Greetings, partners!
I hope you are enjoying these late summer days. 2024 just seems to be flying by! As you likely know, life is busy here in Pierce County, and especially busy for us in the county government world: continuous procurements and contracts (always a crowd pleaser!), new opioid settlement funding, growing needs of our veterans, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness…oh, and an election of a new County Executive and a couple seats on the County Council. Busy times.
Connecting in the Community
Amidst that craziness, the Human Services leadership team has not forgotten the importance of spending in-person time together, getting out of our daily comfort zones, and connecting with our valuable community partners. We’ve been going on site visits to see providers across the community. I personally have also been reaching out to connect one-on-one with some of our highest-funded partners so I can hear from them (you!) about what’s going on in the community, how services are being delivered, and what we can do to be better partners. I’m so grateful to have those conversations because they help me, and our department, improve our work. Here’s a taste of what I heard:
- Our partners appreciate the relationships they have with our staff, and in-person meetings are important.
- Despite the pandemic being over and the massive flood of emergency funding drying up, needs for critical services are still high in Pierce County.
- Providers are often struggling alongside their clients – too much work, insufficient resources, burned out staff, and disconnected communities.
A Big Thanks
And, as for those team site visits – I want to share a big THANK YOU to the following agencies for hosting our department leadership team, sharing a bit about their programs, and giving us a chance to be a part of the action!
- GoodRoots Northwest: Stacey and her team are transforming the way we address food insecurity. If you haven’t checked out GoodRoots in Bonney Lake, go!
- Tacoma Community House: Aimee welcomed us to use their conference room, and our whole leadership team volunteered in an English as a Second Language (ESL) class.
- Horses Guiding Humans: Sholeh and her crew showed us around their farm and let us hang out with some beautiful horses (and a donkey 😉).
- Next up…serving lunch at Tacoma Rescue Mission with Duke!
If you want to connect, please reach out. I’m always open to your input and a visit, and I might even ask if the whole Human Services leadership team can tag along!
Regards – Heather
PS. Our communications team made a video when we visited Horses Guiding Humans last month, showcasing their unique program of equine therapy. You can check it out here.