Turning passion for people into opportunities
By Katelin Gladney, Customer Service Intern Take a walk around King County and you’ll see how residents’ experiences can vary wildly. Some are doing well and benefitting from the strong, tech-fueled economy. But far too many are struggling to even keep a roof over their heads. Finding ways to help those struggling is the mission of King County employee Andréa Akita, Director of Communities of Opportunity (COO). King County partnered with the Seattle Foundation a local philanthropic organization, to create the initiative aimed at providing equity and social justice to all communities… Read More
King County uses ACS data to help older Americans with housing affordability
King County uses the American Community Survey data in many ways to support our residents. The following story from King County Assessor John Wilson was featured in the ACS User Data group; which includes users from cities and counties around the nation. This story was put together by the assessor’s office, the Executive Office, and Public Health staff; including Chandler Felt and Susan Kinne. When I became King County Assessor in 2016, real estate values had been jumping at a double-digit pace annually and housing affordability was headed towards a crisis level—especially… Read More
Finding hidden value at the bottom of a sediment tank
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories What’s the real cost? Have you ever been undecided when buying an appliance, trying to choose between a standard or select model? You probably wished you had some data to help you make an informed choice. Well, by studying costs and crunching the numbers, maintenance engineers at West Point determined that what looked like a higher priced option for certain replacement parts was actually the best value in the long run. The cost of equipment isn’t just the cost of buying it. We work on being smart… Read More
Walk in the Shoes – Cynthia and Dynese
County employees do amazing work on behalf of our residents, which I was able to see firsthand in May when I visited King County’s Youth Services Center (YSC) to walk in the shoes of Juvenile Detention Nurse Cynthia Marino and Juvenile Detention Supervisor Dynese Greer. They help youth in King County who enter the criminal justice system leave it with a better chance of living a happy, productive, successful life. Accompanied by Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams, I met with Juvenile Detention Deputy Director Angela Toussaint who gave us access badges for… Read More
Accomplished artist brings “East Base Flair” to transit center
Walking into the Metro Transit East Base in Bellevue can be disorienting. The facility is large, with buses and equipment scattered throughout and people moving busily as they go about their work. The sound of drills are heard in the background and the smell of a mechanic shop tickles your nose. Beautiful, hand-painted signs adorn the entrance to each work station and stand out among the otherwise generic facility walls. These signs were created by Don Charbonneau and are part of what he calls “East Base flair.” Charbonneau, who works in the… Read More
Roads Career Development Academy demonstrates Investing in YOU mindset
When engagement survey data revealed the importance of career growth and development to employees of the Department of Transportation’s Road Services Division, leadership reached out to Human Resource Division’s Career Support Services section to explore a partnership, and the Roads Career Development Academy was born. The program was designed to help employees identify their professional goals and take charge of their careers. Employee engagement scores at Roads are slightly higher than the countywide average, as are Roads employees’ feelings about opportunities for growth and development. Still, division leadership saw that the growth… Read More
Community Owned Data series
Crossposted from Best Starts for Kids During the month of June, we will be running a “community owned data” blog series. This is our kick off post! Every other year, Best Starts collects community data that helps guide our funding strategies. To ensure that we are truly partnering with communities and sharing data ownership, Best Starts partnered with specific communities to have conversations about the data and help us understand it. We learned a lot from this process and want to share our learnings with our larger community here. Best Starts for… Read More
Initiative brings people together, provides education and support for faith leaders
We’ve all heard the saying “there’s strength in numbers.” From volunteers coming together to build a home to the mass migration of monarch butterflies, when people (or even animals) come together, beautiful and powerful things can happen. King County is no different. When it provides opportunities for the community to come together, there are amazing results. For example, the American Muslim Empowerment Network, a program of the Muslim American Association of Puget Sound (MAPS), received funding from the King County Resilience Fund to strengthen community support for immigrants and refugees who are… Read More
Juvenile Justice practices build community for youth, connect them to opportunities
King County is committed to helping youth succeed. Through a variety of services, at-risk youth are given the tools needed to make healthy decisions and are surrounded by a community of adults dedicated to helping each individual make the changes needed to get their life back on track. Understanding that each person faces different challenges, the county’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) provides two options as alternatives to secure detention: electronic home monitoring and group care. “Our philosophy has always been placing youth out of detention and focusing on community… Read More
In my own words: Our approach to juvenile justice reform
Dear fellow King County employee, As you know, the wellbeing of youth, including those involved in the justice system, is one of my major priorities. As we set the stage for significant announcements and changes in the year ahead, I’d like to share my thoughts on our approach to juvenile justice reform. Over the past year, I have articulated my vision of what the goal of zero youth detention means, and how to make it happen. Here are excerpts from three speeches so you can better understand my thinking and my values…. Read More
Employee News 