OUR IMPACT

THE FACTS

DATA CITATIONS

6,000
Center for Social Sector Analytics & Technology (2019). Entering Out-of-Home Care (Count). www.pocdata.org

10,000
Center for Social Sector Analytics & Technology (2019). Children in Out-of-Home Care (Count). www.pocdata.org

5,100
King 5 News. (2018). Western Washington has a Foster Care Crisis, says Expert. www.King5.com

12%
Mason Burley (2010). High School Graduation and Dropout Trends for Washington State Foster Youth. Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.

1/3
The Seattle Times (2019, February 28). Many Washington Foster Kids Become Homeless. Tennessee May Have Found a Solution. www.seattletimes.com

44%
Office of the Family and Children’s Ombuds.(2018). 2018 Annual Report. Olympia, Washington.

1 in 8
Northwest Harvest. 2018. Washington Hunger Facts. www.nwharvest.org

41%
Center for Social Sector Analytics & Technology (2019). Placements in Family Settings. www.pocdata.org

CAREERS

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CAREERS

VOLUNTEER

At Hand in Hand, there is a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. Volunteers are a crucial part of Hand in Hand and we look forward to you joining our team!

VOLUNTEER

DONATE

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CONTACT US

HAND IN HAND
9502 19th Ave SE, Suite F
Everett, WA 98208
p: 425.374.2461
e: info@handinhandkids.org

Brotherly Love

I can’t stop thinking about them. The two brothers who came to Hand in Hand Safe Place last night. Joe was 14 months old, and as cute as a toddler can possibly be. His brother Elia was just two and a half months old, and as vulnerable as an infant can be. The remarkable thing about these boys was that they didn’t cry. They didn’t cry after being removed from their home. They didn’t cry in these strange new surroundings. At least, not on my shift.

What the brothers wanted was to be held. They craved it. Even with us, strangers to them, they would curl right into us when they were picked up. Joe, who was really still just a baby, would nestle his head right into my neck and relax when I held him. I can still feel his little body pressed against me, knowing that he finally felt safe.

I just can’t stop thinking about them, because I had to drive away while Joe and Elia were still in our shelter. As a volunteer at Safe Place, I have to leave when my shift is over regardless if the children are still there. It can tear at me when I walk out that door. But even though I leave their lives, some of our Safe Place children will never leave my heart. These two beautiful boys will be with me forever.

As I sit with this raw ache for Joe and Elia - wondering where they will go next and who will care for them, I do know one thing to be true. There are very few places where you get to be the hands and feet of Jesus more clearly than here. I watched my husband hold Joe in the rocking chair, absent mindedly rubbing his little head and pushing the hair out of his eyes. It was as if I could see Jesus doing it. And as I held Elia and paced the floor with him trying to coax a burp, I felt that I was doing sacred work.

In fact, sometimes when I am at Safe Place, it feels like a loud, sticky, busy, messy place, but it also feels like holy ground. The other volunteers and I are given the extreme honor of being the hands and feet of Jesus as we wipe noses, take kids to the hospital, read stories, chase runaway toddlers down the hall, bathe a neglected baby or just pat their backs tenderly as they fall asleep. It feels right to be exhausted on the way home. And it feels right to cry on the way home too sometimes, because it is hard to know that these children have not been cared for or kept safe.

But it also feels good, because some of God’s great work on earth is happening at Safe Place, and to be a participant with that holds the highest, most humble honor.

Shoe Shopping

Tonight, I took a child from Safe Place shoe shopping. Alex’s going into 6th grade and wants to be the "smartest kid in the class".

In the shoe store, he carefully looked around, focusing intently on the price of each pair of shoes. I said, "which ones do you really want?" He pointed at a pair of sleek blue and white sneakers and I told him to try them on. Alex peeled off his faded shoes that were clearly two sizes too small and slipped on the new pair. When they were laced up, he ran a few steps and then quickly started to take them off. "Do they feel good?" I asked. “Yes,” he said, "Like a dream.” I said, "OK, let’s get those ones.”

Surprised and overwhelmed by this simple act of generosity, Alex covered his face and started to cry. "I can really have these? I can look like the other kids in my class? I have never had shoes like the other kids".

Kids like Alex? This is why I love my work at Safe Place.

The Hope of College

Working with children who are constant reminders of my past is, at times, emotionally difficult. But that struggle also brings a powerful feeling of hope.

This past month, I had the opportunity to connect more intentionally with one of my Hand in Hand teenagers. Mia and I spent time talking about life, about things that didn’t directly correlate with the information I needed for my case notes. Mia is kind and bright, and her eyes twinkle whenever she talks about her passion for serving others.

College has always been a life goal and dream for Mia, but with her current life circumstances, she knew that this dream might never become a reality.

As we discussed her situation, I was taken aback by the fact that this girl was in the same position I had been in not five years ago. I felt her longing to become a college student deep in my soul, and with every ounce of my being, knew I had to help her reach this goal.

After further discussions with Mia, her foster family and my supervisor, I decided to petition Mia’s social worker, asking that a different route be taken for her case. One that would lead her to higher education. After many email conversations, and weeks of waiting, we received news that our petition had been granted. Mia would be attending college. In addition to campus support, Mia would have the opportunity to receive additional aid throughout her college career.

As I sat and basked in the realization that Mia’s academic hope had become reality, I was reminded that the work we do at Hand in Hand mirrors the work of a family - sharing love and compassion no matter the duration of the process or the outcome of a situation.

I look forward to meeting with Mia’s family next month to celebrate her extraordinary future and the sense of hope she brings to us all.

Alexa and Me

When four-year-old Alexa first saw the Safe Place Christmas tree, she beamed brighter than any of its Christmas bulbs. Growing up in flop houses with meth addicts, Alexa never had Christmas decorations or Christmas celebrations, for that matter. She grew even more excited when she was told that one of the presents under the tree was hers to open on Christmas morning.

When bed time arrived, Alexa seemed a bit confused. She tried to crawl under the table to sleep. It took a few minutes before I realized that this little girl had never slept in a bed. It was a blessing to tuck her in that night. Alexa fell asleep snuggled into her soft bed listening to me read “Twas the Night before Christmas”.

Frank, Sarah and Henry

Frank (15 years old), Sarah 6 years old) and Henry (4 years old) and their dad moved here from Florida. The children arrived at Safe Place at 3:0 am on a Saturday morning after their drunk and violent dad was arrested. The family had been in Washington for just three days.

Like so many children who cross our threshold, the siblings were tired and in emotional distress/upheaval. They needed to feel safe and to know they would stay together. Safe Place was able to provide them with the safety they needed and the time for the foster care system to find them a home where the children could stay together.

Jimmy and Dianne

Four-year-old Jimmy heard a noise in the other room and when he opened the door, he found his mom had committed suicide. Soon after, Jimmy’s dad went to prison, leaving him and his little sister Diane to stay with a family member.

The sexual abuse did not start right away. But in time, the physical and emotional pain became too much to bear for the young souls. After telling a classmate about the abuse, the children were removed from their home that night. Scared and hurting they were brought to Safe Place to rest, find comfort and start on a new path.

Shelly

One late December morning, right before Christmas, a neighbor found Shelly standing outside without a coat. She was dirty and desperately hungry. The neighbor called the police who found several felons living in Shelly’s home. The house was freezing – there was no running water or power and the toilets were filled with waste.

Shelly was suffering from lice and scabies and her teeth were visibly rotten. She smelled of urine and her hair was greasy and matted. Within hours of arriving at Hand in Hand, Shelly had been to the doctor and treated. After a warm bath she was in her new flannel PJ’s and snuggled into her new quilt blanket watching the movie Elf. Shelly marveled at Safe Place’s Christmas tree and was over the moon that there was presents there for her. At four years old, this was the first Christmas tree she had remembered “seeing for real”. In that moment, Shelly’s joy lit up the room.

Johnny and Me

Johnny was nine years old when he entered foster care late one night. He and his younger siblings arrived at Hand in Hand Safe Place scared and unsure. It quickly became clear Johnny was more of a parent than a brother to his siblings.

In less than 24 hours, Johnny and his brothers had received medical care, new clothes and some decent sleep. But Johnny wanted answers. “Where will we go?” “When? ““Will you keep us together?” All queries asked politely but sternly. He was working so hard to helm his broken family, but soon the cracks showed.

His lip started to quiver, so I got down on one knee and asked, “Do you need a hug?” Johnny stepped forward, wrapped his arms around my neck, and sobbed on my shoulder for what was a few minutes but felt like an hour. Gone was the tough “man of the house”, replaced with a scared and hurting little boy who just wanted to know life was going be okay.

Over the next few days, Johnny got to be a kid. He and his siblings went on field trips, smiled and laughed. We had to keep reminding him “Your job is to be a nine-year-old boy, our job is to care for you and your siblings”. We found out Johnny and his siblings had an Aunt and Uncle in another town. They were so happy the children had been found and were excited to take them in.

After the worst night of his life, Johnny found safety. He was never separated from his siblings and they all went to his Aunt’s home with new clothes and shoes. A home where Johnny finally got to just be a nine-year-old boy.

Emily and Suzie

At 9:00 pm on a Friday night, five-year-old Emily and four-year-old Suzie watched their mom attempt suicide.

Fire trucks and aid cars rushed to the scene after the children dialed 911. Silently, the girls witnessed paramedics working to save their mom’s life. Soon, they were swept up and taken to the hospital with their mom. From there, Emily and Suzie were taken to a local police station to await a Child Protective Services (CPS) case worker - who picked up the emotionally stunned girls at 1:00 am. With no available foster homes, the case worker drove the traumatized children around as she searched for a home where the girls could rest their heads. At 4:00am, desperate, the case worker called a colleague for help. The colleague informed her about Hand in Hand’s Safe Place project and one hour later Emily and Suzie were in our care.

The girls arrived with only the clothing they were wearing. We provided and changed them into new pajamas, coaxed them into eating a little food and comforted them. Clothing, blankets, teddy bears, and suitcases were provided for Emily and Suzie. In the three days they were with us, the siblings were provided a medical health screen, cared for by well-trained and compassionate caregivers in our warm and home-like facility, and taken on outings in the community each day. Most important, Emily and Suzie remained together until the right home placement was found.

Alyssa

Standing in the thick rain, the police officer quietly questioned the young mom about why her baby was dressed in summer clothes and wearing no shoes on such a cold, dark day. The mom replied “F*** this, I need to get high”. She pushed her 18-month-old daughter into the officer’s arms along with a bottle of curdled milk and walked away.

Baby Alyssa was welcomed into Safe Place but immediately sent out for emergency medical care due to malnutrition. Her hair was coming out in patches. Once back at Safe Place she had trouble keeping food down, and though she didn’t cry, Alyssa was terrified. Todd McNeal rocked her throughout that first night so that she could sleep soundly in his arms. Alyssa stayed at Safe Place and in a Hand in Hand home for a month to support her little heart and body healed. Alyssa was recently adopted and is now thriving.

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