The Kent East Hill Boxing Club helped serve homeless women and children of the KentHOPE Day Center as city and community leaders visited the facility during an open house and barbecue on Sept. 24.
The club does service projects throughout the community during the year, according to its director, Leslie Hamada.
The KentHOPE Women and Children’s Day Center continues to make an impact since opening on Dec. 16, 2013. It now hosts an average of 30 women and children each day and provides immediate needs: three substantial meals a day, showers, laundry facilities, computer access and resources for housing and jobs.
Community partners such as Catholic Community Services, Sound Mental Health, HealthPoint, Valley Cities, Sober Solutions and Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission are helping guests as they move out of homelessness. In its first 19 months of operation, the day center has helped 198 women and children find housing and 85 women find jobs.
Day Center staff provides ongoing case management while encouraging and assisting guests to regain stability and obtain employment and housing. Demographic statistics show that more than 80 percent of the women the day center served are from South King County; 50 percent have experienced domestic violence.
A total of 81 different volunteers served 2,121 meals in August, transported guests to and from overnight shelter twice a day, every day, led workshops and showed countless acts of loving kindness.
The KentHOPE Overnight Shelter has engaged seven churches to house 30 women each night, made possible by a United Way/city of Seattle grant.
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