Event Honors Clark County Grantee
Event Honors Clark County Grantee
Community Services Northwest (CSNW), a Washington Families Fund grantee in Clark County, has made all the difference in Michelle's life. She spent most of her teenage years homeless, using drugs, and bouncing in and out of juvenile detention. Thanks to stable housing and ongoing support through CSNW, including parenting classes, chemical dependency counseling, mental health services, and job search assistance, Michelle has "found a new way to live." She has been drug-free for two years, works two part-time jobs, and is always looking for ways she can help others.
Hearing Michelle's story was just one of many highlights from a special event held on April 14th in Vancouver, Washington. Building Changes was joined by staff from local agencies, community members, business leaders, and funders to honor Community Services Northwest and to celebrate a new Washington Families Fund grant award of $375,000 that will support an expansion of CSNW's family housing program.
Community Services Northwest celebrates a new $375,000 grant award from the Washington Families Fund (photo: Barbara Hill Photography)
"The story behind this grant award to Community Services Northwest is not only the great work that CSNW is doing to serve families with high needs," said Emily Nolan, Building Changes' Grantmaking and Evaluation Manager. "It's also the partnerships that have formed between CSNW, Share, and the Vancouver Housing Authority, and the deep commitment that these providers have to increasing and improving resources for struggling families in their community. We are really thrilled to be supporting 10 additional units of housing in Clark County through the Washington Families Fund."
The $375,000 award to Community Services Northwest is one of eight new Washington Families Fund grant awards recently announced by Building Changes.
To learn more, go to: Washington Families Fund Awards More Than $3 Million to Nonprofits Across the State
Below is a selection of video clips from the event.
Michelle, a client of Community Services Northwest, shares her story:
Sharon Krupski , Executive Director of Community Services Northwest, spoke about why the model of housing paired with support services works and the importance of being able to show that it works, praising Building Changes for its evaluation and research work and for "doing a great job in terms of funding in a very difficult environment over the last couple of years."
Brian Willoughby, who serves on the Community Services Northwest Board of Directors, spoke about the critical services that CSNW provides to residents of Clark County. "Community Services Northwest recognizes that without stable housing, the idea of personal stability is impossible," he said. "That's why they offer individual, family, and group therapy, case management, and supportive housing services."
"We agree that safe, affordable housing provides an essential base from which families experiencing hardship can stabilize and rebuild. And that takes time," said Barbara Gibbs of Meyer Memorial Trust. "We are learning along with our partners that supportive services in housing can ease that journey to self-sufficiency. It's an honor to fund this talented and dedicated team working to improve the lives of Washington families."
Annie Conant from the Washington State Department of Commerce emphasized the State's strong support for the Washington Families Fund partnership, saying "we pledged to redouble our efforts to reduce family homelessness, and the fruits of that are evident when we can stand here today and provide resources to Community Services Northwest."
