VYFS loses important funding

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, November 22, 2016

In the midst of a financially difficult year for the social service agency, Vashon Youth &Family Services has learned it will not receive funding from United Way as of December and is looking to the community to make up the difference.

Executive Director Kathleen Johnson announced the news earlier this month, indicating that the agency will lose $60,000 in total, half of which provided scholarships at Vashon Kids, a before- and after- school program the agency operates at Chautauqua, and the other half supporting group and individual counseling for at-risk youth.

The United Way of King County recently narrowed its funding focus, and VYFS is the second island agency in recent months to announce a loss of funding from the nonprofit, which is the largest charity in the United States.

“It feels very personal. I am deeply frustrated,” Johnson said. “This is a resource that has been meaningful to this community and this county that is just going away.”

Within the agency, Johnson said staff would find a way to continue to meet the needs of at-risk youth, but without support, it cannot fund scholarships. VYFS provides about a dozen scholarships a month for families with children who attend Vashon Kids, covering up to 40 percent of the monthly cost. Without assistance, some families will not be able to afford to send their kids to the program.

“You are looking at kids being left home that should not be left home,” she added.

Johnson noted that given United Way’s realignment of funding priorities, she applied for money that would have funded a youth center with enriched programming for middle and high school students. The United Way recently declined to fund that proposal, saying that while it was well-conceived, the program would have fewer at-risk kids, children of color and non-English speakers than a similar program in other parts of King County, she said.

This lack of support for a rural area is frustrating, she said.

“The need has to be counted even if the head count is small,” she added.

Looking ahead, Johnson said she expects the agency will receive much-needed funds next year, including from King County’s new Best Starts for Kids initiative, but those funds will likely not be available for several months. This means that the agency will be unable to offer scholarships for some time unless the community helps provide for them; an additional $30,000 would be helpful in this regard, Johnson said. She added those funds would be needed in addition to the money the agency hopes to raise in its year-end appeal, which provides essential funds for the general operations of the organization.

For more information about VYFS and how to donate, see VYFS.org.

— Susan Riemer