Family Resource Center Report to the Legislature (Washington Department of Commerce, April 2024)
Summary
Family Resource Center Report to the Legislature, April 2024, from the Washington State Department of Commerce, Community Services Division, on grants in the supplemental operating budget. The Legislature appropriated $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 for Commerce to administer grants to strengthen family resource center services and increase capacity statewide. The budget directive lets the department award from $30,000 up to $200,000 per grant recipient and calls for 75 percent of funding to go to organizations west of the crest of the Cascade mountains and 25 percent to organizations east of it. Grant recipients were to report on the use of funds, including services offered and family outcomes.
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Cite this document
“Family Resource Center Report to the Legislature (Washington Department of Commerce, April 2024).”
Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2024-commerce-reports-2023-csd-family-resource-center-grants-final-15e-e8e4e671c7/
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Family Resource Center
Report pursuant to Section 128(192) of ESSB 5693 (the
supplemental operating budget)
April 2024
Report to the Legislature
COMMUNITY ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
Director Mike Fong
v3.4
Acknowledgments
Washington State Department of Commerce
Cindy Guertin-Anderson, Assistant Director
Community Services Division
Hoffmann, Karl, CSBG Team Program Manager
Community Services Division
karl.hoffmann@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-725-2903
Washington State Department of Commerce
1011 Plum St. SE
P.O. Box 42525
Olympia, WA 98504-2525
www.commerce.wa.gov
For people with disabilities, this report is available on
request in other formats. To submit a request, please
call 360-725-4000 (TTY 360-586-0772)
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 2
2.0
Table of Contents
Executive summary .........................................................................................................................................4
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................5
Identified needs ..............................................................................................................................................5
Funding allocations .........................................................................................................................................6
Allocations and use of funds .........................................................................................................................12
Program Impact ............................................................................................................................................19
Next steps.....................................................................................................................................................24
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 3
Executive summary
Overview
The Legislature appropriated $5,000,000 to the Department of Commerce for fiscal year 2023 to administer
grants to strengthen family resource center services and increase capacity statewide.
Commerce contracted with 28 Family Resource Centers after completing a request for applications and
opening the competitive process for any current family resource centers, as defined in RCW 43.330.010, or
organizations in the process of becoming qualified as family resource centers.
Legislative mandate
Section 128(192) of EESB 5693 (the supplemental operating budget) directs:
(192)(a) $5,000,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2023 is provided solely for the
department to administer grants to strengthen family resource center services and increase capacity statewide.
Grant funding may be used: For an organization to provide new services in order to meet the statutory requirements
of a family resource center, as defined in RCW 43.216.010; to increase capacity or enhance service provision at
current family resource centers, including but not limited to direct staffing and administrative costs; and to conduct
data collection, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement activities. The department may award an amount
from $30,000 up to $200,000 per grant recipient.
(b) Eligible applicants for a grant under (a) of this subsection include current family resource centers, as defined in
RCW 43.330.010, or organizations in the process of becoming qualified as family resource centers. Applicants must
affirm their ability and willingness to serve all families requesting services in order to receive a grant. Applicants
must currently be or agree to become a member of a statewide family resource center network during the grant
award period in order to receive a grant.
(c) The department must co-convene an advisory group with the department of children, youth, and families that
includes representatives from family resource centers; parents, caregivers, and individuals who have used family
resource center services; and other stakeholders as determined by the department. The department must develop
application guidelines and award funding to eligible applicants in consultation with the department of children, youth,
and families and the advisory group. Advisory group members representing family resource centers or other
organizations that apply for grant funding may not participate in the process of determining grant award recipients.
(d) In distributing grant funding, the department must, to the extent it is practicable, award 75 percent of funding to
organizations located west of the crest of the Cascade mountains, and 25 percent of funding to organizations
located east of the crest of the Cascade mountains.
(e) By July 1, 2023, grant recipients must submit a report to the department on the use of grant funding, including but
not limited to progress in attaining status as a family resource center, if applicable; the number and type of services
offered to families; demographic and income data for families served; and family post service outcomes.
By September 1, 2023, the department must submit a report to the legislature on topics including but not limited to
the grant application process; needs identified by family resource centers; and use of funds by grant recipients.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 4
Introduction
Family Resource Center Report
Commerce contracted with 28 Family Resource Centers after completing a request for applications and
opened up the competitive process for any current family resource centers, as defined in RCW 43.330.010, or
organizations in the process of becoming qualified as family resource centers.
The contract period was July 1, 2022- June 30, 2023.
All grantees funded under this program served diverse families and levels of needs. Grantees were not
required to obtain eligibility criteria for individuals and families to provide services.
All grantees funded under this program were required to strive to serve hard-to-reach populations facing
severe challenges and dealing with crises. Commerce asked grantees to address a wide range of family needs
and, as appropriate, connect families to other resources, and to build on strengths to overcome challenges and
barriers. Strengthening assets or protective factors, such as parental resilience, knowledge of parenting and
child development, supportive social connections, concrete support in times of need, and social and emotional
competence, brings several benefits.
Some examples of allowable activities include, but are not limited to:
Services designed to increase parenting skills and support;
Case management and referral;
Early developmental screening;
Respite or Crisis Care;
Referrals to community-based services;
Public awareness and education activities;
Individual, group, and family counseling and mental health services;
Child abuse and neglect prevention activities;
Family Resource Center based activities;
Transportation to and from the services and activities;
Child care, meals, and incentives to reduce participation barriers;
Flexible funds to meet families' basic needs;
Family access to formal and informal resources;
Parent engagement and leadership;
State and community-based collaborations and partnerships;
Refugee assistance;
Legal Aid;
Administrative and/or indirect costs to support Grantee programs and services;
Supplies and equipment to support Grantee programs and services.
Identified needs
Each program-funded Family Resource Center (FRC) provided a summary of identified needs. In the
summaries, the Centers demonstrated that they based the information on the needs of the local communities
served. Notably, there were many consistent needs across the communities. Overwhelmingly, the top need
identified in each community was to hire additional family support navigators to assist those seeking services
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 5
from the family resource centers. It is essential to have these staff in place to support community members in
need and promptly connect them with the proper resources.
Other common needs identified were food access, clothing and hygiene items, parenting support, language
access, stable and affordable housing, and transportation. We share each FRC's identified needs in Table 1.
Funding allocations
In the innaugural year of this program, Commerce was able to fund all of the 28 proposals received at or above
the initial amount requested in their application in order to obligate all of the funds. Of these programs, 5 (18%)
were located east of the crest of the Cascade mountains and 23 (82%) were located west of the crest of the
Cascade mountains. Commerce was directed to award an amount from $30,000 up to $200,000 per grant
recipient. The average requested grant amount was $165,525, with the smallest request being $47,647 and the
majority of requests being between $150,000 to $200,000. Actual grant amounts, and location of the program
by east or west of the crest of the Cascade mountains, are provided in Table 2.
Table 1. Family Resource Centers identified needs
Agency Identified needs
Access to food/groceries, diapers, child safety items, hygiene and household cleaning products, housing
assistance, transportation, and meeting emergent needs. FRC located in an area identified by the
Amara
Tacoma Health Department as a Community of Focus due to the disparate health outcomes and few
opportunities to improve them.
Catholic Charities of
Families living with extreme hardship and isolation. High volume of need.
Eastern Washington
The need for family navigation and one-on-one family support continues to be a high priority. Families are
still struggling to find the resources they need and get signed up for public benefits. This past year, we
Children's Home placed our two family navigators in communities where individuals are most in need of services. One is
Society of located in the Valle Lindo community, a neighborhood of affordable housing run by the Walla Walla Housing
Washington Authority for agricultural workers. Families there are 100% Hispanic, 100% low-income, and are primarily
Spanish-speaking and reading homes. The community is a “resource desert,” and families may lack public
transportation and may fear connecting to resources because of their immigration status.
As recent arrivals to the United States, immigrant families are often unaware of available services and
programs that can help them. They are confused about eligibility requirements, their rights and
responsibilities, and how participation in these services would impact their immigration status. In addition,
families are intimidated or embarrassed to access services due to language barriers and cultural differences.
Even once these concerns are addressed, the process of navigating complex systems can still overwhelm
families. As a result, families in our community often do not get the information, tools, and support they need
Chinese Information
to improve their lives and ensure their children have the opportunity to thrive. In addition, the rise in anti-
and Service Center
Asian hate crimes has left our community fearful and reluctant to reach out to mainstream support providers
due to fear of retribution. Specifically, our identified needs within the grant period were:
Expansion of Information and Assistance services for Chinese and Vietnamese-speaking families and
individuals.
Expansion of our “Strengthening Families Workshops” for Chinese immigrant parents and caregivers.
Community Action of
Strengthen or enhance our new services at Family Resource Centers.
Skagit County
Identified needs in our community include: stable, affordable, housing; food access, specifically a client
Dylan Jude Harrell
choice model; clothing and hygiene items; community events for under-5 year olds; infant supplies; parenting
Community Center
education
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 6
Agency Identified needs
We recognized a growing population of parents, caregivers, and community partners were seeking concrete
goods, and an underserved population was recognized as “fathers”. We asked for funds to support the
addition of two case manager positions, which we called “Basic Needs Navigator or BNN” and “Fatherhood
Family Education and
Engagement Case Manager or FECM”. We requested funds to help us better reach these, and other,
Support Services -
underserved populations across the County by taking our resources on the road and providing health and
Mason
resource fairs, parking lot distributions, and porch drop-offs. These services aligned with our evidence-based
strategy to build parental resilience, increase access to concrete goods, and increase social support
networks.
We recognized a growing need for concrete goods and asked for funds to build capacity for two case
manager positions we called “Basic Needs Navigator or BNN” and “Fatherhood Engagement Case Manager
Family Education and
or FECM”. We also requested funds to help us better reach underserved populations by allowing us to bring
Support Services -
resources directly to rural neighborhoods via parking lot distributions and collaboration with our many
Thurston
community partners for resource health and wellness events. Finally we asked for funds to help us increase
access to legal support for families navigating parenting plans.
Many families often come to FamilyWorks seeking support in multiple areas of their lives. In 2023, families
who access our services at our Family Resource Center cited the top factors causing the most stress in their
life were financial concerns, isolation/lack of family support, housing/shelter, medical/mental health
concerns, transportation, and childcare. Families reported that language barriers, limited transportation,
scheduling challenges, and trouble navigating complex systems inhibited their ability to access services.
To address these barriers, FamilyWorks offers a convenient one-stop shop where families can address
multiple concerns in a single visit. Our model is available through a number of convenient access points in
North Seattle, including our Family Resource Center headquarters in the Roosevelt neighborhood, our
Wallingford Food Bank, at one of two school-based resource centers (located at Nathan Hale High School
and
Broadview Thomson K-8 School), or through a growing number of mobile pop-up service points.
FamilyWorks
At FamilyWorks, we consider programs to be successful at
addressing families’ top challenges when participants report
that our services are accurate and effective in meeting their
needs. In our 2023 annual participant survey, families
reported the following:
• 94% reported feeling welcomed by FamilyWorks
staff.
• 75% share that programs reflect their family’s
cultural values.
• 92% stated they feel comfortable asking for help.
• 88% report that FamilyWorks programs have helped
families reach their goals.
In our proposal for this grant, we identified mobile outreach as a program we wanted to create and establish.
Our goal was to create a system to take Resource Center services on the road, to improve access to more
Ferndale Community rural communities, and our unhoused neighbors. Our deliverables:
Services Create policies and procedures for the program- complete
Hire a mobile navigator- complete
Serve a minimum of 60 additional people through mobile outreach- complete
During the grant period, the Ferndale School District successfully established, expanded, and operated the
Family Resource Center using the allocated funds. The FRC emerged as a response to identified needs in the
district, supporting marginalized families. This report outlines the accomplishments, initiatives, and impact
of the FRC during and beyond the grant period.
Ferndale School
District The grant allowed the Ferndale School District to bridge budget gaps to help expand the Family Resource
Center, addressing the needs of marginalized families. Liaison positions were hired and created to better
serve the needs of our Latinx, Russian, Ukraine, and Lummi Nation communities. Additional staff were hired
with the cultural competency and skill set to foster connections between families and the Ferndale School
District. With the addition of the new positions in the FRC, they were able to meet the needs of the growing
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 7
Agency Identified needs
diverse community, and were able to better meet the needs of the 158 McKinney-Vento1 students and 20
unaccompanied youth in the Ferndale School District.
In our grant period, we identified the following needs in our community: in the first six months of 2023, First
Step has served over 1,100 families across Clallam and Jefferson Counties. On average, families access two
or more programs at our Family Resource Centers. We identified an increased need for concrete support,
First Step Family food insecurity for families navigating overall increased expenses, housing insecurity, need for support in
Support Center understanding and accessing available resources, and need for parenting support programs such as
parenting education, play groups, and events that support healthy social connections. Additionally, we
identified needs for all of these services in outlying communities where traveling into one of our centers is
difficult.
Foster First requested grant funds to build infrastructure in the Tri-Cities area as a point of interest for
organizational growth. The agency sought to hire a case manager and a family facilitator in this area to
Foster First provide more case management services to foster parents and to expand out of home care. We also sought
to hire a Training Director to provide Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) services in Klickitat, Yakima,
Benton, and Kittitas County, and to provide Right Response training to foster parents
HMG-Skagit FRC has services for people with a variety of financial, social and educational needs. The
concrete supports are intended for people experiencing financial hardship, but proof of income is not
required. We serve a high volume of families whose primary language is Spanish or Mixtec, thanks to having
staff who represent different cultures, themselves. We evaluate utilization data for geographic location and
other factors to determine where we need to do further outreach. We are working on the development of a
Help Me Grow -
mobile FRC so we can bring FRC services to harder-to-reach populations.
Skagit Family
Resource Center
We have served families with many severe challenges, including Indigenous Mexican farmworker families
who have very few worldly goods and whose primary language is only verbal (no written translation);
including grandparents who suddenly have custody of medically fragile grandchildren, living in remote parts
of the County; people who give birth and don’t have the supplies they need to even be discharged from the
hospital; families who experience loss of their homes and belongings due to fire, flood, etc.
LINC NW identified the following areas of need as budget priorities for SFY23: staff salary and benefits, basic
LINC NW clothing items, education support funding including food, grocery and fuel cards, hygiene supplies, feminine
hygiene products, and parent skill training support funds.
Supporting tribal members to spend time on their ancestral lands is crucial for achieving equity, as it creates
Lopez Island Family opportunities for them to undertake their own community projects, create relationships with other
Resource Center organizations, deepen community connection, and support tribal members (particularly youth) who live on
Lopez.
Lakewood Family
Enhanced services, increased outreach, technology upgrades.
Resource Center
LCWNW focused this funding on expenses related to moving the Everett Community Resource Center (CRC)
Lutheran Community to a larger and more accessible location. No expenses utilized in our project directly related to this move
Services NW included ongoing staff time. Having said that, the needs we identified throughout the grant period were in
terms of what was necessary in order to continue and improve current and new services and programming.
The Mullen Polk Foundation was able to identify and meet many areas of need. We found a high need for
stabilization with rental areas and eviction situations, this was addressed with a collaboration with the
Vancouver area’s Council for the Homeless. We utilized the Youth Diversion Funding and were able to help 90
families and distribute an average of $9,000 funding to each family in need. We became the top local agency
in providing support via A Way Home Washington and the Council for the Homeless here in Clark County. We
Mullen-Polk
were able to set up and utilize many connections to local agencies, providing support to other agencies also.
Foundation
We served referrals from the Evergreen School District and offer all services needed.
We found areas of need to include diapers/wipes, formula, food supplies, hygiene items, toys/games for
children, car seats for babies, booster seats for young children, cell phones and/or tablets for families in
need, travel assistance in the form of gas cards, clothing cards for those with work clothing needs, clothing,
1 42 USC CHAPTER 119, SUBCHAPTER VI, Part B: Education for Homeless Children and Youths (house.gov)
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 8
Agency Identified needs
shoes, gift cards for children activities, gift cards for food purchases, assistance with utilities and cut service
notices, school items for youth and for needs that we could not meet, our Foundation would make sure to
establish a connection to an alternative agency or community partner that could assist. No need was ever
turned away without being served or connected to a provider that could assist.
We also established a partnership with the Vancouver Volunteer Lawyers (VVL) program and have built an
extremely successful partnership. The VVL would send clients to us for assistance with needs and we were
able to refer many clients to them for legal assistance in situations that ranged from eviction situations,
domestic violence assistance, immigration assistance and many more legal situations where a family
needed some simple guidance or Court representations. Many families had needs and situations that needed
the legal aspect reviewing and the assistance given prevented further strain on families. The VVL assisted us
greatly in barrier-removal for many of our clients, some needed assistance with getting thing expunged from
their records in order to gain employment, and where there is an average $500 upwards fee associated with
this, we were able to get this done at a very low cost-or free with this partnership.
We found many struggling with heightened utility bills during warmer periods, and those still struggling to pay
off cold month heating bills. We were able to assist many families by providing forms and contacts to a local
community partner called Bridgeview. Bridgeview would allow us to complete applications in our center, send
over the assistance request and facilitate the assistance.
Diapers were a major need we encountered and observed as an area with very little resources, and to meet
this need, we contracted with a diaper supply source. This has allowed us to supply 2,300 diapers and wipes
out to families in need each month. We have established continued monthly supplies set up with families
until they are able to purchase themselves without encompassing a financial strain. In this need, we found
many foster families that had medically fragile infants with higher needs for diapers than the norm and we
continue to supply diapers to these infants and families.
The Foundation was also able to be a distribution point for cell phones and tablets to families in need. To
date we have distributed 800 cell phones and/or tablets to families or individuals in need. These have been
used to assist families who need them to job seek, for those that are not able to purchase or contract with a
service provider but are in need. These phones or tablets are available to any family that receives any form of
government assistance from TANF to Food Stamps. This has been a very popular program. These devices
have unlimited usage and at no cost to the families and are not contracted to any fees.
Finally, a further need we saw on a regular basis was clothing and gas for employment. Reported need for
clothing assistance and employment wear (scrubs/boots/protective wear) was a barrier and being able to
afford gas to attend interviews, drive to work until first pay and even being able to afford gas to make
medical appointments. We were able to assist by providing gift cards to companies that sold the clothing
needed, and gas cards to enable families or individuals to get gas to meet their needs. Often families were
not in an area to utilize public transportation, but for those that were, we were able to facilitate transportation
with pre-paid travel cards. We were able to meet clothing needs for all members of the family as we were
also able to provide shoes for all family members with a partnership with A Shoe That Fits, and that provides
sneakers for children of all ages. In a short period of two months, we were able to give 75 pairs of shoes to
local youth in need. We plan to continue to do this program, as the need was so great.
Multicultural Child & The most common needs that we identified within this grant period were food (groceries, diapers,
Family Hope Center transportation needs (gas cards), household items, and rental assistance.
One of the biggest needs was increasing staffing time in order to provide services throughout the grant
period. With the lingering effects of COVID and the isolation it brought about, we needed staff to do the
following:
- Walkabouts in the High Point public housing community on a regular basis, either doing door-to-door check-
ins or having group chats. This was to build/retain contact with the youth and families.
Neighborhood House - Holding community hearing sessions to learn from the community the programming they would like to see
at the FRC and the level of participation they would like in designing and implementing activities and
programs.
- Designing and Implementing meaningful and relevant programs.
- Being more available to the community for any walk-ins at the center by increasing the hours open to the
public.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 9
Agency Identified needs
North Counties’ Family Services utilized the support to ‘Increase Capacity/Enhance Services and Resources
(ICES&R) through the hiring of a Family Advocate, a person dedicated to developing and facilitating
North Counties'
parenting/caregiver classes, supporting monthly community dinners, and meeting with participants in
Family Services
providing Information and Referrals, as well as direct financial support as individuals/families work toward
self-sufficiency.
In the contract period, ODMF established intake and coordination on the Family Support team planning
Parent Workshops and Parent Support Groups for the Intellectual and Developmental Disability Community in
the King/Pierce County region.
Open Doors for
Multicultural Families
Individualized Systems Navigation: There were 53 unique and new individuals and 300 outcomes served
through this funding portion of our work. This was a critical piece of the larger work of ODMF serving nearly
900 individuals and families in the first 6 months of 2023.
The generous grant of $200,000 allowed for continued programming for undocumented immigrant and
refugee communities participating with The Family Resource Center Department and its Parent Child Home
Plus program. Our goal was to reinforce sustainability for the parent child plus program and provide
participants who have little to no access to financial assistance due to documentation or status. The Family
Southwest Youth &
Resource Center and its Parent Child Home Plus program has had a challenge supporting families in south
Family Services
King County as a majority of families who, over the years, have become priced out of Seattle proper and are
displaced from their long-term housing. After the intensity of the pandemic, plenty of resources were
diminished or not accessible due to lack of staffing or immense need leading to depleted funds earlier than
expected.
A core need we identified during these conversations was to spend more intentional time with families to
establish trusting relationships and build achievable outcomes together. We recognize that due to county
funding, we were able to cover a lot of bills, but were not able to work with folks for the long term to build
more sustainable outcomes. As we moved farther and farther away from lockdown and the time of COVID
Take The Next Step restrictions, more people were seeking out support than ever before. With a small staff of six, across all
programs, it was important to grow the team to be more available for those seeking our services. Before this
grant, we had one full-time navigator and two part-time navigators. We focused funds from this grant to build
our navigation team and officially hired a fourth navigator, who supports the Family Resource Center full
time.
Triumph serves nearly 2,000 clients each year across a continuum of care that includes inpatient and
outpatient residential treatment for substance use disorder; outpatient mental health and substance use
Triumph Treatment
disorder treatment; long-term case management through the Parent-Child Assistance Program; peer support
Services
services; and low-income, substance-free housing. People from all 39 counties in Washington are served
through Triumph’s services, which are in and around Yakima Washington.
At our Sky Valley campus, we were able to maintain our shower program for unsheltered community
members on a routine basis. The program coincides with food pantry times and Narcotics Anonymous
meetings at Sky Valley and service providers such as Sea Mar and the East County Navigator and support
specialists are available to assist visitors with multiple needs when they utilize the program.
We recognize that participant advisory boards are a key tool for FRCs to build community connection and
gain valuable feedback from participants about how we are meeting their needs as a CRC and how
programming should evolve. With grant funds, we were able to compensate participants for their time and
Volunteers of
provide a meal to demonstrate our appreciation of their time and perspective. New initiatives resulting from
America Western
advisory board feedback include:
Washington
Gender neutral bathrooms
Easier access to computers
Non-dairy snack packs assembled and kept separate for those with food allergies.
The goals of our existing Sky Valley Youth Coalition (SVYC) are to reduce substance use; increase
mentorship; reduce suicidal ideation; provide opportunities for education & employment; strengthen
collaboration in the community; reduce food insecurity among teens; and promote an inclusive youth
community where all are welcome, supported and celebrated.
The identified needs for individuals and families served through this grant were primarily case management
YWCA Clark County and emergency financial assistance to stabilize themselves after some form of crisis. Providing a caring
closet stocked with essentials for the community was also a greatly accessed resource. Trauma can be very
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 10
Agency Identified needs
isolating for individuals and families so connection to both resources and community were identified needs
as well that we were able to meet thanks to this funding.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 11
Allocations and use of funds
The Family Resource Centers were able to utilize program funds to continue serving the local communities and
focus on the most significant impacts for their local communities. Most of the funds were used to support the
resource center staff and navigators, allowing the centers to continue operating and expanding the programs
and services they offer. Overwhelmingly, the agencies used these funds to help support access to food and
nutritional items. Diapers and essential needs for babies were also used by many of the organizations. Other
uses of funds were listed as bus passes for transportation, information services, vaccination outreach efforts,
hygiene items, parenting support and housing stability.
Table 2. Family Resource Centers use of funds
Agency Use of funds
We were able to support our staff’s time and work in sustaining our resource center services, youth
development programming, increase partnerships with many community partners and agencies, and host
community events in our Tacoma office.
Amara
We also supported one of our community partners, Tahoma Indian Center, in developing and
$200,000 / west
implementing a youth grief camp this past summer. We also had flexible funding to purchase various
items to help those needing housing, home furnishings, repairing their vehicles or paying utility bills, and
assisting with gift cards so families could purchase diapers, clothing, or other household essentials.
Catholic Charities of Eastern
Reached Indigenous, low-income, and rural families. Concrete goods distribution; Case management;
Washington
Baby Care 101 Parenting Classes. Top requested items included diapers, diaper wipes, diaper cream,
Pack-n-Plays, car seats, strollers, and baby gates. Distributed over 100,000 diapers to families in need.
$165,000 / east
Funds were used to support our Walla Walla FRC, including staff salaries, materials and supplies, travel
expenses, and training. Family navigators provide information and referrals to resources such as basic
needs, emergency support, housing assistance, and assistance accessing physical, mental, and dental
health services to meet families’ immediate needs.
Children's Home Society of
Our Valle Lindo Family Navigator is Spanish speaking with lived experience. Her parents were migrant
Washington
farm workers, so she has a unique understanding of the community's challenges. Through work there, we
are learning how to best meet the needs of undocumented families so that they can navigate community
$200,000 / east
resources and meet their basic needs. One way we did that this year was to hold a resource fair for the
families in the Valle Lindo community. All resources met the community’s unique needs, regardless of
documentation status. FRC programs include afterschool and summer programs for elementary school
students in the Valle Lindo community and support groups for LGBTQ+ youth through our Triple Point
program.
Expansion of Information and Assistance (I & A) services for Chinese and Vietnamese-speaking families
and individuals. CISC hired two additional Family Support Specialists - one Chinese Family Specialist and
one Vietnamese Family Specialist - to provide expanded cultural navigation and support services to
Chinese and Vietnamese-speaking individuals and families connecting them to a wide range of internal
Chinese Information and
and external resources and services to meet their immediate needs at both our Seattle and South King
Service Center
County Family Resource Centers. We provide a broad range of I & A services including childcare subsidy,
affordable preschool, food stamps, health insurance, immigration related issues, transportation,
$140,000 / west
unemployment claim and appeal, and more. In response to parent and caregiver requests, CISC
developed, promoted and conducted Parenting Workshops that addressed a range of topics that
immigrant parents are struggling with and wanting guidance and support in navigating. The workshops
were all strength-based, culturally rooted, and linguistically accessible.
Community Action of Skagit We expanded our ability to offer services to families in the following ways: stationing an employee in
County Anacortes to offer services. We were able to restart children’s activities and supervision as part of our
Adult Education program.
$135,000 / west
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 12
Agency Use of funds
We were able to expand services to families upriver at our East County Resource Center and Concrete
Community Center, in the way of housing intakes, food provision, diapers, prepared meals, bus passes,
and vouchers for clothes, food, and gas.
Provide core family support services and activities: basic needs and resources for families such as
housing intakes, food, clothing, and vouchers.
Information and referral to appropriate programs (such as WIC, Adult Ed and Employment services,
Energy and Utility Assistance, and our Family Development Center Shelter, and information about and help
applying for the Working Families Tax Credit) and partners (such as Anacortes Family Center, the Skagit
Family Resource Center, the Diaper Bank, and so on).
Provide services through a trauma-informed lens. Services identify and address racial disproportionality
and disparities.
We used the funds from the FRC program to hire a Director of Family Resources to launch and run our
new Family Resource Program.
Additionally, we provided over $45,000 in rental and housing assistance to families to keep them from
being houseless. We did this through short-term rentals to get some families out of their cars, for hotel
rooms between long-term options, and to pay a month's rent to keep a family from losing a space they are
in. We focused on families who experience generational poverty or are one paycheck away from being
houseless.
Dylan Jude Harrell
Community Center We used funds to get our Director trained to facilitate Parenting Education and to start a playgroup that
meets weekly for kids under 5 and their parents.
$100,000 / west
We hosted multiple free legal clinics, we hosted parenting education, we put on community events, and we
launched a Family Camp Program.
We bought gas cards, laundry cards, and perishable food items. We also purchased diapers, wipes, car
seats, formula, and other infant items. Additionally, we used funds to put a down payment on a venue for
a family camp and to purchase educational games, books, etc. for youth. These were distributed at
multiple resource events where other resources were covered and families traditionally did not get
anything “fun”, so we supplemented by providing activities for families to do together.
We were able to expand our capacity by securing two case management positions including the Basic
Needs Case Manager (BNCM), and Father Engagement Case Manager (FECM). This reflects 2,583 Mason
County individuals who were served who otherwise would not have been.
We distributed over 3,337 diapers to Mason County families and gave school supplies, holiday gifts,
hygiene items, food, Easter baskets, and children’s books. Grant funds were also used to support our
outreach efforts into the community. We worked with the Mason YMCA and provided six evidence-based
parenting classes at their facility.
We collaborated with the Dept. of Corrections, Child Support and DCYF to provide a “Dad’s Café” listening
Family Education and session in Shelton in an effort to reach and engage dads and community partners to serve them. We
Support Services - Mason worked with both the Squaxin and Skokomish tribes to provide vaccination events for their tribal
communities. We collaborated with the Mason County Fire Department to coordinate a vaccination and
$200,000 / west resource event held January 18th, 2023. At that event alone, we engaged 172 people and vaccinated 15
people (7 Pfizer and 8 Flu Shots). We collaborated with many non-profit, tribal, and state partners to host a
Prevention Summit at the Skokomish Tribal Center on April 14th, 2023. This event provided a full day of
connection and substance abuse prevention training. In addition, we distributed resources and supports
across the community from Grapeview to Belfair. Our outreach efforts were supported by our outstanding
bi-lingual Navigator, Rosa Venancio, who helped us reach Spanish-speaking families. In addition to
building capacity by offering case managers and outreach to rural areas in Mason County, we also
provided peer support to Mason County families engaged in law and justice systems. This included
working with parents who were re-entering the community from jail or prison, parents navigating divorce
or modifying parenting plans, caregivers seeking guardianship, and parents engaged in a dependency with
child welfare.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 13
Agency Use of funds
We were able to add two case management positions including the Basic Needs Case Manager (BNCM),
and Father Engagement Case Manager (FECM). Grant funds were also used to access and leverage
concrete supplies such as hygiene items, laundry soap, shower soap, shampoo, lice kits, combs, brushes,
diapers, and wipes.
Our Father Engagement Case Manager was also very successful in reaching out to our community serving
1,300 men. Men enrolled in our parenting classes, support groups, or dropped in to explore concrete-good
items. Strategies to reach out to this underserved population included extending our service to virtual and
Family Education and
in-person, adding alternative hours such as evenings and Saturdays. We also took the parenting classes to
Support Services - Thurston
locations that might be more comfortable for dads to participate. We offered parenting classes at the
YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs. We held listening sessions, focus groups, Dad Café’s, and a
$200,000/ west
Fatherhood summit (in Thurston and Mason Counties). We also worked with social media to put out a
series of positive messages promoting father engagement and overall parenting.
In addition to building capacity by offering case managers and/or advocates, we asked for support to help
us in our efforts to increase access to legal aid support. Working closely with the Thurston Volunteer
Legal Clinic, Northwest Justice and the Dispute Resolution Center we developed a multi-disciplinary team
who is collaborating on a 3-hour training called “Parenting Plan 101”.
During this contract period, FamilyWorks served a total of 818 households through our Family Resource
Center. The vast majority of families utilized multiple programs at our Family Resource Center. Our rate of
service across all access points was as follows:
• Our Community Connectors partnered with 616 households to help them enroll in public benefits
and navigate community resources, such as SNAP, rental assistance, and Orca Lift.
FamilyWorks
• We served 389 households through our Family Support programs, including youth empowerment
programs, multilingual playgroups, field trips, and parenting classes.
$200,000/ west
• 264 families picked up diapers, wipes, and baby hygiene supplies from our Diaper Bank, and 214
families shopped for free clothing and household items at our Community Closet.
• Our community events, including annual Back to School and Winter Wishes events, reached more
than 100 households.
• We connected 207 families to on-site community partners, including Lifeline Phone Wireless, Public
Health of King County, Solid Ground, and WIC.
Quadrupled the number of households served by our hygiene program, the Other Bank.
Rented a warehouse and stocked it with hygiene items, clothing, and outreach supplies for our mobile
outreach programs.
Provided direct financial housing support to 30 individuals.
Ferndale Community
Services
Launched a mobile outreach program to take Resource Center services into rural areas to support low-
income and unhoused households.
$200,000/ west
Purchased $10,000 in food gift cards to be dispersed in the Community Resource Center and via mobile
outreach.
Purchased outreach materials to get the word out to the community about who we are and what we do.
Grant funds facilitated district leadership as well as supported the new Superintendent’s Entry Plan. This
plan focuses on providing a sense of belonging for ALL the Ferndale School District students. With the
guidance of the Superintendent and her Entry Plan consisting of her “You Belong” Campaign, the entire
administrative district team became involved in the support of the expansion and development of the
FRC. This commitment from ALL the admin team ensured program growth and success as well as
sustainability, providing strategic planning, resources, and attention for all students and families in need
Ferndale School District
of additional support.
$200,000/ west
With the grant funding, resources were increased and the FRC became a hub connecting families with
both internal and external services. Evening classes and programs, including Strengthening Families in
both English and Spanish, English Lessons, and support groups, not only provide education but also
fostered community building within the Family Resource Center. The FRC was also able to provide four
Kin-raising-Kin classes, which also provided families invaluable tools for raising children as well as
providing them with an extended community of support. Grant funding also helped to purchase the
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 14
Agency Use of funds
necessary supplies, and materials for all the new programs and offerings. Basic needs supplies offered
immediate assistance, while consumables created a welcoming environment. Strengthening Families
materials allow ongoing program delivery.
Grant funds enabled staff training, focusing on Strengthening Families, ensuring evidence-based
approaches. Training initiatives, such as Quality Standards for Strengthening Families, equipped staff with
skills for effective implementation and support.
A post-grant needs assessment evaluated progress, strengths, and areas needing improvement. This
assessment guided decision-making for post-grant steps, allowing adjustments based on community
needs. This assessment also brought to light the need for better communication between the FRC staff,
schools, and families. The district has recently hired another FRC staff specifically for communications
and outreach. This individual comes with a wealth of knowledge in the areas of family engagement and
Family Resource Center outreach. FRC family participation included Latinx, Russian, Ukrainian, and Lummi
Nation families.
Through our Family Resource Centers, we have identified programs to support these needs within our
work. Some of these programs were fully or partially funded through this grant as shown below. In the
grant period, we used the funds to support our two Clallam County Family Resource Centers. Funds were
allocated to provide:
Drop-in services at our Port Angeles and Forks Family Resource Centers where families were able to
access safe play spaces, healthy snacks, resource connection, social connections, and more.
Case management services based out of our Forks, WA Family Resource Center to support families
in completing applications, answering questions, connecting with other providers and services. These
services were provided in English, Spanish and Mam languages and primarily served Guatemalan
immigrant families.
We provided 18 Kaleidoscope Play and Learn groups in our Forks Family Resource Center where
families had bilingual access to supportive, facilitated playgroups. On average, five individual families
First Step Family Support and 8 children attended each group.
Center Supported some of our Diaper Bank Coordinator staff position. This role ensures that our nine diaper
depot locations around Clallam and Jefferson Counties are stocked with diapers for families to
$135,000 / west access. January – June 2023 our diaper bank locations supported 2156 visits and provided over
190,000 diapers to families in our community.
Additionally, funds were used to purchase: diapers and concrete goods for families; healthy snacks and
supplies for families accessing play groups and drop-in services; program and building supplies to
support the opening of our new Forks, WA Family Resource Center; translation services to support
Guatemalan immigrant families accessing services in our FRC; technology (phone, laptop) to support our
Family Resource Coordinator/Case manager; facilitator training in the evidence-based “Parenting
Journeys” parent education program. Since attending this training, we have facilitated (using alternative
funding) three 12-week parent education sessions with 20 unique parents attending; rent and utilities
expenses at our Forks, WA Family Resource Center; fuel/mileage to support our work; program
management costs to develop and support new and expanded programming; administrative costs to
support programming such as telephone and door support, facilities support and setting up the FRCs.
Foster First was able to hire a Case Manager/Family Facilitator hybrid and supply a vehicle to the Tri-
Cities area. The agency was also able to hire and educate a case manager in the utilization of the Positive
Parenting Program. Foster First used grant funding to continue serving Yakima and Kittitas counties and
expand in Benton and Franklin counties. We were able to serve four foster families in the Tri-Cities area
strictly due to receiving the grant. We were also able to provide after-hours and crisis response services to
families in the Tri Cities area, which was impossible before receiving grant funds. Furthermore, during this
Foster First
time, our Training Director was able to serve 15 different families with Triple P services. Biological parents
engaged in the 10-week program with the goal of maintaining placement of their biological children within
$200,000/ east
their natural home. Alternatively, the program was utilized to aid biological parents in reunifying with their
biological children. The program resulted in three successful reunifications and 12 cases in which
removal from the home was prevented. In addition to taking on the Positive Parenting Program, our
Training Director was able to certify 28 individuals in utilization of Right Response techniques. These
individuals were comprised of newly licensed foster parents, paraprofessionals, foster care staff, group
home staff, and in-home caregivers.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 15
Agency Use of funds
The FRC supports families with concrete needs (diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies, safety supplies); parent
Help Me Grow - Skagit education and support; assistance applying for public programs; linkage to a wide variety of basic needs,
Family Resource Center health care, developmental supports, and family supports; providing families with educational and
enrichment opportunities through special events; offering a safe and inviting space for supervised
$145,000 / west visitation; providing free birthday parties through the CMSC scholarship program; offering play & learn
groups and parenting education opportunities, etc.
LINC NW was able to keep to our budget allocations with only 1.5% adjustments. Our primary areas of
spending focused on staffing and basic needs supplies. Having our staff wages and benefits allocations
as well as funding support for tangible items to distribute to our community alleviated a significant
LINC NW
pressure for our agency and allowed us the breathing room to support clients, programs, and build
capacity for additional supports and outreach. LINC NW served individuals and families in Snohomish
$165,000 / west
County focusing our efforts on the 98270 and 98271 zip codes. Our records show that we served over 950
individuals and 415 families with these funds and is making strides to continue that effort into the new
fiscal year.
Lopez Island Family Resource Center used the funds to fund its food and nutrition assistance program as
Lopez Island Family well as family and housing assistance programs. The program staff was also supported with these funds
Resource Center to continue to support tribal members to spend time on their ancestral lands. This is crucial for achieving
equity, as it creates opportunities for them to undertake their own community projects, create
$190,000/ west relationships with other organizations, deepen community connection, and support tribal members
(particularly youth) who live on Lopez.
With the additional funds, we have been able to hire qualified staff on our team to compassionately serve
and meet the needs of families in our community. We have been able to offer additional workshops on
topics such as parental skills, mental awareness, and job readiness skills for adolescents. We have been
able to expand our youth groups for extended sessions and support. These programs have been well
received by our community members and have provided valuable skills and knowledge to improve their
quality of life.
We were able to continue to support families with food and nutrition. Once we supported a few families,
Lakewood Family Resource
word got out and more families came through the door for food and nutrition assistance. Additionally,
Center
more families came to the center in need of clothing, toiletries, diapers and hygiene items and we were
able to support these necessities. We have also been able to support our Lakewood families with housing
$160,000/ west
assistance for an extended period.
The grant has allowed us to launch a targeted outreach campaign to identify and reach underserved
families who may not have known about our services. This has allowed us to see where services are
needed most.
Your support has also enabled us to invest part of the funds in our budget for a new computer lab,
designed for students and other individuals to utilize to further their education and growth.
LCSNW moved services to an enhanced physical location, an action that addressed two major mission-
oriented goals: 1. Provide a dignified, trauma-informed physical space in which to offer services and
support; and 2. Position the Everett CRC to serve more people from marginalized communities across
Snohomish County, with special emphasis on culturally specific services for Hispanic/Latino and
refugee/immigrant communities.
Therefore, the funds covered moving expenses, facilities improvement, light renovations and basic
Lutheran Community equipment needed to start up programs. Having access to this funding not only made it possible to
Services NW operate the Everett CRC in the new space, but also has helped to create a clean, bright, a welcoming
space that aligns with trauma-informed care guidelines for physical spaces that support trauma-affected
$200,000/ west individuals and families.
In terms of “Moving to new location”, we included all expenses directly related to packing, moving,
transporting, and unloading all components of the offices and services from one location to another.
In terms of “Facilities Improvements”, we included some painting, carpet installation, flooring installation,
furnishings and other light improvements, as well as key equipment such as, projector, hybrid conference
devices, carts used during food and diaper distributions, banners, white boards, etc.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 16
Agency Use of funds
Finally, indirect expenses covered general administrative expenses as well as back-end support from a
couple of LCSNW professionals, including the following: services from IT staff who installed tech
equipment and hardware; time from the CRC Program Director, time from the LCSNW Facilities Director.
The Mullen-Polk Foundation utilized pre-paid cards for distribution as this allowed us to track not only the
needs, but also give the recipient the options of use. We were able to buy food to create food boxes,
within the food boxes we placed non-perishable items and then provided a store card with a set amount
on it to buy fresh produce and meat products to complete the food boxes. We utilized $10,000 to contract
with a diaper bank, this allowed us to supply over 2,000 diapers and 116 packs of wipes per month to
families in need. We were able to purchase formula and provide that to families in need who were not able
Mullen-Polk Foundation
to get WIC or assistance from any other source.
$100,000/ east
We were able to provide items and services to meet the needs and gaps in family stability. We
and
consistently completed effective reviews on our progress in meeting the clients’ basic needs and
$100,000 / west
assisting them to achieve stabilization. We consistently reviewed these services to ensure we were
meeting the needs of the clients effectively, Including providing tangible items and support to the clients,
the Mullen-Polk Foundation provided case management via resource specialist. Our resource specialists
were constantly reviewing the needs, gaps and sourcing additional community partnerships to meet the
identified areas. The intensive case management was very successful in engaging clients, building case
plans to remove barriers in a triage manner and following up on every level to ensure success.
MCFHC utilized the funds to provide staffing to address families’ basic needs, utilizing additional grant
funds to provide the basic needs, diapers/pull-ups, grocery gift cards, and gas gift cards. Along with items,
each family also received a light-touch case management to be informed of other services, programs, and
resources that MCFHC offers as well that will address their need and create sustainability in support. For
Multicultural Child & Family
example, the diaper bank is a recurring resource that a family can access every month. All families that
Hope Center
state they need rental assistance, we refer to our Diversion Program or the Pierce County Eviction
Program. All families that stated they needed grocery/food assistance, were invited to the Sunday
$190,000/ west
Groceries that provides free groceries from Amazon Fresh every Sunday. Families can access it every
Sunday. Along with tangible needs, to address social emotional and mental health well-being, we invited
all families to also participate in our family engagement nights and mental health support groups such as
Sisterhood of Strength, Health and Empowerment, and all support groups at Tacoma Recovery Center.
Neighborhood House
We used the majority of funding for increasing staff time and capacity in order to achieve the identified
needs referenced above.
$100,000/ west
Throughout the grant period, workshops were conducted: Budgeting 101/four individuals attended;
Nutrition/Cooking/two older youth helped plan and prepare meal—36 individuals attended the event. And,
North Counties' Family
while it was anticipated three workshops would be completed in the six months; unfortunately, with the
Services
increased demand (through outreach) of 1:1 support, monthly Community Dinners with a Purpose,
continuing outreach and multiple activities, NCFS staff were able to complete two of the ‘hoped-for’
$165,000/ west
workshops. However, workshops continue today, with support from Goodwill, Stilly Valley Health
Connections, and other partners.
Housing Stability Supports: Open Doors for Multicultural Families was able to support families from a
broad range of cultures, disabilities and backgrounds with case management and supports to stabilize
housing. Nearly $59,000 in funds were administered in this support, serving families throughout King
County, and identified an unmet need in Pierce County. This included rental assistance, utility assistance,
Open Doors for Multicultural
support for families going through domestic violence, unexpected death, and other various needs
Families
threatening homelessness or instability. The funding and flexibility proved valuable for the entire staffing
that is supporting the children and families we serve.
$200,000/ west
In addition to the workshops, support groups and housing assistance, our staff were able to connect
individuals with resources in the community as well as support in school system and individual education
planning for their students.
Southwest Youth & Family The funds were prioritized to cover salaries for the Parent Child Plus program. The rest of the funds were
Services mostly allocated to financial assistance for utilities. We served 52 families living outside of the city limits
and within King County. They were provided with some direct assistance/support. Majority went to utility
$200,000/ west bills for undocumented families participating in the Parent Child Plus program while Family Resource
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 17
Agency Use of funds
Center Program participants supported their clients based on most in need. A Minor use of the funds was
allocated to programming incentives for an FRC parenting class.
The funds of this grant went to supporting the hiring of a new navigator and navigation wages, ED support
for the continued care of the staff and program direction, administrator support for grant management,
and to offer a competitive medical benefits package for staff and dependents. This allowed us to increase
our outputs, connect on a deeper level with everyone who walked in our doors, and took better care of our
staff. We recognize that our work and our ability to make lasting change in this community is tied to how
Take The Next Step
well we care for ourselves so that we can care for others.
$155,000/ west
We included wages, taxes, and benefits across our three budget lines that were approved for the grant
and spent accordingly:
Management: $72,200
Program: $70,000
Administrative: $12,800
The funds from this grant supported Triumph's efforts to expand outpatient mental health services and
increase access for a broader range age groups from January 1, 2023 through June 30,.2023 in three key
areas; management staff, support staff, and administrative and training support. Below is a summary of
Triumph Treatment Services how the grant funds ($200,000) were spent in each of the key areas.
$200,000/ east Management Staff Salaries including Psychiatric Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP)
ARNP and Peer Counselor Clinical Supervisor: $80,707
Salaries for three Peer Counselor support staff: $60,403
Administrative costs and training for the ARNP, Clinical Supervisor, and staff: $58,890
Grant funding allowed our program coordinator to create more opportunities for volunteer onboarding,
learning and appreciation. Supporting our volunteers is critical to maintaining capacity at our CRC office
as volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization and provide significant work in service to the
community. Increased staff capacity allowed us to conduct additional recruitment for our cold weather
shelter. As a result, we recruited 48 volunteers, a 50% increase from the previous year. We also expanded
Volunteers of America opportunities within our CRCS for student internships and Transition program volunteer and training
Western Washington opportunities for youth and youth adults with disabilities. Finally, we were able to host a volunteer
appreciation event and conduct a formal volunteer survey to learn how we can further support volunteers
$200,000/ west moving forward.
Our funding allowed us to directly plan and host 10 community events, engaging a total of more than
1,500 community members over the course of the year. Events included back-to school fairs with free
backpacks and supplies for kids, holiday toy drives, a community picnic, community resource fair and
Mother’s Day event.
The Family Resource Center funds were used to cover a .5 (FTE) dedicated Family Care Coordinator to
provide case management, manage the caring closet, and coordinate classes for the community on topics
such as financial wellness, meal planning on a budget and healthy eating. Case management consisted of
helping individuals and families in identifying and reaching their personal goals, providing emergency
financial assistance for families in need of things like utility assistance, clothing assistance and
transportation assistance.
YWCA Clark County
We served individuals and families in Clark County, WA. Thanks to the added funding for staff, the Care
Coordination Services program was able to serve a total of 134 families, and provide emergency financial
assistance to 61 households. The three community classes offered served a total of 35 families (92 total
attended). We provided interpreters for each workshop. Over 50% of total attendees identified as Hispanic
and/or Latinx and survey results following each class were overwhelmingly positive. Several people from
each classes gave the feedback that they appreciated having this offered within the community to bring
people together.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 18
Program Impact
During the contract period July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023 45,587 individuals were impacted by the work of the
family resource centers.
Table 3. Family Resource Centers program impacts
Agency Program impact
We were able to support our staff’s time and work in sustaining our resource center services, youth
development programming, increase partnerships with many community partners and agencies, and
host community events in our Tacoma office.
Amara We also supported one of our community partners, Tahoma Indian Center, in developing and
implementing a youth grief camp this past summer. We also had flexible funding to purchase various
items to help those needing housing, home furnishings, repairing their vehicles or paying utility bills,
and assisting with gift cards so families could purchase diapers, clothing, or other household
essentials.
Reached Indigenous, low-income, and rural families. Concrete goods distribution; Case management;
Catholic Charities of Eastern
Baby Care 101 Parenting Classes. Top requested items included diapers, diaper wipes, diaper cream,
Washington
Pack-n-Plays, car seats, strollers, and baby gates. Distributed over 100,000 diapers to families in need.
At both locations combined, we served 246 individuals with family navigation and have seen an
increase in the family goal setting on which we are partnering with families. Goal setting, in some
cases, has led to better outcomes for families, including greater financial stability, an increase in
003 Children's Home Society of
education, being housed, or stronger family units. We have also seen an increase in the need for basic
Washington
needs items. In response, we increased the size of our resource room at the FRC. Last year, we served
199 families with basic need items and have recently launched a food pantry in partnership with Blue
Mountain Action Council to help meet the need in the community for food.
Chinese Information and Service Served 502 unduplicated Chinese and Vietnamese speaking immigrants with the Information and
Center Assistance Services and 85 unduplicated families with the Family Workshops.
In the year July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, we served approximately 4,000 individuals (parents and
children) with WIC nutrition education and support, resulting in the following federally reportable
outcome: 4,000 individuals improved their physical health and wellbeing.
In the same grant period, not including WIC, our three resources centers and our Education and
Employment program served a total of 1,485 households, about half of whom were families with
children.
These three resource centers and Education and Employment Program (not including WIC) serve
clients with the following demographics:
27% are under 18 (In WIC, this percentage is much higher)
42% identify as a race other than white
27% identify as Latino/Hispanic (In WIC, this is much higher, over 50%)
Community Action of Skagit
24% are disabled, 68% are below 100% of the Federal Poverty Line
County
We served 70 students with adult education services, about 50% (35) of whom showed measurable
skills gains, resulting the federally reportable outcome: 35 students achieved adult basic education
skills gains.
We served about 25 children as part of the adult education services program.
We served 30 employment participants – almost all on TANF with children – during the grant period.
Over the course of their 9-month enrollments, these families were supported with job coaching and
placement, job skills development, and two-generation coaching.
Our federally reportable outcome is that about 25 individuals obtained employment. The FRCP grant
has given Community Action an opportunity to expand its programming to families in more rural areas
of the county, reach out to engage more vulnerable populations that we aren’t reaching well enough,
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 19
Agency Program impact
and augment the children and family support services offered through our adult education and
employment programs.
Clothing Closet: 238 Families, 330 Individuals, 1201 Clothing Items.
Food Pantry: 119 Families, 451 Individuals, 1063 Pounds of Food.
Dylan Jude Harrell Community
Housing: 32 families, Over $45,000 in payments.
Center
Playgroup: 174 total attendees over 5 months (kids and adults).
Parenting Education: 21 total individuals attended
Overall our agency increased our service delivery from 16,000 to nearly 19,873 people in this past year.
Family Education and Support
Of those served, 30% were Thurston County, 13% were Mason County, 6% Lewis County and an
Services - Mason
additional 21% were outside of our direct catchment area.
The Basic Needs Case Manager was able to increase basic needs from serving 111 people to over 490
Family Education and Support individuals in just a few months. We distributed over 23,366 diapers and provided $123,207 in housing
Services - Thurston support which kept 160 families and 379 children housed. Over 7,622 individuals were served either at
our facility in Tumwater, or through our many outreach efforts.
In total, funds from the Washington State Department of Commerce significantly improved
FamilyWorks’ ability to provide meaningful and responsive programs to the families we serve. We were
able to grow our programs while extending the footprint of our services – a critical expansion as
FamilyWorks demand for our services rose beyond pre-pandemic levels. FamilyWorks served nearly 60% more
households in 2022 than in 2019. Support from the Washington State Department of Commerce
empowered FamilyWorks to meet the immediate needs of families while building our long-term,
sustainable capacity.
Served 60 new clients via mobile outreach- We estimate that our "Trailhead Markets" (mobile resource
center set up at camps or in rural areas) serve on average 35 people each instance. We vastly over
achieved this outcome!
Served 20 new Other Bank clients via mobile services- We have established Other Bank at all of our
Trailhead Market stops and we enrolled 47 new people during the grant period.
Ferndale Community Services Increasde Resource Center usage and Other Bank enrollment by 20%- Our Resource Center has seen a
rapid increase in usage during the grant period- we estimate a 50% increase! And Other Bank Usage
has quadrupled compared to the same time period the previous year. So far in 2023, we have enrolled
240 households. This was our biggest area of growth.
Growth and development of at least 3 strategic partnerships- We have established a partnership with
Loads of Love in Blaine, St. Peter's Mission in Kendall, and Valley Community Church in Sumas. These
have become regular stops for the mobile Resource Center.
The Ferndale School District’s Family Resource Center’s impact extended beyond the grant period and
will hopefully continue to be supported in the next Commerce grant cycle, fostering family engagement
and sustainability. By establishing an inclusive environment with welcoming, knowledgeable staff, the
FRC empowered families to actively engage in education and well-being, promoting cultural integration
and educational success.
Ferndale School District
Thanks to the Washington State Department of Commerce Family Resource Center Grant, the Ferndale
School District established a Family Resource Center that met the needs of marginalized families. The
FRC’s impact enhanced services, family engagement, and community well-being. Staff development,
needs assessment, and tailored services ensured continuous improvement. The FRC’s positive impact
will endure, strengthening the district, families, and students for years to come.
We so appreciate this funding and were able to use this to launch and support programs in our
First Step Family Support Center community. We look forward to submitting our RFP in the upcoming funding cycle in hopes of
continued funding.
Foster First was able to hire a Case Manager/Family Facilitator hybrid and supply a vehicle to the Tri-
Cities area. The agency was also able to hire and educate a case manager in the utilization of the
Foster First
Positive Parenting Program. Foster First used grant funding to continue serving Yakima and Kittitas
counties and expand in Benton and Franklin counties. We were able to serve four foster families in the
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 20
Agency Program impact
Tri-Cities area strictly due to receiving the grant. We were also able to provide after-hours and crisis
response services to families in the Tri Cities area, which was impossible before receiving grant funds.
Furthermore, during this time, our Training Director was able to serve 15 different families with Triple P
services. Biological parents engaged in the 10-week program with the goal of maintaining placement of
their biological children within their natural home. Alternatively, the program was utilized to aid
biological parents in reunifying with their biological children. The program resulted in three successful
reunifications and 12 cases in which removal from the home was prevented. In addition to taking on
the Positive Parenting Program, our Training Director was able to certify 28 individuals in utilization of
Right Response techniques. These individuals were comprised of newly licensed foster parents,
paraprofessionals, foster care staff, group home staff, and in-home caregivers.
The FRC supports families with concrete needs (diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies, safety supplies);
parent education and support; assistance applying for public programs; linkage to a wide variety of
Help Me Grow - Skagit Family basic needs, health care, developmental supports, and family supports; providing families with
Resource Center educational and enrichment opportunities through special events; offering a safe and inviting space for
supervised visitation; providing free birthday parties through the CMSC scholarship program; offering
play & learn groups and parenting education opportunities, etc.
LINC NW was able to keep to our budget allocations with only 1.5% adjustments. Our primary areas of
spending focused on staffing and basic needs supplies. Having our staff wages and benefits
allocations as well as funding support for tangible items to distribute to our community alleviated a
significant pressure for our agency and allowed us the breathing room to support clients, programs,
LINC NW
and build capacity for additional supports and outreach. LINC NW served individuals and families in
Snohomish County focusing our efforts on the 98270 and 98271 zip codes. Our records show that we
served over 950 individuals and 415 families with these funds and is making strides to continue that
effort into the new fiscal year.
Number of people served:
1,000 adults and children with food supports, 6 households received rental assistance
Lopez Island Family Resource 137 youth in Indigenous activities, La Cima leadership program, youth advisory activities, reading
Center coaching and parent-tot groups
40 spanish speaking youth and adults took CPR training
28 community members supported with the Heart and Soul Café, a recovery cafe
150 tribal members were supported to come to Lopez/participate in intertribal events
Lakewood Family Resource The Lakewood Family Resource Center served over 8,000 families! The grant not only addressed
Center immediate needs but also helped lay the foundation for long-term positive change.
LCSNW moved services to an enhanced physical location, an action that addressed two major mission-
oriented goals: 1. Provide a dignified, trauma-informed physical space in which to offer services and
support; and 2. Position the Everett CRC to serve more people from marginalized communities across
Snohomish County, with special emphasis on culturally specific services for Hispanic/Latino and
refugee/immigrant communities.
Therefore, the funds covered moving expenses, facilities improvement, light renovations and basic
equipment needed to start up programs. Having access to this funding not only made it possible to
operate the Everett CRC in the new space, but also has helped to create a clean, bright, a welcoming
space that aligns with trauma-informed care guidelines for physical spaces that support trauma-
affected individuals and families.
Lutheran Community Services
NW
In terms of “Moving to new location”, we included all expenses directly related to packing, moving,
transporting, and unloading all components of the offices and services from one location to another.
In terms of “Facilities Improvements”, we included some painting, carpet installation, flooring
installation, furnishings and other light improvements, as well as key equipment such as, projector,
hybrid conference devices, carts used during food and diaper distributions, banners, white boards, etc.
Finally, indirect expenses covered general administrative expenses as well as back-end support from a
couple of LCSNW professionals, including the following: services from IT staff who installed tech
equipment and hardware; time from the CRC Program Director, time from the LCSNW Facilities
Director.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 21
Agency Program impact
The Mullen-Polk Foundation utilized pre-paid cards for distribution as this allowed us to track not only
the needs, but also give the recipient the options of use. We were able to buy food to create food boxes,
within the food boxes we placed non-perishable items and then provided a store card with a set
amount on it to buy fresh produce and meat products to complete the food boxes. We utilized $10,000
to contract with a diaper bank, this allowed us to supply over 2,000 diapers and 116 packs of wipes per
month to families in need. We were able to purchase formula and provide that to families in need who
were not able to get WIC or assistance from any other source.
Mullen-Polk Foundation We were able to provide items and services to meet the needs and gaps in family stability. We
consistently completed effective reviews on our progress in meeting the clients’ basic needs and
assisting them to achieve stabilization. We consistently reviewed these services to ensure we were
meeting the needs of the clients effectively, Including providing tangible items and support to the
clients, the Mullen-Polk Foundation provided case management via resource specialist. Our resource
specialists were constantly reviewing the needs, gaps and sourcing additional community partnerships
to meet the identified areas. The intensive case management was very successful in engaging clients,
building case plans to remove barriers in a triage manner and following up on every level to ensure
success.
MCFHC utilized the funds to provide staffing to address families’ basic needs, utilizing additional grant
funds to provide the basic needs, diapers/pull-ups, grocery gift cards, and gas gift cards. Along with
items, each family also received a light-touch case management to be informed of other services,
programs, and resources that MCFHC offers as well that will address their need and create
sustainability in support. For example, the diaper bank is a recurring resource that a family can access
Multicultural Child & Family Hope every month. All families that state they need rental assistance, we refer to our Diversion Program or
Center the Pierce County Eviction Program. All families that stated they needed grocery/food assistance, were
invited to the Sunday Groceries that provides free groceries from Amazon Fresh every Sunday. Families
can access it every Sunday. Along with tangible needs, to address social emotional and mental health
well-being, we invited all families to also participate in our family engagement nights and mental health
support groups such as Sisterhood of Strength, Health and Empowerment, and all support groups at
Tacoma Recovery Center.
We used the majority of funding for increasing staff time and capacity in order to achieve the identified
Neighborhood House
needs referenced above.
Throughout the grant period, workshops were conducted: Budgeting 101/four individuals attended;
Nutrition/Cooking/two older youth helped plan and prepare meal—36 individuals attended the event.
And, while it was anticipated three workshops would be completed in the six months; unfortunately,
North Counties' Family Services with the increased demand (through outreach) of 1:1 support, monthly Community Dinners with a
Purpose, continuing outreach and multiple activities, NCFS staff were able to complete two of the
‘hoped-for’ workshops. However, workshops continue today, with support from Goodwill, Stilly Valley
Health Connections, and other partners.
The Family Resource Center funding provided valuable space for parents, children and communities
who are Refugee, Immigrant and BIPOC in addition to having a loved one with an Intellectual or
Developmental Disability. We are grateful for this funding and the support of the Department of
Commerce.
One great need identified was the addressed with the flexible funding for housing stability, another was
the necessary language supports for the communities where English is the second language.
Open Doors for Multicultural
Navigating systems as well as learning about resources was helpful in the context of language and
Families
cultural connection.
Funds were used for improving our interpretation and translation in workshops, trainings, and support
group facilitation. We live in primary languages, so it is important to have additional technical support
assist in allowing parents to understand more clearly their role and ability to advocate for themselves in
social service systems and school-based supports. In addition to housing and utility assistance, the
need for in-person connection was evident through language access and peer supports.
The funds were prioritized to cover salaries for the Parent Child Plus program. The rest of the funds
Southwest Youth & Family were mostly allocated to financial assistance for utilities. We served 52 families living outside of the
Services city limits and within King County. They were provided with some direct assistance/support. Majority
went to utility bills for undocumented families participating in the Parent Child Plus program while
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 22
Agency Program impact
Family Resource Center Program participants supported their clients based on most in need. A Minor
use of the funds was allocated to programming incentives for an FRC parenting class.
We hired and onboarded the new navigator at the beginning of Quarter 2, 2023. With the additional
navigator, during Q2, we serviced 25 more households, representing 75 more individuals than served in
Take The Next Step
Q1, 2023. While we do have funding available for the entirety of Snohomish County, 52% of households
served were directly in Monroe, where we are located.
This Family Resource Center grant has allowed Triumph to build capacity for outpatient mental health
services by supporting a portion of the ARNP's salary as she builds rapport with Triumph's client base
and develops procedures and systems to open the new mental health clinic. By helping to cover a
portion of the ARNP salary during the grant period, this grant has helped Triumph build capacity for
future financial support of the position by working with Managed Care Organizations to coordinate
Triumph Treatment Services billing for these outpatient services. Additionally, the grant has helped us hire, onboard, and complete
training and certification for three new Peer Support staff members. Below is the total impact of
individuals served during the grant period through these new roles:
Peer Counselors supported 20 clients through resource connection over 74 formal visits.
96 community members received support and outreach from Peer Support staff.
104 people received mental health services through the Psychiatric ARNP with 198 visits.
Using funds from the grant, we were able to increase office staffing to improve walk-in, appointment,
and phone availability of our Support Specialists at all three CRC locations (Arlington, Lake Stevens,
and Sultan). During the grant period, we served 4,326 unduplicated households/ 8,170 individuals
across our three locations. In addition, we distributed emergency food to over 1,100 clients.
Over the grant period, we provided 967 showers, with each participant being offered toiletries and
clothing during their visits. As part of this outreach, we were even able to connect 29 clients to our
Volunteers of America Western
Housing Navigator and successfully place 11 clients into housing.
Washington
During the grant period, we served 42 unduplicated youth (314 total visits) during 23 Teen Nights
hosted by SVYC. In March 2023, we launched Homework Help, which served 14 teens with weekly
tutoring from adult volunteers. We also hosted our first youth-focused job fair with 13 local vendors
where six teens were directly connected to employment and employment support such as mock
interviews and resume help. Each week during our services, we provided an average of 20 food bags to
food-insecure youth.
The Family Resource Center funds were used to cover a .5 (FTE) dedicated Family Care Coordinator to
provide case management, manage the caring closet, and coordinate classes for the community on
topics such as financial wellness, meal planning on a budget and healthy eating. Case management
consisted of helping individuals and families in identifying and reaching their personal goals, providing
emergency financial assistance for families in need of things like utility assistance, clothing assistance
and transportation assistance.
YWCA Clark County
We served individuals and families in Clark County, WA. Thanks to the added funding for staff, the Care
Coordination Services program was able to serve a total of 134 families, and provide emergency
financial assistance to 61 households. The three community classes offered served a total of 35
families (92 total attended). We provided interpreters for each workshop. Over 50% of total attendees
identified as Hispanic and/or Latinx and survey results following each class were overwhelmingly
positive. Several people from each classes gave the feedback that they appreciated having this offered
within the community to bring people together.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 23
Next steps
For the 2023-2025 biennium budget, the legislature appropriated $1,000,000 annually to administer grants to
strengthen family resource center services and increase capacity statewide. Grant funding may be used: for an
organization to provide new services to meet the statutory requirements of a family resource center, as
defined in RCW 43.216.010, to increase capacity or enhance service provision at current family resource
centers, including but not limited to direct staffing and administrative costs; and to conduct data collection,
evaluation, and quality improvement activities. The department may award an amount from $30,000 up to
$200,000 per grant recipient.
Of the amounts provided in (a) of this subsection, $250,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal
year 2024 and $250,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 are provided for the
department to give a grant to the statewide non-profit organization that serves as the registered Washington
network member of the national family support network. The grant recipient may use the grant funding for
costs including, but not limited to, outreach and engagement, data and evaluation, and providing training and
development opportunities to support family resource centers statewide.
SFY23 FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER REPORT 24
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