Our Latest Grant Winner Has a Heart for Their Community

With each $2000 AED grant selection, it gets harder and harder to choose just one recipient. All of our applicants had a need and a story, and we found ourselves wishing we could give everyone a grant, but in the end, we chose an organization with a strong history of helping people out of poverty.  We are pleased to award our latest grant to Solid Ground in Seattle, WA! 

Solid Ground told us about the great work they do:

Solid Ground works to end poverty and undo racism and other oppressions that are root causes of poverty. With the understanding that a stable home is foundational to ending poverty, we provide housing and homeless prevention in combination with services that meet basic needs to allow individuals and families to rebuild and thrive. We work with our participants to nurture success by providing tools, training, and counseling for long-term stability – these efforts include financial fitness programming, legal assistance to access or maintain public benefits, nutrition classes to encourage eating healthily while on a budget, along with access to additional resources. We recognize that we cannot end poverty without the voices of those who experience it, so we catalyze systemic change through direct testimony, state-level public policy advocacy, and the development of strong partnerships to build movements and strengthen our community. Together, these efforts support over 76,000 people who engage in our programs each year.

Solid Ground has a 45-year history of providing stabilizing, supportive services to people living on low incomes, including 37 years of delivering housing solutions. In 1982 we opened our Family Shelter program to provide crisis housing for families experiencing homelessness, and the following year began our Broadview program to provide shelter, transitional housing, and advocacy for survivors and their children escaping domestic violence. Our Sand Point campus broke ground in 1993 and serves over 450 people each year through transitional, permanent, and service-enriched housing models for single adults and families. Solid Ground has a demonstrated history of innovation in housing and human services, pioneering models and advocating for dozens of stabilizing laws that protect our community members living on low incomes, including the 1986 Housing Levy and the 1992 Washington State Housing Trust Fund. Historically, we played a key role in creating community-driven programs now operating independently, such as Seattle’s curbside recycling, Seattle Workers Center, Low Income Housing Institute, and FamilyWorks Resource Center and Food Bank. We pioneered our housing first Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) program in 1997 and founded the Non-Profit Anti-Racism Coalition in 2001. Solid Ground’s broad reach, strong infrastructure, and depth of experience position us as a principal leader in the fight against poverty, housing instability, and homelessness in Seattle and King County.

Integral to our supportive services model are intentional efforts to cultivate a sense of safety and trust, with the understanding that this is foundational for next steps toward stability. We meet our residents and program participants where they are, customizing services that promote security, healing, and long-term success. This year’s award from AED Superstore is a perfect example of Solid Ground’s community partners working together to support those we serve – thank you for being a part of this network! 

We hope you’ll take the time to check out all the programs they offer by visiting their website at www.solid-ground.org. 

Just a reminder – we are currently taking submissions for our next grant which has a deadline of November 30, 2019.  You can find more information here.