched up to $2,500, so they will support twice as much pre-design work at no cost to SVdP.

Warehouse floor (basement level) of St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank.

 

Main floor of St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank Building

Fashion Brand Event

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WE’RE HAVING OUR FIRST EVER
FASHION BRAND EVENT | MAY 18-20

Our store team has been collecting brand name apparel for over three months.You will see some of the hottest and most sought after brands including Nike, Eileen Fisher, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, and Ralph Lauren. These items will sell briskly at prices that are a fraction of traditional retail.

All five of our stores are involved in this event on May 18, 19 & 20.
Hours are from 9 am to 7 pm each day.

We invite you to participate in two ways.

  • Donate to any of our stores
  • Come in and shop

Our store sale proceeds help fund our programs and fight homelessness
by preventing evictions.

Our locations

Seattle 13555 Aurora Avenue N. | 206-364-8495

Burien 13445 1st Avenue S. | 206-243-6370

Kenmore 7304 NE Bothell Way | 425-483-9497

Kent 310 N. Central | 253-277-0211

Renton 575 Rainier Avenue N. | 425-226-9426

Donate Furniture

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Donate Furniture:

It may seem hard for you to believe, but a bag of gently used clothes, a box of household items, or a piece of furniture can help people change their lives. How? We sell your donated items quickly so we can convert sales of items to dollars for programs. Please consider donating furniture, clothing and small household items to St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle|King County.

If we can’t resell your items to help people who are struggling, then we recycle them and help the environment. We are one of the oldest and largest recyclers in King County, recycling millions of pounds of materials every year.

Donate Furniture to Help Neighbors in Need

Thanks: Council Member Upthegrove!

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King county council Member Dave Upthegrove visited our South Georgetown campus. We want to thank him for his visit and a grant award from King County to support our Centro Rendu program. He said:

“Today I toured the food bank run by St. Vincent DePaul in South Seattle and met with leadership to discuss programming they provide to struggling individuals and families in South King County. I was pleased to be able to present a check from King County to support Centro Rendu– a program of St. Vincent de Paul that is an educational resources center for the Latino community in South King County. Located in Kent, the program has served hundreds of people with Spanish literacy, primary and secondary education, GED preparation, conversational English, case management, immigration assistance counseling, and a detailed assessment process for relevant referrals to other service agencies.”