Residents can contribute directly to the Human Services Fund
The Human Services fund is administered by the Human
Services Division to serve Bellevue residents and is used to help
agencies provide needed health and social services. While you cannot
designate your donation to a particular agency or program, you are
assured that 100 percent of it will go to providing services; there are
no administrative fees taken out.
To contribute, please make a check out to the City
of Bellevue Human Services Fund and mail to:
Human Services Fund
Parks & Community Services
PO Box 90012
Bellevue, WA 98009-9012
Success Stories
All of the agencies and programs mentioned in the
following true stories receive support from the Human Services Fund. By
supporting the Fund, you make a real difference in people's lives in
our community. To protect privacy, the names in these accounts have been
changed.
Escaping Abuse
Nicole had a husband and two children, a beautiful
suburban home and a successful career. She also had a secret. Her
husband was a violent abuser who often threatened to harm his
family. Nicole never imagined she would wind up homeless, but fear for
her family's lives finally prompted her to leave their home and enter a
shelter.
They were referred to the YWCA's Family Village
Transitional Housing Program and lived there for 10 months. The
family had a safe and stable place to live plus intensive case
management services, legal assistance and mental health counseling, as
Nicole noted, "to help me heal from the abuse, be a good parent and
manage the stressful changes in my life." For the first time in many
years, Nicole and her children found safety, security and support.
"Before this happened to me, I vaguely knew there
were groups out there like the YWCA that helped people in need. But I
didn't pay that much attention. Now, I can say with certainty, we all
should pay attention. We have no idea when we or someone we love could
be a woman in need." With renewed self-confidence, Nicole returned to
her career. In March, the family was able to return to the home that
they fled just a year ago, safe from the threat of violence and on the
road to new lives.
An Ounce of Prevention
Alex, a 14-year-old boy, was referred to Youth
Eastside Services by a juvenile court conference committee. He was
arrested for shoplifting. Alex was resistant to counseling and initially
planned to attend five sessions, the minimum number required.
During these five sessions, unexpectedly for Alex,
he and his YES counselor were able to develop a positive rapport, enough
so that Alex felt that it was safe to share more of his life
story. Alex was raised primarily by foster parents. His biological
parents were divorced when he was six. His father has been in prison for
a series of violence offenses, including domestic abuse inflicted upon
Alex's mother. His mother struggled with chemical dependency and was in
and out of rehabilitation centers and in and out of Alex's life.
As Alex and the counselor began to fit together the
pieces of Alex's young but tumultuous life, he began to understand his
feelings of confusion, hopelessness and anger. He was invited to create
a new way of defining himself and his realistic potential. After
several months of weekly counseling and participation in the YES Anger
Management Group, Alex's grades began to improve as did his
relationships with his foster parents and peers. Alex continues to see
his YES counselor monthly and is now volunteering at school in a peer
counseling program.
Out of Depression
Lizette, a 28-year old African American mother of
three young children, was referred to mental health counseling by Public
Health six months after the birth of her third child. She was depressed
and unable to care for her infant, her other two children and her
home.
Lizette completed an assessment by her therapist at
Seattle Mental Health and began counseling. She was evaluated by the
psychiatrist and prescribed antidepressant medications. With her
therapist, Lizette created a "life vision" in which she identified very
specific details about her goals in life. Treatment focused for a while
on helping her identify her strengths, likes and dislikes. Eventually,
she became focused on her desire to attend cooking school and one day
start her own catering business.
Lizette and her therapist developed a plan of
action, which guided Lizette toward her identified goals. She enrolled
in culinary school, found child care for her children and obtained
financial aid, all in accordance with the plan she developed with the
therapist. Lizette has graduated from school and recently obtained a
business license and other required licenses, and plans to open her
catering business this fall.