November 2024 Newsletter
An Update from the Treasurer
UCEF continues to seek contributions from churches, individuals and other sources including grants from charitable foundations, whenever possible.
This past quarter, ending September 30th, UCEF received a grant from Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions, a foundation associated with Tulalip Tribes, which has provided short term assistance to UCEF's mission. We are very grateful to the Tulalip Tribes for this grant.
On October 26th, I attended, on behalf of UCEF, a dinner that was held to honor this year's grant recipients, which numbered almost 200 organizations. As it turns out, the dinner was held on the same day that President Biden issued a formal apology to the Indigenous nations for the abuses that occurred at boarding schools where many Indigenous children were sent in the early 20th century.
It struck me as somewhat ironic that UCEF was now receiving a grant from an organization that has had such a difficult history of its own. But one of the speakers at the event noted that the tribe has not forgotten what it's like to be a disadvantaged community, and saw the foundation as a way for the tribe to give back to the larger community in our area and provide assistance to people in need at the present time.
This struck me as a bright moment in what often seems to be a dark world. We thank all of you who, through your support of UCEF, are bright lights for those that we serve.
David Gebben, UCEF Treasurer
An Update from the Board
I had a friend from Dublin, Ireland visit in August and as I walked him around this city I love, I was once again struck by the stark discrepancies present in downtown Seattle. As we moved through the city, we’d pass beautiful new buildings and stores for luxury brands, then turn a corner and see multiple people asleep on the street. It was this dichotomy of wealth and poverty that drove me to action a decade ago, action that eventually led me to UCEF.
Too many of our neighbors live on the financial edge, one accident or bit of bad luck away from ruin. UCEF provides a helping hand through those bad times. The number of people we can help is driven entirely by the donations we receive from people like you. Thank you for your previous support. Please consider donating again, to enable us to help everyone that comes to our doors. May God bless you now and always.
Andy Tischaefer, UCEF Board Member
Save the Date for Next Year’s UCEF Choral Celebration!
Our choral celebration of Jo’s 20th year as UCEF director was such a success and so much fun, we’re going to do it again next year! Please reserve March 15, 2025, 2 PM on your calendars, as we will once again gather at Haller Lake United Methodist Church for a joyful celebration of UCEF’s mission. If you or your church choir is interested in performing with us, please reach out and let us know! See you there!
From the Director’s Desk
As I write this, we are less than one week from elections, daylight savings are a few days away, the nights are longer, winter chill is coming, and the one constant is that there are more families in need of help than we have funding to assist. I am seeing more tension and fear than in years past. I suspect a lot has to do with the elections.
Our board met recently to assess and discuss once again the best way to steward the monies we receive. What are we doing well, and what can we do better? Where are we challenged?
This past year, I have grown frustrated with poorly managed properties. There are buildings that don’t have a manager on premises, making it difficult for anyone to approve UCEF sending a check. Others don’t return my calls, and tell clients it is illegal for them to call us! There was one who lost our check, had us reissue a new one and then cashed them both. Thankfully, these bad ones are not the norm. However, when so many are in need, it is hard to justify sending money to properties where we can’t guarantee the client will be credited or spared from eviction.
Therefore, the board has agreed that we will no longer support those properties, meaning we will tell clients who live there that we can’t help them with rent. However, we will still offer help with utilities or with a deposit in another building if needed. Property management companies and landlords need to be held accountable for their actions. Perhaps if other agencies like ours follow our lead, it will put enough pressure on these folks to change. Nothing else has seemed to work. Maybe if they stop receiving our money, they will finally get it.
We also wanted to see just how well we are doing. In the next few months we will be calling clients we helped with rent to see if they are still homed. This will give us an indication if what we are doing still works. Past surveys showed us to be remarkably successful, but I don’t know what to expect now. Since COVID, housing affordability has changed dramatically.
What I do know is that when people work together, we accomplish great things. It is due to your continued support that we were able to help Don, a single dad with a daughter. He was a school teacher, but his treatments for cancer caused him to be out of work for over a year. He was thousands of dollars in debt. Fortunately, he had a kind landlord who would not evict him and was grateful to us for the $250 we were able to send. No matter the fact that we weren’t able to really do much to get his debt down, the owner wanted to help Don as much as we did! These are the kind of folks we wish we could always partner with to assist those in need.
During this holiday season, I am again asking you to please be generous with your gifts and help us help others. It is because of you that we are able to continue to provide financial assistance to keep families in their homes and off the streets. On behalf of all of us at UCEF and the clients we serve, we wish you and yours a joyous holiday season. May it be filled with grace, joy, and peace.
Jo Gustafson, Executive Director