Improvements & Developments
Final Thought: Our DVM had a conversation with someone that just blew her away and is probably going to stick with her forever. This conversation was with a woman living unhoused, and it was just so astonishing how brave, “normal,” and matter of fact she was about her housing situation. She was so funny and coped with humor. You know, 80% of Americans only have 1 months worth of savings, one little accident could completely turn your life upside down. CNBC states that “Just 40% of Americans could pay an unexpected $1,000 expense, such as an emergency room visit or car repair, with their savings.” To pay these unexpected expenses, people pay these down using credit cards with high interest rates that get out of control. Most people are at risk of losing their housing if they do not receive just one paycheck. These are scary statistics that are not talked about enough and need solutions. To read more click the link below: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/most-americans-dont-have-the-savings-to-cover-a-1000-emergency.html Here are some pet highlights from Exhibition Hall & Compass Health:
0 Comments
Improvements & Developments
SVO finally has a storage unit! On Friday, Izzy, Scott, Cholette, & Hanna all teamed up to move all of the food/supplies to the storage unit. It took them hours of work but the end result of being able to fit more donations in for pets is worth it. Now we will be able to take in a lot more donations from different organizations/volunteers, hooray! Great win for the community. I realized I did not introduce myself in prior weekly roundups but hello I am Maria! I am new to the team and I am so excited to be here. I grew up in Olympia, WA and I recently just graduated from WSU, (go cougs!). In the last few years, I have been able to see how important it is to offer free vet care to people who are living unhoused/are low income. A simple rabies shot, microchip, and/or nail trim can really make a positive difference. Being able to offer those services for free really does impact people in levels we can not comprehend. I am so grateful to get the opportunity to not only help serve members in the community but pets too. Improvements & Developments
We will be moving our inventory to Sherlock Storage on 3/12 which will be a lot of fun. We are hoping to get everything as organized as possible so we can fit in as many donations as we can for the community. Last week a volunteer collected over 800 bags so we can fill up at our clinic. Shout out to Katie, you are a Rockstar! The community would not be able to get all the resources without the help of volunteers like you! Improvements & Developments
Final Thought: Exciting news to share, our very own Izzy has been accepted to vet school! As if this acceptance isn't exciting enough, but she will be going to school in London! Thankfully we still get her for a bit longer, she likely won't be heading out until August. We are beyond thrilled for you Izzy, and all the amazing things you are going to do! Information & Developments
Hope you have a great week! Take care, Rachele Improvements & Developments
Take care, Rachele Improvements & Developments
Final Thought: We piloted our Pet Emergency Fund this week with an established client of SVO who had an emergency with her dog Sookie. This project is being built by our three board members, Debbie, Melanie and Craig. It is still under development, but looking to launch in our second quarter. The goal is to establish a program for SVO with parameters, process and funding in place which supports clients experiencing non-elective, medical emergencies with their pets. After getting little Sookie into a clinic this Saturday, the client sent me a message expressing her heart felt appreciation. "I'm so happy, and Sookie is too! Thank you for going above and beyond to help the furry half of my soul. I'm grateful the cost was less, so the funds can help even more people and their pets!" We hope to build relationships with local veterinary hospitals that will accept our designated voucher for care, and offer medical support at a discounted or volunteer rate. If this is something your clinic would like to get involved with, please reach out to programs@seattlevet.org. In closing, we have so much to share this week! Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter and stay up to date on how we are trying to improve access to veterinary care for the houseless people in our community. This weekly newsletter often reaches out for ways you can get involved to help, thank you for your shared passion and being an integral part of the team! Have a wonderful week! Rachele Improvements & Developments
Final Thought: We piloted our Pet Emergency Fund this week with an established client of SVO who had an emergency with her dog Sookie. This project is being built by our three board members, Debbie, Melanie and Craig. It is still under development, but looking to launch in our second quarter. The goal is to establish a program for SVO with parameters, process and funding in place which supports clients experiencing non-elective, medical emergencies with their pets. After getting little Sookie into a clinic this Saturday, the client sent me a message expressing her heart felt appreciation. "I'm so happy, and Sookie is too! Thank you for going above and beyond to help the furry half of my soul. I'm grateful the cost was less, so the funds can help even more people and their pets!" We hope to build relationships with local veterinary hospitals that will accept our designated voucher for care, and offer medical support at a discounted or volunteer rate. If this is something your clinic would like to get involved with, please reach out to programs@seattlevet.org. In closing, we have so much to share this week! Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter and stay up to date on how we are trying to improve access to veterinary care for the houseless people in our community. This weekly newsletter often reaches out for ways you can get involved to help, thank you for your shared passion and being an integral part of the team! Improvements & Developments
As always, please reach out with any questions or feedback. Hope you all have a great week! Take care, Rachele ![]() Improvements & Developments
Final Thought: As we leave 2020 behind us and look forward to the new year, our team is focused on the growth and developments in front of us. This last year we started our foster care and spay and neuter program, honed in on the process for onboarding new volunteers, and moved our outreach clinics from three a month to six! We are focused on meeting people with the greatest need for veterinary care, while also developing programs that offer continued support. This year has been a difficult year for everyone, but we've still managed to build relationships with 11 organizations that host our clinics, offering a safe place where houseless people gather, making it easier for them to reach us. We worked with 9 pet care organizations that offered donated pet food, supplies, foster care support and help with high need medical cases. Our volunteer support began to surge this year, and there are many folks that have now become an integral part of this work. Organizations can make a huge difference in a community, but it's easy to slip into a place where you are focused on growth, and not what the people you are serving actually need. Besides the amazing networks we've built, many of our team members are also involved in the homeless organizing groups (HOCS) in the Seattle area. Attending monthly meetings with the Community Advisory Group (CAG) to Healthcare to the Homeless Network and The Lived Experience Coalition. We are focused on keeping up with what is happening with houseless people right now in our community. Growth is wonderful because it allows us to serve more people and their pets, but keeping our feet on the ground, our ears and eyes open, and continuing to meet people where they are at, is the foundation of the work that we do. Happy New Year! Rachele |
BlogWeekly News
March 2021
Categories |