The highly anticipated “Joey Town” opens September 1st at Broadcast Coffee in Seattle’s Central District. You won’t want to miss Joey Joseph’s (b. 1988) solo show. He is a Seattle based Vibrant Palette founding artist who makes intensely colorful art pieces that explore themes surrounding family, celebrities, hip hop culture, life in the city, fashion, and love. Welcome to Joey Town!
We released our unaudited 2022 Annual Report to the Community The report reveals a year of tremendous growth and details community-based efforts and dollars spent toward aid for Washingtonians, especially those with I/DDs, seeking to find, buy, or keep a home.
Our impact touches all corners of Washington state through four innovative programs: Affordable Housing, Homeownership, Group Home & Supported Living Services, and Community Engagement.
The 2022 operating budget was $4.688 million, with the largest portion of those monies allocated toward our affordable housing programming. This critical program is making huge strides and funding was secured to develop six new affordable housing projects, including a first-of-its-kind Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) Pilot Project near Lake City Way in Seattle. Additional projects in the pipeline, at various stages of development, are in Tukwila, Seattle, Marysville, Mukilteo, Graham, Gig Harbor, and Everett. By the end of this year Parkview Services expects to have 218 available units for adults with I/DDs and more than 230 available units by the end of 2024.
Our staff and client base grew while our community engagement programming (Camp Parkview), continued to provide meaningful activities and relationship building, delivering on our promise to provide a higher quality of life. The homeownership programs touches all parts of Washington and helped over 5,200 individuals buy, or keep, a new home through education, mortgage default counseling, downpayment assistance, or agreements and resolutions with loan servicers to prevent foreclosure.
Executive Director Marc Cote explained, “we have been laying groundwork and knocking on funders doors for the more than 5 years. In 2022, our hard work finally started to pay off. Our incredible staff and supporters will continue to work tirelessly to level the playing field so everyone who wants and needs a home can have one.”
We heard you! Camp Parkview, held on Vashon Island each July, is wildly popular – and you want more community engagement activities like this all year-long. So, with that in mind, we are thrilled to welcome Vibrant Palette (VP) into the Parkview Services family. By taking over operations for Vibrant Palette we are now uniquely poised to expand and enrich our weekly community engagement program resources for adults with I/DDs.
At Vibrant Palette, our Parkview client-artist participants are able to meet with studio art professionals, each Wednesday, at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle’s Central District. The all-day program is designed to provide client-artists with life-altering opportunities to develop independence, self-direction, and creative expression while acquiring artmaking skills. Studio directors and client artists work in a wide range of visual mediums including painting, drawing, ceramics, woodwork, and textiles. Show your support and see the artist’s progress by attending our quarterly art shows across Puget Sound.
Parkview Services could not make an impact on affordable housing in Washington state without the incredible support of our dedicated board of directors. Check out the board section of our website to learn why each of these amazing professionals have chosen to commit so much of their personal time and money to support the Parkview Services mission. Under the guidance of our current board president Timo Norring, this 11-person mighty board is growing. Consider joining our board today. Representation matters. Self-advocates and those who self-identify as members of historically marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply. Here’s what one of our newest board members Timothy Adam, a pilot for United Airlines, has to say about why he joined earlier this year.
“My daughter Melanie, now in her thirties, has required full time line-of-sight care her entire life. I know, firsthand, of Parkview’s invaluable services and support; the decisions this board makes dramatically improve lives and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
-Timothy Adam
Life can be a giggle.
Life can be goodness.
Life can be a growth opportunity.
Life can be a gift of helpfulness from Parkview Services – just look and see!
I’m a hope-giver and believe in serving and helping others. Parkview Services helped me: ME, an eighty-two-year-old disabled lady with a disabled forty-five-year-old blind son. I have a home because of Parkview! And I am ever-thankful. Parkview provided me with one of God’s greatest personal and shared blessings – a roof over my head. Saving homeownership saves lives. I can attest to that personally.
Maybe you remember the economic downturn in 2008. Many people lost their homes. It was frightening. My finances vaporized. I was an in-home caregiver with dissolving job opportunities, and nearly homeless. Today I’m in my own home of thirty-three years. Parkview Services was there for me then and they are here for us all right now. They help people save their homes. Since 2008 my mortgage company has raised my house payments by several hundred dollars. I could easily lose my home if my room rentals fail or another economic downturn causes my tenants to lose their jobs so they can’t pay their rent to me. But Parkview helps everyone with housing and I find peace knowing I can go there again if needed.
Life’s growth opportunities can be hard, but I’ve found that when I put my faith-based values and healthy humor at the helm, I can make it. Trust me, you can too. Remember the little engine that could? If my blind son can reroof an elderly friend’s house by scooting around on the roof using not much more than tenacity and prayer, then he’s proof that obstacles can melt. All my foster/adopted kids came from horrific backgrounds. My spouse and in-laws had paranoia that went unrecognized. I believe that no matter where you are in life, faith helps find what you need – including support from Parkview Services. Because of Parkview Services my son and I, plus other homeless or nearly-homeless folk, have a home.
I don’t recall how I discovered Parkview Services but I am eternally grateful to God for helping me find their aid. If you need this kind of help, I highly recommend them. They are committed to being a beneficial presence. My son and I have been blessed by Parkview’s loving, expertise, and committed presence. We benefitted from the Lord’s help via Parkview Services, so it felt right to commit to a monthly $5 gift-for-life to help others. If I can do it on my meager income, so can you. I just stopped buying that bag of chips. I give that chip money to Parkview instead – That $5 chip money adds up!
Best blessings to all of you. Jesus loves you and so do I. The giving of smiles and hugs are free and healing. Joy is a choice. If you are able to look deep into your spiritual strength, you will find the inspiration you need to donate to Parkview Services. And chips aren’t good for you anyway –so donate that chip money to Parkview instead!
CM
[Editor’s Note: A devoted monthly donor explains, in her own unique words, how her faith and Parkview Services helped her save her home. She has given to Parkview Services for over a decade.]
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