The new Bellevue Family Hub, created in partnership with the Bellevue School District, has now been open for over a month. The Hub is a resource center for families located at Highland Middle School. Since opening in August, we’ve made a big impact — supporting more than 711 students!
More than 616 of these students received new back-to-school clothing, 173 signed up to receive free meals at their schools, and 169 received food support for the last two weeks of August. Thanks to our caring community, we’ve invested more than $108,860 to support Bellevue students and their families at the Hub — and we’re just getting started.
Ensuring our services and resources are accessible to all Bellevue children who need them is a top priority at the Hub. Last month, we took our Hub services on the road to provide direct support to students experiencing homelessness and new students who recently arrived in Bellevue.
Last month, Bellevue LifeSpring staff and volunteers visited Mary’s Place with school district staff to register children experiencing homelessness for school and provide them with new back-to-school clothing. Last week, our Hub team also visited Interlake High School and Sammamish High School. New students from Guatemala, who are unaccompanied minors, received new school clothing, help to register for free food assistance, hygiene items, and access to other resources.
Maria Torres, the Family Engagement Specialist at Sammamish High School, shared, “Having the Hub come directly to Sammamish High School will impact our students today, and the impact will continue into the school year. Today they left feeling like they matter, and like they deserve to feel comfortable at school.”
A story of support from The Hub
When Bellevue School District staff informed our staff at the Hub that there was a family in the midst of experiencing homelessness, our team responded immediately to help. The family, a household with two parents and three kids, was temporarily staying with a family member in an apartment. The conditions in the apartment became very difficult and inhabitable to the point where the children’s health and well-being began to suffer.
Even though the parents both had jobs, they started experiencing financial hardship due to an unexpected decrease in work hours.
The family searched and identified a perfect apartment near their children’s school. However, due to their financial hardship and language barriers, they were unsuccessful in securing the apartment.
To help foster stability for the family, Bellevue LifeSpring provided emergency financial assistance to cover their move-in costs.
The family received their apartment keys and were able to move into their new home! They shared with Bellevue LifeSpring how happy and secure they feel finally having their own space. They shared that their children are now sleeping better and that they’ve even arranged a special space in the apartment where they can focus on schoolwork. They are proud to report that the kids are now more motivated to accomplish their schoolwork.
Bellevue LifeSpring’s mission is to foster stability and self-sufficiency for Bellevue’s children and their families through programs that provide food, clothing, education, and emergency assistance. When students have their basic needs met, they can focus on their education and break the cycle of poverty.
Thanks to our community’s generosity, this family, who was once experiencing homelessness, can now be part of growing and building a better Bellevue!
