According to Dictionary.com, kith is a noun that 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.

Thanks to the support of our Kirkland and Eastside friends and neighbors, you helped KITH create a safer, healthier community last year right here in our own neighborhood:

• KITH served 42 households with housing and case management services.

• KITH case managers provided 2,500 hours of case management for homeless families.

• More than 2,500 nutritious meals were served to homeless and low income people at KITH’s weekly Community Supper.

• Nine families graduated from KITH’s transitional housing program, and eight moved to permanent, stable housing (89 percent success rate).

• KITH created a Life Coach Program to assist those living in permanent supportive housing to increase income and access to economic opportunities, build assets and make gains toward economic independence.

One family in this program are refugees from Kosovo – a father, mother and three children. The father has been unemployed for about 12 months. KITH’s Life Coach began working with this family in August. They focused on assisting the father to find work. She helped him learn how to job search on the Internet and assisted him with interviewing techniques. He began his new job in the fall and has retained employment through the holidays into the new year.

• 172 households received holiday food and gifts. The list of donors grew again this year and we are so grateful for the support.

• KITH Volunteers gave more than 2,500 hours to help KITH confront homelessness and build safe and healthy communities.

• KITH preserved 12 units of affordable housing through a major renovation of Salisbury Court, a KITH transitional and supportive housing property; Synergy Construction and the King County Weatherization Program took the lead on the approximately $383,000 project, which included new siding, electrical, plumbing, insulation and all new windows.

• KITH had a successful first annual Fighting Homelessness Luncheon in 2010, and the first Kirkland Street Scramble, put on by Meridian Geographics.

• KITH neighbors and friends have saved money, gone green, and deepened their contacts with us through Facebook, LinkedIn, KITH Konnects e-updates, and quarterly e-mail newsletters.

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 fund-raising successes to generate funds to be used for potential expansion.

KITH is a member of the Eastside Homeless Advisory Committee, which reports that between 2005-2011 Eastside non-profits added 99 units of housing for families. As a community we have made 11 percent progress towards our goal. We can’t afford to lose any housing as we move forward. In 2010, KITH preserved 12 existing units through its renovation at Salisbury Court. But the Committee to End Homelessness estimates a need for 831 more units of housing for families, not including single adults and youth in East King County by 2016.

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.

Thank you for caring. Neighbors like you helped make the holidays much brighter for homeless and low-income families with your donations of food and toys. There’s an ongoing need for diapers, household paper goods and volunteer support. In addition to the larger goals mentioned above, KITH also has some smaller items on our agency “wish list” that will help us be more effective and efficient in our work with homeless families: a laser copier, postage scale, new fax machine, matching gently used conference room chairs, a display board (used at volunteer fairs and community events), and a new office sign with our new KITH logo.

We invite the community to support KITH and learn more about our work at our 2nd Annual “Fighting Homelessness” Luncheon, March 11 at the Woodmark Hotel. Bill Block, project director of Committee to End Homelessness, a regional coalition hosted by King County, will be speaking on Ending Homelessness in King County. There is a suggested minimum donation of $100 for the luncheon. You can register online at www.kithcares.org.

Thank you for helping KITH confront homelessness and build a safe, healthy community here on the Eastside.

Jan Dickerman is the executive director for KITH.