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A Place to Grow

 The After-School Program offers local youth a place to create meaningful relationships with peers as well as take part in enriching activities and, of course, finish their home work. Under the guidance of our dedicated Youth Coordinators, our kids find comfort in playing outside, enjoying a snack, and then using their brains to stay engaged even though the school day is over.

The program follows the Seattle school calendar, which means we also take a break during the summer time but not before we celebrate our youths’ success with an annual moving on ceremony. Families are invited to watch performances, enjoy a barbeque, and listen to small commencement-like speeches from our kids. Every child that goes through the program gets the chance to talk about the growth they have seen in themselves and their friends throughout the year.

Moses took to the mic to tell everyone, including his parents, just how much value he gets from the After-School Program. “I love ASC because it helps me build grown-up skills!”

He couldn’t be more correct! We have seen Moses expand his talents tremendously with Atlantic Street Center. In addition to collaborating with his peers over shared home work and countless rounds of trivia, Moses signed himself up for our Slam Poetry Night. He got dressed up alongside his brother and sang his heart out. That kind of fearlessness and confidence is something we love to see and help nurture. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us, Moses!

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From Car to Home

On average, it takes a victim seven times to leave a violent situation before staying away for good, according to the National Domestic Hotline. The hurdles that come after this major feat, however, bring about a new sense of anxiety, fear, and ambiguity. For example, a recent Atlantic Street Center participant was living out of their car after narrowly escaping a violent home situation.

Because of her low credit score, landlords were unwilling to lease her a home. This meant the participant’s only choice was to live in her car. It is a harsh reality that many people in our communities see themselves surviving homelessness more so than staying with an abuser. And while it seems like an obvious choice to go to a shelter or apply for transitional housing, these places may either not be supportive long-term or readily available. In fact, many domestic abuse shelters have incredibly long waiting lists.

Our staff worked alongside this survivor for eight months. Together, they applied for multiple housing opportunities but it was the establishment of a relationship that got our participant into a home. One of our Housing Specialists had a frank conversation with a landlord, explaining that our client had escaped from a violent situation and was working hard to rectify her credit despite living in her car. It turned out that this landlord was empathetic to the situation and willingly looked past the participant’s credit. She was even allowed to move in ahead of a paid deposit.

Thanks to additional funds, Atlantic Street Center was also able to assist with moving costs. Now this person is thriving and creating new opportunities for herself in a safe and supportive space. This type of happy ending took almost a whole year to happen, but the outcome was certainly worth it. As long as abuse continues to occur, our community must stay consistent in providing support.

If you, or someone you know, is in need of support due to gender-based violence, contact our team GBV Advocate at (206) 637-6967, or via email. Para servicios en español, por favor llame a (206) 349-6197. Visit our Gender-Based Violence Support webpage here.

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