KITH Families Benefit from Master Builders and Murray Franklyn Community Service

Bank of America’s SVP, Senior Client Manager, Commercial Real Estate-West, Tom Witte Presents Check to New KITH Executive Director Jennifer Barron and retired Executive Director Jan Dickerman

Thank you to Master Builders Care Foundation and Murray Franklyn and their team of volunteers and partners for the total interior renovation of four apartments at Salisbury Court! The value of this project is over $86,000. Thanks to Bank of America for their $10,000 grant to MBCF in support of the KITH project.

KITH Clients Safe After Fire

On Thursday, September 6, about noon, a kitchen fire caught and spread quickly through four Salisbury Court apartments owned by KITH. Though the fire was detected quickly and residents evacuated the building safely, the building was not equipped with a sprinkler system and the fire spread rapidly destroying one apartment and impacting an adjacent unit with smoke damage.

Firefighters worked very quickly to keep the fire contained to one of the three buildings in the complex. We deeply appreciate every one of the firefighters and emergency response team members who worked so hard to put out this fire and to be sure it could not reignite. We’re also grateful to neighborhood friends who assisted in mitigating the impact of the fire and assisted residents in moving their belongings.

Two families relocated to other KITH housing and we are currently working to secure housing for a third tenant, who is temporarily staying with family. The fourth tenant was already in the process of moving out of the area and was able to recover her possessions.

The affected apartments are currently being renovated.

Your gift is welcome to help KITH keep homeless families safely housed.

Kith and Housing at the Crossroads Agree to Merge

The Board of Directors of the eastside nonprofit transitional housing agency Housing at the Crossroads (HAC), after evaluating various alternatives, voted at their August 8, 2012, Board meeting to undertake to merge with Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing (KITH). On August 22, 2012, the Board of Directors of KITH, through a motion at its regular Board meeting, agreed to merge with HAC, where KITH will be the continuing nonprofit corporation. KITH Executive Director Jan Dickerman announced the merger: "We truly believe this is a great move for both KITH and HAC and look forward to working together."

During the merger process, HAC will transfer ownership of its three transitional housing properties to KITH: a six-unit property in Bellevue, a four-unit property located in Kirkland, and the Windermere House, a duplex located in Bellevue. At the completion of the merger, KITH will own 32 units of housing, 24 transitional housing apartments and 8 permanent (non-time-limited) apartments.

KITH has partnered with HAC to provide case management services to families since 2004. As the current contracted service provider for HAC, KITH will continue to provide services to all current HAC clients without interruption.

KITH was selected "because the agency most closely aligned with HAC's mission and has a highly successful track record managing its programs," according to Doug Cooley, HAC's Board President. The newly merged agency expects to see increased efficiencies by combining operations. "We would like to take this opportunity to celebrate and thank our Eastside community, which has generously supported both KITH and Housing at the Crossroads. This merger will help us to better steward the resources donors and funders provide to meet the needs of homeless families with children in our own neighborhoods," stated KITH Board President Ron Olsen.

Holmberg Company Upgrades KITH Salisbury Court

On Saturday, July 28, 20 employees and family from Holmberg Company, led by the company president Jeff White, spent the day volunteering their time to help KITH make needed repairs at Salisbury Court, a KITH property which houses homeless and at-risk families.

Company employees replaced plumbing in kitchen and bathrooms of four apartments. They also replaced three decks and painted one apartment, in preparation for a homeless family to move in soon. Outdoors, the group completed yard work to make the property look tidy and inviting.

KITH Executive Director Jan Dickerman offered hearty thanks to the enthusiastic and skilled team from Holmberg Plumbing for all they were able to complete to enhance the lives of vulnerable people.

The 2012 7 Hills of Kirkland Cycling to End Homelessness presented by Evergreen Health and supported by Kirkland Kiwanis raised $85,000 to benefit KITH.

Thanks to all who made this happen!