Shoreline Community Care Annual Report 2024
334 Shoreline families and individuals were helped with rent and utilities in 2024. They received $280 on average. We were able to help 15 more families and individuals than in 2023. New funding from a City of Shoreline grant, together with continued support from CRISTA Ministries, churches and individuals made this possible. By the time we are talking to a person of family in need of our help, the amounts of back rent or utility bills are much higher than the $280 we can offer them. Sometimes we are one of several resources and our combined efforts help avoid an eviction or utility shutoff. But many of our clients say they have not heard back from other agencies and we were the only one who called back.
The worst effects of the COVID pandemic are behind us. But COVID has had a devastating impact on all of us even if most of the population has recovered and is protected. But the most hard hit were people with low income. Black and Latinx families and individuals Also hardest hit were single parent families with young children, and people young and old, with physical and mental disabilities. These realities are reflected in the demographic report of who comes to SCC for help. It seems at times the needs were large and our funds were inadequate to meet them. We needed to remember that our mission is to show people that God loves them and cares what happens to them and we are here to offer hope and prayer so that they won’t be overcome. Many came to us owing thousands of dollars in back rent and utility bills. Some maxed out credit cards and that made things worse. Others lost family members, jobs, housing and connection to friends, family, church and community.
At the end of 2021 Shoreline Community Care was invited by the City of Shoreline into a partnership based on a common good. Both the City and the Churches in our City want to help people in very hard circumstances. The City of Shoreline saw this partnership as a way of maximizing funds being used to help people. Shoreline Community Care has a very small administrative cost. We pay no salaries and no rent. So a phone, insurance, postage and license fees all come to less than 1% of the money we receive. 99% of all funds went to help our Shoreline families and individuals. The fact that we are all volunteers is not lost on the City and the wider community. Being all volunteer has a downside. Most people work. We see our clients during the day. It means that most of our team are retired older folks who don’t have to work. It has been difficult t recruit younger people or those with lived experience that matches the lived experience and demographics of our clients.
Shoreline Community Care is a Christian ministry funded for the prior 23 years by churches and individuals who believe that Jesus calls us to care for the poor in our community. This had some people concerned about using public funds for religious purposes. Likewise some of our team were concerned that the City would insist that we not share our faith or ask people if they wanted prayer.
Shoreline Community Care Annual Report 2024
Both concerns have turned out to be unfounded. The City of Shoreline made as a condition of their financing that all interviews include questions on the race and ethnicity of the recipient, the disability status, the number of individuals in the household, the family income and if the need for assistance was based on having covid. The data is aggregated for the entire term of the grant and is thus anonymously reported. See demographic data attached. Likewise all financial grant recipient data is listed only by initials.
The City has only required the recipients are either unhoused or reside in Shoreline. On residency issue, we have occasionally helped individuals outside of Shoreline. We do not use City of Shoreline funds for that financial assistance. This is where donations from churches and individuals allow us some flexibility. Shoreline Community Care focusing on residents of Shoreline. Further most of the landlords and utility providers know and trust us. SCC for its entire history has had a policy of non discrimination with respect to race, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation. We have never refused to help a Shoreline resident based on any of those categories. The only criteria we have used to disqualify financial help are: 1 the client lives outside of the Shoreline boundary 2 it is less than 12 months since we helped them. 3 the family income is too high. 4 the landlord has refused our check or told us they would do so. Occasionally the interviewer will stipulate that our financial assistance was conditioned on getting the other required funds, such as for a move in deposit.
What are the outcomes? We have in our understanding of God’s call for Shoreline, that we would offer a cup of cold water to all who are thirsty. This is an expression of Jesus love and our love for the client. The concept of agape’ giving without expectation of getting anything in return describes Jesus’ love. Yet we ask a lot of very personal questions during our interview of clients. We ask about all sources of income including salary and public assistance. We ask about all expenses including money for paying off credit card debt. Sometimes the client has made bad choices such as credit card debt. We encourage but do not insist that they pay off credit card debt. We ask how did the client end up needing our help? What happened. Some of the circumstances are hard to hear. Domestic violence, illness, disability and criminal justice are some of the causes. Some clients acknowledge addictions that have led to their predicament. We ask, What could you do to reduce expenses or increase income?
Some clients hit a period of unemployment or illness and require our financial assistance just one time. Others are coming back every 12 months because their circumstances haven’t changed (about 25% over two years). They could not afford to provide for their basic needs. Recently we started asking clients what could they do to increase their connection to community, for example community dinners, library. volunteer in the schools, Shoreline Senior Center, YMCA, volunteer, church and recovery programs? It turns out that people with more connections to the community are less likely to experience long term financial hardship.
We have been able to do follow up with the clients we have helped. Before that the only way to measure successful outcomes is if we never heard from the client again. It is better to get back with the client and ask things like did we prevent eviction, or prevent utility shut off? Did the client follow any agreed upon suggestions such as attend a church or recovery group. Did they find a better job ore change their budget? We are still trying to classify the outcomes from our follow up interviews. Of the 87 follow up interviews almost all the clients we contacted were able to prevent eviction or keep the utilities on. Other results indicate most but not all were in about the same situation.
Shoreline Community Care Annual Report 2024
We have received Grants from CRISTA Ministries of $11,000 in 2023 and $15,000 in 2024 We have received an additional grant of $62,500 from the City of Shoreline for 2024 as well as ongoing support from local churches and individuals.
Shoreline Community Care team is grateful for the support from our churches, our community, our Shoreline City Government, CRISTA Ministires, schools, businesses and individuals. Participating churches: Berean Bible Church, Bethel Lutheran Church, Hillwood Church, Northwest Church, Shoreline Christian Reformed Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church.
| Shoreline Community Care basic data | |||
| year | Clients served | Total grants | grant/client |
| 2020 | 238 | $37,182.00 | $157.00 |
| 2021 | 226 | $63,017.00 | $280.00 |
| 2022 | 262 | $80,360.00 | $308.00 |
| 2023 | 316 | $86,392.00 | $274.00 |
| 2024 | 335 | $94,049.00 | $281.00 |