2020 End of Year Newsletter
From the Director’s Desk
What a difference a year has made in all our lives! When the pandemic hit, we had to move the UCEF offices to my apartment. This required quite a bit of adjustment, making room for all the necessary equipment to do the job. I also had to work alone for the safety of all of us. None of us were prepared for the impact COVID-19 would have on our clients, on the agency, and on me personally.
Though we continue to serve a relatively small area in N. Seattle, we have been able to increase the amount of financial assistance from $150 back in 2019, to $250 as of this October. To put that in perspective, in October 2019 we helped 14 families for a total of $2,100. At the end of this October, we have helped 41 families for a total of $10,250! Keep in mind that most of our monies are matched by 2-3 other agencies, so you begin to see the huge impact that UCEF can have on those impacted by current conditions.
As you can imagine, I am inundated by calls from people as far away as California looking for help. I think most know we only help in zip codes 98103, 98105, 98115, and 98125 but they are so desperate they hope if they can tell their story, we will make an exception. How I wish we could! Unfortunately, we just can’t, but let me tell you about a couple we have helped. Sabat is a single mom of three. She had been working full time in a good job in the tech field, but had her hours cut to half time when the virus hit. Her mother helps with the kids during the day, but there simply isn’t enough to pay rent or make ends meet. Fortunately, her building manager was willing to work with her and gladly accepted our check.
Jacob was a single man who owned his own business. He employed half a dozen people and kept them on as long as he could. Eventually, he had to let them all go and close his shop down. He paid them all a bit of severance out of his own pocket. By the time he came to us, he had exhausted all of his savings. We helped, along with a couple other agencies, which gave him a bit of breathing room to figure out his next step.
Even when people can go back to work, they are so far behind in rent and bills that they will continue to reach out to agencies like UCEF for some time to come. It is only because of the ongoing support of our generous donors, that we can be here to help those in need.
All of us at UCEF are deeply grateful to you for all you give. We hope that each of you finds ways to make this holiday season especially wondrous.
Blessings to you and yours,
Jo Gustafson, Executive Director
An Update from the Board
As Jo's update makes clear, there has never been a time like this in UCEF's history. The board extends its heartfelt thanks to Jo, Melissa, and everyone else who has kept things running.
Our winter fundraiser, with the Rain City Orchestra, is cancelled this year. As such, we are more dependent than ever on individual donations. Every dollar we have translates to another family helped. Please consider donating if you are able. You can find details at https://www.ucef-seattle.org/donate. If your church, non-profit, or business offers grants to organizations like ours, please send us a note at director@ucef-seattle.org, so that we may follow up.
I joined UCEF's board in 2018, after feeling called to take a more active role in the housing crisis in the Seattle area. I remain convinced that the assistance that UCEF provides families is a vital part of the solution. If UCEF’s mission resonates with you, please consider supporting us as a donor, volunteer or board member.
Thank you,
Andy Tischaefer, UCEF Secretary
COVID-19 Impact on UCEF
Like many organizations, UCEF was hit hard by COVID-19. First, we were forced to close our doors to seeing clients in person. We weren’t sure if we should “wait it out” or if we should try to figure out how to help people all online, using our phone, email, and our online file repository. After two weeks, it became clear to us that we weren’t going to be able to go back to business as usual for a long time, so we pivoted. There were people at risk of being evicted! We needed to act, and we figured it out. The pandemic has forced our lean and efficient organization to get leaner and even more efficient. The job of interviewing clients, which used to be done by volunteers, fell to our Executive Director, along with all the rest that her job entails.
During this current crisis, we are seeing many people who have always been able to find work, in the service sector, in the gig economy, and now they have found that all paths to economic stability have been closed to them. For many, this is the first time they have turned to an organization like ours for help.
In addition, many more of our clients are people of color. 68% of our clients are non-white, a nearly 25% increase over the same period last year. These numbers are all the more striking when one considers that the neighborhoods we serve are only 24% non-white. At UCEF, we are seeing the disproportionate impact of this pandemic on people of color and are on the frontlines trying to help.
Despite being virtual and not being open for three weeks at the start of the pandemic, we’ve been able to help 561 people as of October 23, including 65 families with a total of 121 children, which is a 63% increase over the same period last year. We have helped more people this year so far than we assisted all of last year, and we still have two more months of the year left. Our average monthly total number of people helped has gone from 41 people a month in 2017 and 2018, to 49 in 2019, and we are projecting that we’ll help 60 in 2020, a 46% increase over our monthly averages from 2017 and 2018.
These numbers say so much because for nearly all of 2020, Jo has been doing all of the interviews that volunteers used to do, and yet we are still helping so many people. Kudos to Jo for all of her hard work!
Melissa Morrell, UCEF Volunteer
