Executive Director's Message

Dear Friends,

According to Dictionary.com, kith is a noun which means: “acquaintances, friends, neighbors, or the like; persons living in the same general locality and forming a more or less cohesive group.” Locally, KITH is better known as the not-for-profit agency founded in 1989 (as Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing) with the mission to unite with individuals and families to confront homelessness and to build safe and healthy communities.

Over the past few years the economy has hit everyone hard. KITH’s clients are no exception. We’re seeing poverty and homelessness on a daily basis, and have been leveraging our resources and collaborating with other human services agencies to fill every need we can. Like any business, under the governance of a strong Board of Directors, KITH’s team has worked diligently to stabilize, clarify priorities, and focus on the basics. We’ve been putting strong processes in place to make sure we are effective and our clients receive the optimal level of support and help with every dollar and every in-kind donation. KITH case managers work closely with each family as they pursue their unique individual goals which will move them toward the ultimate goal of self-sufficiency.

This year KITH will continue focus on the core programs of the agency and begin to build a platform so we can take advantage of opportunities as the economy improves. Among our goals for 2011:

• Repair the siding at Petter Court 1, a KITH transitional housing property ($25,000).
• Secure funding to replace the plumbing at Salisbury Court ($60,000).
• Increase the number and effective use of volunteers at every level.
• Continue to implement process improvement for specific activities that benefit homeless families.
• Develop a new evaluation tool to evaluate KITH programs and provide more meaningful program information for our donors and community.
• Expand the Life Coach program specifically in the areas of program support.
• Diversify and increase number of Board members.
• Continue to build on fundraising successes to generate funds to be used for potential expansion.

Our community’s help is needed now more than ever! As state and federal funding is reduced, cities, congregations, human services agencies, and all our neighbors must come together to prevent homelessness, help people transition rapidly from homelessness to housing, increase the efficiency of the existing system of housing and services, measure and report outcomes of programs, and build the political and public will to end homelessness.

Thanks to the support of our Kirkland and eastside friends and neighbors, you help create a safer, healthier community last year right here in our own neighborhood.

Jan Dickerman, Executive Director

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KITH Newsletter is now Online!

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To help reduce mailing costs and funnel more resources into serving needy families, KITH now makes its Quarterly Newsletter available via e-mail and on our website.

If you would prefer to receive the newsletter by email, please send your e-mail address to: KITH@kithcares.org