Need for Help Continues to Grow in Enumclaw Area

The economy may be improving some in other parts of the country, but the number of people in need in the Enumclaw area continues to grow.

Kimberly Fish, outgoing director of Plateau Outreach Ministries, talked about the steady increase in need at a recent City Council meeting.

Fish talked about three POM programs.

The food bank, for example, helped 276 families in April of 2010. Just a little more than a year later, in June of 2011, the food bank helped 376 families. It also helped 1,275 individuals, compared with 1,020. And there were huge increases in all age groups, from 3 up to seniors.

At the Samaritan Project, Fish talked about trends, such as most of the clients are unable to find jobs, running out of unemployment, unable to afford health insurance and in need of subsidized housing. POM was able to assist three families into stable housing by working with other agencies, such as Solid Ground.

The More Pennies From Heaven Thrift Store brought in about $11,000 a month. Clients from the Samaritan Project continue to be helped with household items and clothes for free, to the tune of almost $550 for 14 clients.

During the last three months, POM volunteers served 2,234 hours, with the most, 1,335, at Pennies from Heaven.

Also discussed at the recent council meeting was a library levy that would cost taxpayers 40 cents per $1,000 valuation on their property to provide a six-day a week facility. The library board does not want to be annexed into the King County Library System.

The city also is close to passing an ordinance that would allow it to recover costs up to $1,000 per incident for anyone convicted of Driving Under the Influence. For the city to qualify for the restitution the offender would have to be involved in an accident in which an “emergency response” occurs.