Housing & Human Services community discussion

CHAIR, --
COUNCILMEMBER RINCK: COUNCILMEMBER RINCK.
WE ARE GOING TO RUN THIS AS A: WE ARE GOING TO RUN THIS AS A
COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND NOT A
FORMAL MEETING SINCE WE ARE ALL
HERE TOGETHER. I WANT TO ECHO
WITH THE CHAIR SAID. THANK YOU
FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT OF YOUR
DAY TO COME DOWN. I'M
DISAPPOINTED WE ARE UNABLE TO
TAKE ACTION TODAY, LOSING QUORUM
FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING.
IT FEELS SUSPECT. AS THE ONLY
RENTER AS PART OF THIS BODY I
THINK IT'S TREMENDOUSLY
IMPORTANT THAT RENTER
PERSPECTIVES ARE HURT SO WE WANT
TO BE SURE WE HEAR FROM YOU
TODAY AT THE VERY LEAST. CHAIR,
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO
TAKE A MOMENT TO INVITE THE
PROSPECTIVE APPOINTEES TO THE
TABLE ARE WE WANT TO TRY TO USE
THE MICROPHONES AT THE PUBLIC
COMMENT AREA, I WILL LET THAT BE
YOUR DECISION BUT I WANT TO
VOICE AGAIN MY GRATITUDE FOR
EVERYONE TAKING TIME TO BE HERE
TODAY. WE WILL MAKE SURE
EVERYONE IS HEARD. THANK YOU,
CHAIR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE ARE
JUST HAVING A COMMUNITY
DISCUSSION. PLEASE JOIN US AT
THE TABLE . WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS, YES.
[ INAUDIBLE - LOW VOLUME ]
THANK YOU, CHAIR SOLOMON AND
COUNCILMEMBER RINCK FOR HAVING
US AT THIS DISCUSSION. IF IT'S
OKAY WITH YOU MAYBE WE CAN START
WITH THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT WERE
SUBMITTED FOR APPOINTMENTS. THEY
WOULD BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THEIR
BIOS AND WHY THEY ARE INTERESTED
SERVING ON THE COMMISSION. I
THINK WE ARE JOINED BY A FEW
PEOPLE ONLINE AS WELL. I CAN
READ OUT ANY OF THE REMAINING
BIOS .
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. FOR OUR
EDIFICATION, PLEASE INTRODUCE
YOURSELF . AS YOU GO AROUND, WE
WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
I AM LAURA JENKINS WITH THE: I AM LAURA JENKINS WITH THE
SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF
NEIGHBORHOODS.
MY NAME IS LIZ. I'M A
RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FOUR ,
EDGEWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD. I'M HERE
TO GIVE A COUPLE OF INTRODUCTORY
THOUGHTS ABOUT BEING PART OF THE
COMMISSION . JUST SOME THINGS TO
SAY. I AM A RENTER IN THE CITY.
I HAVE ENCOUNTERED A LOT OF THE
CHALLENGES MANY OF US FACE
NAVIGATING RESOURCES. TRYING TO
ADAPT TO RISING COSTS AND
SEARCHING FOR SUPPORT AND A LOT
OF THE OVERWHELMING SYSTEMS .
PROFESSIONALLY, I WORK IN
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. MY DAILY
WORK IS VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN
SIMPLIFYING COMPLEX INFORMATION
AND MAKING IT ACCESSIBLE FOR
EVERYONE. THIS IS SOMETHING I
WOULD LOVE TO FOCUS ON AS PART
OF THE COMMISSION, TAKING THAT
INFORMATION OUT THERE AND MAKING
IT ACCESSIBLE FOR FOLKS. I'VE
ALSO HAD A LOT OF WORK IN
COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT, MOSTLY VOTER
ENGAGEMENT AS WELL AS SUPPORTING
ISSUE CAMPAIGNS WHERE I LIVED
PREVIOUSLY BEFORE I MOVED TO
SEATTLE . THAT IS SOMETHING I
WOULD LOVE TO DO HERE AS A
RESIDENT OF THE CITY. I LOVE TO
HELP OTHERS AND EMPOWER FOLKS.
AS PART OF THIS COMMISSION MUCH
OF IT WOULD BE MAKING SURE
PEOPLE HAVE THE RESOURCES THEY
NEED AND KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.
THANK YOU: THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR
HEARING US . MY NAME IS ALLAN
FRANCIS. I AM A RENTER. MY
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, BOARD
OF DIRECTORS SEATTLE HOUSING
RESOURCES . THE NEIGHBORS
EDUCATION FUND. WHY AM I HERE? A
YEAR AGO I WAS ABLE TO SIGN THE
RENTAL AGREEMENT TO LIVE IN THE
ROOSEVELT DISTRICT. THAT IS
PRETTY SPECTACULAR TO ME BECAUSE
IT HAD BEEN AT LEAST 12 YEARS
BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO SEE MY
NAME ON A RENTAL AGREEMENT SO
THAT WAS HUGE. A LITTLE BIT OF
BACKGROUND. TRAIN OF THOUGHT.
LIVED EXPERIENCE WITH
HOMELESSNESS , DISABILITY, EVERY
DAY POVERTY . IN 2002 I HAD A
BRIEF RUN THROUGH WITH THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND
MENTAL HEALTH . I AM ON
MEDICATION , PARTICIPATING IN
THERAPY. I AM ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF IT. WHY AM I APPLYING FOR THE
RENTERS COMMISSION? PEOPLE WHO
ARE OFTEN UNHEARD FOR VARIOUS
REASONS BECAUSE OF THE STRUGGLES
OR BECAUSE THEY PERCEIVE
THEMSELVES NOT CAPABLE BECAUSE
OF THE STRUGGLES. I WANT TO HAVE
A SEAT AT THE TABLE TO HELP WITH
RESOURCES FOR THOSE PEOPLE AND
MAYBE ALONG THE WAY ENCOURAGE
SOMEBODY TO FIND THEIR VOICE AND
SIT AT THIS TABLE TOMORROW AND
BE THAT VOICE. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
THANK YOU: THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING. I USE HE/AND
PRONOUNS. I AM SUPER EXCITED TO
BE A POTENTIAL APPOINTEE FOR THE
SEATTLE RENTERS COMMISSION.
GROWING UP I DID NOT LIVE IN A
STABLE HOME. I EVENTUALLY ENTER
THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM AND I WAS
17 YEARS OLD. WE TALK ABOUT
STATISTICS WERE FOSTER YOUTH
FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS . FOR ME
THANKFULLY FOSTER CARE SAVED MY
LIFE. PEOPLE LIKE YOU GAVE ME AN
OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE MY
STABILITY. THANK YOU. THE POLICY
YOU PAST REALLY DOES SAVE LIVES.
THIS WORK IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE
TAKEN LIGHTLY. I'VE BEEN
BLESSED WITH AN AMAZING CAREER
SINCE EXITING FOSTER CARE. I
EXITED INTO HOMELESSNESS. WHEN I
WAS 20 YEARS OLD, I WAS NEARING
THE AGE CLIFF FOR THE FOSTER
CARE SYSTEM WHICH IS 21 YEARS
OLD. I TRIED CALLING RESOURCE
AFTER RESOURCE FOR SUPPORT BUT
NOTHING CAME THROUGH. I ENTERED
HOMELESSNESS UNTIL I SAVED UP
ENOUGH MONEY TO MOVE INTO AN
APARTMENT. IT WAS AN AFFORDABLE
MICRO STUDIO . I CAN SAY WITHOUT
A DOUBT THAT THE MICRO STUDIO
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS 190 SQUARE
FEET, SAVED MY LIFE. I AM EAGER
TO WORK WITH

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