Health, Housing and Human Services Council

After much deliberation, the HHHS board made the tough decision to dissolve the non-profit corporation. Closure activities are underway with the goal of dissolution within the next 2 months. HHHS staff will work through the third week of January, 2011 to finish out the 2010 City contract and close down the HHHS office.

For the next few months you can reach HHHS through the info@bihhhs.org email address or via our new mailing address:

Health, Housing, and Human Services Council Celebration

The Health, Housing and Human Services Council along with 140 guests celebrated accomplishments and honored current and former HHHS board members as well as gave thanks for the dedicated work of staff members Jan Lambert and Debbie Kuffel on January 27, 2011 at IslandWood.

HHHS Recommendations to City Council

January 3, 2011

HHHS made recommendations for future human services planning to the City Council. Click here to read the recommendations.

Health, Housing, and Human Services Council Loses Funding

November 15, 2010: After two years implementing cost cutting measures, the Island’s Health, Housing, and Human Services (HHHS) volunteer board of directors has decided that it can no longer effectively support the City’s Comprehensive Plan and manage the distribution of city funds used to support the island’s direct service agencies. HHHS is charged by the City of Bainbridge Island to implement the Human Services Element of the City's Comprehensive Plan. HHHS is the only organization focused on the human services network as a whole and the only organization whose primary focus is to ensure that a full range of services are available to meet the needs of BI citizens.

HHHS opened its doors in 1993 and has provided fiscal oversight and disbursement of over $3.6 million of City funds to 18 human service agencies since its inception. As chief advocate for agency financial support, annual City funding grew 360% from $70,000 in 1993 to $321,508 in 2010. During the same period, HHHS successfully completed two community-wide assessments and the formation of five follow-up Action Teams. “These assessments served as a tool to determine changes in human service needs among the island community and to strengthen the island’s human service agencies”, according to Jan Lambert, Executive Director for HHHS.

Despite the best practice operating model built by HHHS, the City Council determined that it could no longer provide funding for HHHS due to the City’s current economic challenges and Council priorities.

“While we are disappointed that the City will not continue to fund HHHS, we are pleased that the City Council has decided to continue to provide funding to the direct service agencies” said Roberto Gurza, President of HHHS board of directors. “While this funding was reduced for 2011, the fact that the City is continuing to provide these funds is something we believe is essential”, Gurza continued.

According to Gurza, the HHHS staff will work through the third week of January, 2011 to finish out the 2010 City contract and close down the HHHS office. The HHHS board is planning an event on January 27, 2011 to celebrate HHHS’s accomplishments as well as the dedicated work of Jan Lambert, Executive Director, Debbie Kuffel, Executive Assistant, past HHHS board members, and the agencies that HHHS has helped to grow and prosper. Jan Lambert became the first Executive Director in 2000. Debbie Kuffel joined the organization in 2003.

HHHS is the non-profit organization that fosters the efficient delivery of critical services through the Island's health, housing and human service agencies by:

assessing overall need,
prioritizing city resources to where they will do the most good,
forging links and connections between providers,
advocating for needed resources, and
building capacity of direct service agencies

This Day of Volunteering event brought together agencies that provide health, housing and human services and Islanders of all ages together to benefit the BI Senior Community Center (BISCC). Thank you to all of the volunteers who came out to improve the BISCC gardens.

There were garden tasks, arts & crafts for kids, and activities for all ages.

Photos from our April 22, 2010 Earth Day work to prep the beds for the May 1 Garden Makeover:

A big thank you to all who came out on Earth Day 2010 to help weed and clean out the BI Senior Community Center garden beds in preparation for the Garden Makeover & Ice Cream Party event on Saturday, May 1st!

The Health, Housing and Human Services Council has the unique responsibility for implementing the City of Bainbridge Island’s Human Services Element (HSE) of the Comprehensive Plan. The HSE reminds us not to forget the very essence of our community – the people. HHHS’s role is to maintain the big picture, fostering improvements in the range, delivery and quality of health, housing and human service programs on the Island. Long-range planning and the development of holistic strategies are fundamental to maintaining a healthy diverse community.

Almost a decade ago, a group of visionary volunteers created the HHHS Council as a non-profit corporation to support and coordinate the human service nonprofit agencies on Bainbridge Island. Later, some of those same volunteers helped put a human face and heart on the normally technical City of Bainbridge Island’s Comprehensive Plan, creating the Human Services Element. This was an important step that says a great deal about the character of Bainbridge Island.

By officially adopting the Human Services Element, our community boldly says that the well-being, health and basic human dignity of all of our citizens is as equally important as land use planning, improving roads or providing public safety services.

Simply put, the element's goal is to ensure the availability and access of human services for all people-regardless of income, family structure, age or cultural background. Not a short order by any means, but through our continued coordination with the excellent independent human service agencies, organizations, congregations and schools-and all of us working together-this vision can become a reality.
Bainbridge Island has a long history of people taking care of each other, of providing for the human services needs within the community.

A majority of Bainbridge Islanders have affirmed the value of diversity—a range of age, occupation, ethnicity, and income—in our community. A strong human services delivery system helps maintain that diversity.

Although Bainbridge Island often is characterized as an affluent community, there is poverty here; there is homelessness; there are people who don’t always have enough to eat; and there are people who work hard yet have little money left after paying rent.

At the same time, it should be understood that many needs associated with human services are unrelated to income. The availability of, and access to, human services is important to all people, regardless of income, family structure, age or cultural background.

Doors Closing at HHHS