MID AUGUST 2026 NEWS
Topics: News bits, Asks, Opportunities for public input, Transportation, Pets, Housing, Events, Resources, and For Service Providers. Bus riders note that there will be a LOT of changes!
News bits:
August is National Make-A-Will Month. Eastside Legal Assistance Program helps about 70 community members create their wills every year. These are folks who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford an attorney for this specialized service. Check out https://elap.org/
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With an increase in anti-trans legislation nationally, the Seattle City Council is allocating funds to better aid transgender residents and those seeking refuge from other areas.
The City Council approved $300,000 in funds to local LGBTQ+ organizations Tuesday in an effort to support local trans community members.
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ASKS:
From Vine Maple Place: “Our Back-to-School Event is coming soon, and we're working hard to make sure every kid receives what they need before school starts. Will you please send a gift of $65 to provide a backpack filled with school supplies and brand-new clothes for a student like Isabella? School starts in just a couple of weeks, and a homeless kid at Vine Maple Place still doesn’t have a backpack, notebooks, or new clothes. Homeless families here in South King County just can’t afford to buy school supplies. Your urgent gift of $65 or more will give a kid everything they need for the first day of school—and today, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $37,000! Your gift today will mean so much to a girl like Isabella. She is carrying a backpack she’s used for several years. It’s worn down and falling apart. She doesn’t have new clothes, shoes, or the supplies she needs for school, either.
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Acres of Diamonds: thanks to a generous gift from a caring donor, every gift made before midnight on August 31 will be DOUBLED, up to $15,000. https://acresofdiamonds.org/ways-to-give
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Mary’s Placechanged how they accept in-kind donations. Effective August 10, in-kind donations will be accepted by appointment only, and we no longer accept used clothing, toys, or stuffed animals. They still accept baby items and equipment; hygiene, feminine hygiene, and beauty products; household items; and a few seasonal or special needs items. Other ways to provide essential items for our guests include purchasing from our Amazon wishlist or by contacting our giving team to coordinate a donation drive!
Visit our website to learn more, schedule a donation drop-off, or shop our Amazon list.
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Regarding the resident transitions resulting from the upcoming closure of the Bailey-Boushay Housing Program. The Bailey-Boushay program currently serves 28 single adults who require housing accommodations due to their medical status and ongoing health care needs. The program is scheduled to cease operations effective November 1, 2026. This closure will require coordinated planning and collaboration to ensure residents are successfully transitioned to alternative housing options.
To support this effort, Coordinated Entry has been authorized to apply the Emergent Need Policy during the transition period. This authorization will allow Bailey-Boushay residents to be prioritized for available housing resources. Our goal is to minimize disruption to residents and ensure that appropriate housing opportunities, referrals, and supportive resources are identified and coordinated.
This prioritization will be time-limited, running from August 24 through October 31, 2026, and will be tracked through our HMIS data system.
Thank you for your partnership and support as we work to ensure a smooth transition for these residents.
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Tech help and space for a library – The Issaquah Sammamish Interfaith Coalition coordinator turned 80 yesterday. It is time for a replacement or at least some folk to mentor who might take up this work. She is looking for someone to redo and manage the long neglected website for which she can’t recall the password. Elizabeth is also hoping to pull together an interfaith library on the Eastside where faith leaders could gather for meetings and to consult print resources while they pull together sermons, plan retreats, write articles, or just learn more that will enhance their ministry. If you know of a faith organization with extra space or one that is ready to sell their property, please let us know! If you want to donate books, please send a list of titles. We don’t currently have space for donations.
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT
Community listening sessions Wednesday, August 19, 6 to 7:30 p.m. DOH has established the 988 Help-seeker rights work group, a small group of community members with lived experience of behavioral health concerns or contacting a crisis line. 988 is a free, confidential service for anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide, substance use concerns, a mental health crisis, or any type of emotional distress. This group will draft a document outlining these expectations and share it with multiple groups for feedback.
The Lived Experience Collaborative, DOH, and HCA will host a virtual listening session to give community members a chance to share feedback. We encourage Washington residents who have used 988 or considered using 988 to participate and provide feedback as we draft the Help-seeker rights document.
Contact Beth Schuurmans for any questions about the listening sessions.
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Issaquah Public Hearing: Motel 6 Conversion to Multifamily Residential
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
The City of Issaquah Hearing Examiner will be holding a public hearing on September 1, 2026, 9 AM at Tibbetts Creek Manor, 750 17th Ave NW.
The purpose of the hearing is to take testimony on variance application VAR26-00001. The project consists of remodeling an existing motel at 1885 15th Pl NW, parcel 8947100010, and converting the use to residential.
A variance is requested to reduce the required amount of outdoor amenity space.
Description of Proposal: The project consists of remodeling an existing motel and converting the use to residential. The existing building, built in 1978, is a two-story Motel 6 with 103 units within five buildings linked by exterior walkways and breezeways. The units are accessed from exterior walkways. The existing motel rooms will be remodeled into individual sleeping units. The site has 109 surface parking stalls including seven accessible stalls. There will be no changes to partition walls except for at the main building entrance where the motel office and staff spaces will be converted to tenant amenity and leasing areas. Modifications to the exterior envelope will be limited to paint and upgrading lighting where required by the Land Use code. A variance is requested to reduce the required amount of outdoor amenity space.
Application documents are available at issaquahwa.gov/developmentlist
Join the meeting in-person at the address above, or virtually using the following options:
Join by Computer
Microsoft Teams Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 272 263 971 406 365
Passcode: Hr2F3sP9
Join by Phone
Call 1-206-485-0299, United States, Seattle
Phone Conference ID: 188 733 673#
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Bellevue Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan are considered once per year. Privately initiated amendment applications are due by September 15 of the year prior to the year of consideration. There are two types of privately initiated Comprehensive Plan amendments:
Map amendments: A change to the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use map (Map LU-1)
Policy amendments: A change to the policy language in the Comprehensive Plan
Complete details on this process are found on the city’s website and in the Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Rezone Procedures Guide. The City Council can initiate amendment proposals at any time. As part of the Great Neighborhoods program, the council initiated Comprehensive Plan Amendments to update the Lake Hills and West Lake Sammamish neighborhood area plans for 2026/2027 on July 28.
The city may initiate map amendments based on changed conditions in these two neighborhood areas. In addition, the city may choose to include site-specific map changes initiated by property owners if those sites would function as third places and meet established criteria. See the July 28 agenda materials, specifically Attachment B, for additional detail on the process and criteria for site-specific map amendments in Lake Hills and West Lake Sammamish. Intake applications for site-specific map changes in Lake Hills and West Lake Sammamish are also due by Sept. 15.
All privately initiated Comprehensive Plan amendments require a letter from staff as part of the application. If you are considering applying for an amendment, please contact Teun Deuling at TDeuling@BellevueWA.gov.
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Bellevue Downtown Livability 2.0: Share your thoughts: Do you live, work and visit downtown Bellevue? The Downtown Livability 2.0 code update will update the city's land use code to support a more vibrant urban core, expand housing options and strengthen the Grand Connection. A community survey is open now through the end of August and we encourage you to take a few minutes to share your thoughts using this link: Downtown Livability 2.0 Survey. Please pass it along to your friends, neighbors and others in your community. Learn more about the code update on the project webpage.
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Bellevue College zoning: Work to update the city’s land use code and create a new institutional zoning district for Bellevue College is underway. This effort will align the college’s zoning with the city’s Comprehensive Plan, support long‑term campus growth and ensure a smooth transition to nearby neighborhoods. A community survey is open now, and early‑fall opportunities to engage directly with the planning team will be available as the project progresses. More information and background materials can be found on the project webpage. Please share this information with your community networks.
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Hopelink: Seeking Community Letters of Support for Funding Before Aug 26, 2026 In preparation for our application for Washington State Department of Transportation funding, we appreciate community support for our Mobility Management Program in King County. With letters of support from our community members, we will be able to continue our education and outreach programs and provide staffing for the King County Mobility Coalition and sub-regional coalitions; strengthen our partnerships across the region and continue to advance cross-sector collaborations. These letters are vital to show our impact on the community and the breadth of our partnerships. Letters of support do not have any monetary or in-kind value; instead, they are a tremendously valuable way for organizations to show their support for our grant and activities. Letter of Support template is available, if you are interested. Our team is hoping to collect all completed letters by August 26th. Should you have any questions about this letter or want more information about our Mobility Management program, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Completed letters of support can be sent to Heather Clark at hclark@hopelink.org
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TRANSPORTATION
Changes coming to Sound Transit ST Express bus service August 29 (Issaquah routes)
New Routes
215 - Will provide service between Mercer Island, Eastgate, Issaquah Highlands, Snoqualmie, and North Bend. This will replace service of deleted Route 208.
Revised Routes
203 - Revised in Issaquah to operate on 12th Avenue NW, Lake Drive, and 10th Avenue NW and will no longer stop at 11th Avenue NW on NW Sammamish Road.
218 - Start and end at Mercer Island Station and will no longer serve Downtown Seattle. Connections to Sound Transit Link 2 Line will provide alternate service to Downtown Seattle.
269 - Extended to Mercer Island Station from Issaquah Highlands using I-90. Weekday peak period frequency will improve to every 15 minutes. New weekend service will be added. Route 269 will no longer provide service between Issaquah Highlands and Issaquah Transit Center.
ST 556 - Route will now serve Bellevue Transit Center and Bellevue Downtown Station instead of University District Station to connect with 2 Line. Added stops in Issaquah. Service increased to every 15 minutes.
Deleted Routes
208 - Riders can use new Route 215 for service between North Bend and Issaquah Highlands, and Sound Transit Route 556 for service between Issaquah Highlands and Issaquah Transit Center as alternatives.
271 - Replacement service will be provided by new Route 270 between Bellevue and the University District; by Sound Transit Route 556 between Issaquah Transit Center, Eastgate, and downtown Bellevue, or between Issaquah Highlands and Issaquah Transit Center; by Route 203 between Issaquah and Eastgate via Newport Way; and by DART Route 249 between downtown Bellevue and Medina.
ST 554 - replaced by ST 556 and 2 line service
More information can be found on King County Metro and Sound Transit webpages.
Every year, Sound Transit performs an Annual Service Plan study to review existing bus and rail service with the goal of maximizing the agency’s resources, meeting the needs of the ridership, and providing world-class services. The Fall 2026 Service Change incorporates the results of last year’s study and extensive public engagement that resulted in our largest change in ST Express ridership in recent years. The changes include new Night Bus service to Redmond and Federal Way, modified routes and schedules, and discontinued routes in response to the expansion of the 1 and 2 Line services. The changes will be in effect beginning August 29, 2026. Sound Transit Service Planning staff will host three public virtual information sessions to walk through the upcoming changes and to answer questions related to the Fall 2026 Service Change. The sessions will be hosted through Zoom with ASL and in-language interpreters available in Spanish and Mandarin. The virtual information sessions are:
• Virtual Information Session #1: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6 to 7 p.m.
• Virtual Information Session #2: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 12 to 1 p.m.
• Virtual Information Session #3: Thursday, Aug. 27, 6 to 7 pm
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Please take 5 minutes to complete 2 surveys for Snoqualmie Valley Transit.
We’re writing our grants and need customer/rider information. There are two surveys: One is about SVT and the other is about the Valley Shuttle that we operate for King County Metro. Please take both surveys. It only takes about five minutes.
Want to keep SVT running? Take our survey on the website!
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PETS
Seattle Humane: New: Aug 2026:Affordable Vaccines Now On-site! Seattle Humane hosted its first on-site vaccine clinic last week and it was a huge success! The clinic team offered various vaccines and a microchip for $45 all in 5-minute appointments with curbside drop off. The short appointment format helped make preventive care more accessible by allowing pet owners to get the services their pets needed without taking significant time away from work. We've learned a lot about the process and improved our customer experience for both our two- and four-legged community members. The next clinics are scheduled for August 27, 9:30-11:30 a.m. and twice monthly moving forward. Contact us at (425) 649-7560 or vets@seattlehumane.org with questions.
HOUSING
Kirkland ARCH housing available: Property: 2 Bdrm / 1 Bath at 10931 124th Ave NE, #206 (MLS# 2565004) Price: $395,000 Affordability Level: 90% AMI HOA Dues: $229 / monthly. Contact: Jeff Affronte - jeff.affronte@rsir.com
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Samma Senior Apartments Opens Located in Bothell, Samma offers 76 affordable homes for seniors 55+ who are at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income.
Interested in becoming a resident? Check it out here.
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Faith Housing Coalition, an interfaith coalition working together to promote avenues for more housing and affordable housing in Sammamish and Issaquah in order to enable long-term prevention of homelessness, is offering a presentation on the new homelessness numbers in King County, the affordability crisis, recent legislation on housing, and what the Faith Housing Coalition aims to do about it. Faith United Methodist Church, 3924 Issaquah-Pine Lake Rd, Sammamish on Sunday, October 18, at 4:00–5:30 PM Contact: Allie Miller, Faith Church Ministry Director, allie@faithunited.
EVENTS:
Issaquah Nourishing Network meets on Tuesday, August 18 at 3pm with time for updates, questions, concerns as well as meeting new folks!
Please stay for a presentation by Underground Ministries One Parish, One Prisoner Program. Please see attachments with more information about this program.
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King County- Crisis Care Centers : August Community Update - Presentation with MultiCare Aug 19, 2026 2pmPlease join us for our monthly meeting in August to meet representatives from MultiCare, the local nonprofit provider who will operate King County's future Crisis Care Center in South King County. To register, please RSVP HERE
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NAMI Eastside Community Appreciation Event to celebrate the strength, resilience, and support that make our community so meaningful. This will be a wonderful opportunity to connect, share stories, and express our gratitude for all who help advance mental health awareness and advocacy. August 18, 2026 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at Flatstick Pub | Redmond Town Center https://namieastside.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F48874
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safeTALK Suicide Prevention
Help make a difference in your community by joining NAMI Eastside WA’s safeTALK Suicide Prevention Class.Saturday, September 12, 2026, 10:00am - 2:00pm at theTogether Center | 16305 NE 87th St, Suite 122, Redmond WA 98052. This interactive, no-experience-needed training equips participants with practical tools to recognize when someone may be struggling and how to connect them to lifesaving support. The workshop includes guided practice, engaging activities, and lunch. Whether you’re a friend, family member, or community member, you can learn how to start supportive conversations and help save lives. Register at https://namieastside.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F53005
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Issaquah – Front Street events: Beginning August 15, Al Fresco on Front enters its next chapter with a fresh lineup of activities designed to surprise visitors every weekend. Guests can challenge friends to oversized lawn games and explore playful interactive installations that invite curiosity from kids and adults. Kids' favorites -- mini golf, foam fun and magic bubbles -- will be back Aug. 23!
Live music and street performances continue throughout the weekends, creating the soundtrack for leisurely lunches, shopping trips, and evenings spent outdoors. On the 15th at 5 pm, imagination springs into action for the Aire Craft "Free Bird" parade down Front Street, which recurs Aug. 16 at 3:30 pm. Aug 15 & 22 – a mini rodeo from 4 to 8 PM.African Cultural Experience — Aug. 23 Tiger Mountain Drummers will bring the beat from 4:30–5:45 p.m., with community members invited to join in the drumming. Then, from 6–7 p.m., enjoy a beautiful African Fashion Show. August 29 with Hope Core Pop-Up Parks, when ordinary parking spaces are transformed into tiny places of joy. Community members, businesses, and organizations will create miniature parks and gathering spaces that demonstrate how even the smallest spaces can strengthen community and spark imagination.
America250
Aug. 15 & 22 Mini Rodeo — 4 – 8 pm
Art Zone
Saturdays — Doodle Den: 2 – 5 pm
Sundays — Play Clay Element:12 – 3 pm
Aug. 16, 23,30 — Wicked Rae’s:12 – 3 pm
Aug. 29 — Warli Art with Ekta: 4 – 8 pm
Fun for All
Aug. 15 & 16 --Aire Craft"Free Bird Parade" 5 pm and 3:30 pm, respectively
Aug. 23 --
Mini Golf:10 am to 8 pm
Foam Fun:11 am to 1 pm
Magic Bubbles:12 to 2 pm
African Cultural Experience: Tiger Mountain Drummers: 4:30 to 5:45
Fashion Show: 6 to 7 pm
Aug. 29 - Pop-Up Parks: 8 am to 9 pm
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Nourishing Networks Autumn 2026 Net workshop, Sept. 26, 9 am to 1 pm at the Together Center in Redmond. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nourishing-networks-autumn-2026-networkshop-tickets-1993991617605?aff=oddtdtcreator
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Faith Housing Coalition, an interfaith coalition working together to promote avenues for more housing and affordable housing in Sammamish and Issaquah in order to enable long-term prevention of homelessness, is offering a presentation on the new homelessness numbers in King County, the affordability crisis, recent legislation on housing, and what the Faith Housing Coalition aims to do about it. Faith United Methodist Church, 3924 Issaquah-Pine Lake Rd, Sammamish on Sunday, October 18, at 4:00–5:30 PM Contact: Allie Miller, Faith Church Ministry Director, allie@faithunited
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RESOURCES:
Sacred Streets, along with seasoned leaders across our Country, is launching National Faith Coalition to End Homelessness. We invite all faith communities to register and join us for Weekend To End Homelessness on October 11th. Link Here!
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Solid Ground: LEARN ABOUT YOUR MEDICARE OPTIONS Wed, September 2, 2026, 4-7pm In this FREE webinar, you’ll learn about all parts of Medicare so you can make an informed decision about your Medicare choices. We’ll discuss… - Medicare A, B, C, and D, Enrollment, Medicare benefits and options, Medigaps (supplemental plans) and Medicare Advantage plans, Help paying for Medicare, Medicare fraud. Hosted by Solid Ground, this virtual event will be presented by Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) – Solid Ground volunteers, Lee. SHIBA provides free, unbiased, and confidential assistance with Medicare healthcare choices. Solid Ground is your local SHIBA sponsor.
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Collaboration! new FareStart partnership will open doors to opportunity for Mary's Place families
FareStart is bringing their training directly to Mary's Place through a four-course Customer Service & Job Readiness Training for our families. Participants will receive a $100 gift card, a food handler's card, a professional certificate, and a job reference from FareStart. This opportunity will help parents build their resumes and increase their confidence in getting a job in the hospitality industry.
A special congrats to Mary's Place guest, Anthony, who was recently accepted into the FareStart Food Pathways job training program! He is so excited, and we can't wait to see where his culinary dreams will take him!
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Eastside Friends of Seniors: Save the Date! Aging Well Resource FairSat, October 10, 2026 Join us for the Aging Well Resource Fair, a free community event designed to help older adults, caregivers, and families discover local resources and services that support healthy, independent living. Meet with organizations and professionals offering information on health and wellness, transportation, housing, financial and legal resources, home care, safety, recreation, lifelong learning, volunteer opportunities, and more. It's a great opportunity to ask questions, explore available services, and connect with trusted organizations serving our community. Whether you're planning for the future, supporting a loved one, or simply looking to learn more about the resources available, you'll find helpful information and friendly faces all in one place.
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Eastside Friends of Seniors: Upcoming Events August and September Check out upcoming events! RSVP Required for all events. Please let us know if you plan to attend: Email amys@eastsidfriendsofseniors.org or call (425) 369 9120 Be sure to mention if you need a ride when you RSVP
Sammamish Seniors: August Newsletter with a complete list of events, programs and resources Sammamish Seniors is a community for all adults 50+ in Sammamish, to gather online or in a physical location to enhance their overall health by utilizing our resources, taking classes, and through friendships.
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The Sikh Coalition, in partnership with United Sikh Movement, is excited to announce the second annual Sikh Student Association (SSA) Sangat Seva Grant is now accepting applications, where each SSA is eligible to receive a $250 grant! What is the Sangat Seva Grant? The Sangat Seva Grant supports SSA programming for Sikh Awareness Week in November 2026 and one non-partisan civic engagement activity. Grant funding is flexible and can be used to organize Sikh awareness events, host leadership workshops, implement advocacy initiatives, support SSA seva projects, or supplement the SSA's current projects that align with the Sikh Coalition's work.
Submit Your Application: Grant applications will be accepted until September 11. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with grant recipients selected by the end of the month. Through the semester, an SSA board member will be required to participate in virtual meetings; in December, all grant recipients will take part in the SSA Semester Showcase to present their projects, share successes, and discuss challenges.
Click here to complete an application form by September 11. The application requires details about the SSA, project proposal, and budget plan. If you have any questions, please e-mail our team at community@sikhcoalition.org.
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FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS
Hopelink: Seeking Partner Letters of Support for Funding Before Aug 26, 2026 In preparation for our application for Washington State Department of Transportation funding, we appreciate partner support for our Mobility Management Program in King County. With letters of support from our partners, we will be able to continue our education and outreach programs and provide staffing for the King County Mobility Coalition and sub-regional coalitions; strengthen our partnerships across the region and continue to advance cross-sector collaborations. These letters are vital to show our impact on the community and the breadth of our partnerships. Letters of support do not have any monetary or in-kind value; instead, they are a tremendously valuable way for organizations to show their support for our grant and activities. Letter of Support template is available, if you are inetrested. Our team is hoping to collect all completed letters by August 26th. Should you have any questions about this letter or want more information about our Mobility Management program, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Completed letters of support can be sent to Heather Clark at hclark@hopelink.org
Hopelink: Trauma-Informed Community of Practice Next: Sept 9, 2026 Hopelink invites community partners and allied professionals to join our Trauma-Informed Community of Practice, a monthly virtual series focused on learning and growing together around trauma-informed practices. Each session will cover topics such as stress and trauma, historical trauma, self-care, resilience, and applying trauma-informed principles in both service delivery and the workplace. Sessions are informal and interactive, with opportunities for resource sharing and discussion. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m via Zoom. Sign up here!
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PCs for People & Comcast Puget Sound Tech-Grant Application By Sept 15, 2026 In an effort to continue to support local Puget Sound organizations and the communities they serve, Comcast has partnered with PCs for People Seattle -- the nations leading nonprofit e-waste recycler and tech refurbisher -- to launch the Puget Sound Tech-Grant. Through this grant, organizations will have the opportunity to get high-quality, professionally refurbished, computers and lifetime tech and customer support for use in programing and general operations. Please note "devices" stands-in for laptop or desktops computers. This "Tech-Grant" covers in-kind support. No monetary funding will be awarded. Grant applications will be reviewed on September 15, 2026, with final decision and notification being made by October 1, 2026. Upon notification we will work with you to determine delivery date.
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501 Commons: Organization Changes and Updates as of Aug 31, 2026 After careful evaluation, our Board of Directors approved a plan to begin transitioning 501 Commons’ core programs and client engagements to two nonprofit organizations with similar missions: Upic Solutions and Commons HR (doing business as “The Commons Promise”). Following this transition, 501 Commons will begin a wind-down process, concluding in dissolution before year-end. 501 Commons has been working with two partner organizations and our clients to transition its capacity-building initiatives, consulting services, and community programs — including Washington Gives — by August 31, 2026:
• Upic Solutions will carry forward IT Services, Financial Services, and Washington Gives (subject to approval).
• The Commons Promise, led by Danielle Lyda, will continue human resources and management consulting services, along with the Executive Service Corps (subject to approval).