Innovation and continued connection: VSHSL’s progress in 2019

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For the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL), 2019 was a busy year!

The year was marked by:

  • Intentional community engagement. Thirty community planning sessions were held across King County to capture diverse perspectives to inform program implementation centering community voice, particularly the voice of those from underserved and underrepresented communities.
  • Funding and launching new programs. New programs filled critical gaps in available services in our communities and expanded services to reach residents across King County that may otherwise not have had access to the services they need to live healthy, productive and meaningful lives.
  • Strengthened connections. New partnerships and collaborations with system and community-based organizations continued to support the integration of VSHSL’s work and partners into a system of human services that best serves King County residents.

We are proud to share the 2019 VSHSL Annual Report, which describes key milestones, summarizes programs and highlights our tremendous community of VSHSL-funded partners.

Read on to learn what’s inside the 2019 VSHSL Annual Report.

What’s inside

New procurements: 30 of them!

In 2019, VSHSL launched 30 procurements to expand VSHSL service and funding to new populations in innovative ways.

Through these 30 procurements, along with other new VSHSL programs, VSHSL welcomed new community partners to the VSHSL network, started new programs that fill critical gaps in the human services system, and funded services to populations not previously served.

Read about the new Senior Hubs on page 20, the Expanded Legal Defense Network serving immigrants and refugees on page 23, and the new partnership with the Workforce Development Council to transform employment and job training on page 11.

People: personal stories of the impact of VSHSL

At the heart of VSHSL’s work is the people we serve. Throughout this year’s report you will find the stories of our dedicated partners and the communities they serve.

On page 7, meet Marshall, a veteran, whose roof and hot water heater were repaired by the Housing Repair Program, enabling Marshall and his daughter Dana to safely stay in their home.

Turn to page 15 to learn how King County’s newly launched Elder Abuse Multi-Disciplinary Team helped Ava and her family regain control of her finances after they discovered she was in a situation involving financial exploitation.

Data: Key outcomes for each strategy

Performance measurement for VSHSL is determined by three simple questions: How much did we do? How well did we do it? Is anyone better off?

Through these questions VSHSL evaluation yields information about who receives services, how they experience these services, and what outcome they experience.

The VSHSL annual report shares this information throughout the report and in a performance measurement table at the end of the report (pages 30-35).

Read the 2019 VSHSL Annual Report