Building Community Connections at Fishline

Fishline has been in the business of helping people for over 48 years, however we are really just an extension of something much larger than ourselves, that power we loosely attribute as “heartfelt compassion”.  Recently received calls from community members drive the point home:

“This kid is on my team and his family needs help, so I called you.” - local coach

“He is here from out of state and is asking for a hotel for the night, what do you advise?” – local pastor

“I want to bring this young Mother in to see you, she won’t come in on her own...” – local pastor

“This family is in crisis, can you help us find them shelter or housing?” – local tribal counselor

If you live in North Kitsap, you live among Neighbors who truly care about you and your well being. This community never ceases to amaze us in their advocacy for those less fortunate, going through a rough time, or experiencing a family crisis.

The calls we receive are calls for help, not only for the individual or the family involved but the community as a whole.

We could certainly choose to look the other way, or keep ourselves in the dark about the brokenness around us, but we choose to stand up and to support a movement for stability, opportunity and success for all who reside here.

Clients come from all walks of life, the military wife going through a divorce and starting her life over feeling discouraged and devastated who went on to become a mentor to unwed mothers and landed her dream job working with Head Start families. The man who had been a homeless drifter for 40 years and who came to call this his home, and now works part time at a local church and visits his mother at a close by nursing home. The college intern who is pursuing her career in addiction recovery and wanted to pay back Fishline for all the help offered to her in her times of struggle.

While we are able to stabilize the storm for most of our clients we want to do more. We want to get ahead of that crisis whenever possible. We want to wrap around clients with multiple barriers, we want to see providers use a team approach to support clients and one another in the journey. We want to see growth in community building projects and support groups.

We want there to be an intentional focus on building natural community connections (e.g., landlords, employers, ministers, neighbors, teachers, community centers, and coaches), and in the case of North Kitsap it is obvious that we have already conquered this important step. We want our neighbors to get help here in our community and without the barrier of setting and keeping appointments in Bremerton or Tacoma or Seattle.

We simply need to take the next step and create a model where we are cohesive across services and where self-determination and client choice are essential to success, and where shared case management is possible.

Will you support us in this mission? Will you be a part of strengthening your local community in such a way? We are in the process of creating something powerful and unique and would welcome your input and support; and please keep the calls coming, we are here to help you build our community to its best potential!