DES one of the shining stars at Employee Giving celebration
Crossposted from the DES Express
The Department of Executive Services (DES) shone brightly at a celebration of the 2024 Employee Giving Campaign, held on February 26. Department leadership accepted awards given to DES for the highest participation among departments with more than 600 employees. All DES ambassadors were recognized as “Outstanding Ambassador” for their contributions.
Pictured from left, John Taylor, Department of Local Services Director and co-chair of the Employee Giving Campaign; Lorraine Patterson-Harris, Department of Executive Services (DES) Director; Tom Koney, DES Deputy Director; Nathan Emory, Emergency Management Ambassador; and Jorge L. Barón, King County Councilmember and co-chair of the campaign.
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Mental health services expand at Seattle school-based health centers
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
Young people in King County have been in need of more access to mental health services in a time when the Surgeon General has declared youth mental health a public health crisis. “There was a mental health crisis as students came back to school in the wake of COVID,” said Noir Goldberg, a 2024 graduate of Ballard High School and former executive board member of the Seattle Student Union. “So many students were suffering but were having a hard time finding a therapist in their community because of steep demand.” Read more.
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Together We Thrive: Employee Engagement Survey is coming on March 31
The Employee Engagement Survey is returning and will take place March 31 – April 21.
Your feedback is invaluable in shaping the future of our workplace. Keep an eye out for the survey link that will land in your inbox on March 31, and let’s get ready to share what makes us thrive! Note: District Court, Superior Court, and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office are not taking part in this survey.
Check out the video below to learn more!
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DES Director’s Office employees repack 4,300 pounds of food
Crossposted from the DES Express
Thirteen employees from the Department of Executive Services (DES) Director’s Office sorted and repackaged nearly 4,300 pounds of baked goods at Food Lifeline recently. That’s a lot of dough! The Director’s Office has volunteered at Food Lifeline for four consecutive years as a team-building activity and to give back to the community.
Food Lifeline’s mission is to feed people experiencing hunger today while working to end hunger for tomorrow. Groups of volunteers sort and repack food at their Seattle warehouse in two-hour sessions, helping feed people facing hunger across Western Washington.
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Introducing Sunaree Marshall, the new Housing and Community Development Director
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) warmly welcomes Sunaree Marshall as the new director of the Housing and Community Development (HCD) division.
Sunaree brings 15 years of experience in housing and community development and has helped oversee HCD programs, including critical funding and investments that have supported King County’s flagship Health Through Housing Initiative, expanded the County’s Housing Finance Program, provided critical operational funding to organizations working with people and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and strengthened countywide affordable housing policies. Read more.
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King County Metro restarts fare enforcement March 31
Crossposted from Metro Matters
Starting March 31, King County Metro Fare Enforcement Officers will ask riders for proof of fare payment on buses and streetcars. Friendly, verbal reminders will be given to riders who did not pay.
Metro first will focus fare inspections on RapidRide routes, other high-ridership bus routes and the Seattle Streetcar.
“Metro relies on fares to provide safe, clean and reliable transit service, however we estimate that one-third or more of our riders are not paying their fare,” Metro’s Chief Safety Officer Rebecca Frankhauser said. “By restarting fare enforcement, we’re confident that many of our riders will return to their habits of tapping their ORCA cards or paying at the farebox.” Read more.
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Available discounts for The Summit at Snoqualmie and UW Husky baseball
King County employees can now take full advantage of two new discounts.
The Summit at Snoqualmie: Save up to 15% on select online Winter 24-25 lift ticket reservations using discount code 25Summit7jmq. Offer applies to select winter season lift tickets when purchased online in advance. Offer is not valid for tickets purchased prior to this offer launch or for onsite purchases. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
University of Washington Husky baseball: The Diamond Dawgs are back at Montlake and are happy to offer discounted tickets to local Washington and government employees for five Husky baseball games. Purchase tickets at this link here. The upcoming games will be held on:
- Friday, March 21, UW vs Maryland
- Saturday, April 5, UW vs Purdue
- Saturday, April 19, UW vs Illinois
- Saturday, May 3, UW vs Iowa
- Saturday, May 17, UW vs USC
See all available employee discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.
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DHR’s “Legacy” pages to be deleted on March 31
King County has launched a new Employee Intranet homepage, along with an intranet site and updated public-facing pages for the Department of Human Resources (DHR). These changes centralize employee information into a single portal, accessible only to King County employees, while also making it easier for residents to find what they need on kingcounty.gov.
New pages:
- King County Employee Intranet homepage (SharePoint)
- Department of Human Resources Intranet (SharePoint)
- Department of Human Resources public webpages
Important: DHR’s existing “legacy” pages on kingcounty.gov are scheduled to be deleted on March 31. If a DHR URL contains the word “legacy,” it is an outdated page and will be replaced on March 31 with the new sites listed above. DHR’s legacy pages also have a red banner at the top of the page with a deletion date reminder. Please familiarize yourself with DHR’s new external and internal pages which include commonly used services such as employee Benefits and Payroll, Learning and Development, Disability Services, Policies, Safety at Work, and more.
In addition, the Edge browser default in Executive Branch workstations will be reset the week of March 31 to open to the new Employee Homepage automatically, every time a new browser tab is opened. The current default is MSN news for most employees. Employees can change the default browser homepage or use a different browser such as Chrome or Firefox for their default browser homepage of choice.
For more details on the new sites and how to access them, view the Fact Sheet and watch instructional videos at vimeo.com/showcase/11535213.
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Providing reentry supports for veterans following incarceration
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
Returning to the community after incarceration poses new and unique challenges, especially for veterans. Getting identification and taking care of physical and mental health needs are a priority, and so is finding employment, securing housing, and accessing food and transportation. Understanding all of these systems can be challenging. Recognizing the specific needs of veterans returning to their communities after incarceration, King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) launched the King County Veterans Reentry Program (KCVRP) last year.
Empowering veterans to successfully rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society, KCVRP helps veterans navigate ongoing court and probation requirements while linking them to behavioral healthcare, primary health care, transitional and permanent housing, and other social services to support their successful reentry and ongoing stability in the community. Read more.
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Inquest Program collaborates with 4Culture to bring art to a courtroom
Crossposted from the DES Express
When the Inquest Program started moving into a vacant courtroom in the King County Courthouse, the room looked, well, a bit dismal.
“It was a courtroom that hadn’t been regularly used for the last few years,” said Claire Thornton, an Inquest Program attorney. “There was dust everywhere. Members of the team pitched in to clean, mop, and wipe shelves down.”
Once Courtroom E-753 was painted, Thornton, whose husband is an artist, felt like the room really needed art. The program once was housed in the Clark Children and Family Justice Center, which was designed with art as an integral aspect.
The Inquest team wanted to make their new home a welcoming and beautiful space so everyone who entered, especially jurors, would have a variety of art pieces to appreciate during a difficult and often emotional process. The Inquest Program manages fact-finding inquiries into the manner, facts, and circumstances of deaths involving a member of law enforcement or corrections in the course of their duties. Read more.
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