The Agape House Inc.

Mission

The Agape House, a faith based agency, equips marginalized, Black, and indigenous (BIPOC) 18-27 year old women with non-time-limited housing, education, and employment opportunities through holistic, culturally competent, community led care. These youth are the overrepresented in judicial, homeless, foster care systems and underrepresented in educational and employment systems. We intervene to change the paradigm . 

After Covid, we need your help to raise funds for the upcoming Building Capital Campaign (2024-2027) for new construction, tiny home establishment, repurposing of present brick and mortar buildings through the Nehemiah Project and Habitat for Humanity. We will do all we can to keep and get the young woman off the streets  before the shame and trauma of that experience not only damage her possibilities for empowerment, growth and success but also damage the fiber of her community as her potential is reduced, the community potential is reduced. The mission of Agape House is easily summed up with, To Save a Life is to Save a World. We believe we are all uniquely joined in this experience of living on the earth and must be those of good will who use their talents and resources to enable the individual through community.

Description

The Agape House's (TAH) model addresses Seattle's Housing State of Emergency. This agency believes that prevention is the most cost-effective form of treatment. It gives the woman and the region the most return on the investment (ROI). Non-time limited housing and education/training offer the woman opportunities that are cost-effective and kind and will sustain her and ultimately her children which are her legacy.

Agape House utilizes volunteer mother and professional mentors, wrap around therapeutic services from My Sisters' Keeper, referral services from Cherry St YMCA, Atlantic Street Center, Emerald City Ministries. We are pleased to partner with two newer activist and intentional groups seeking and providing means for the homeless to be housed, the Nehemiah Project and Habitat for Humanity.  We are as well offering training/education from Good Will, Seattle Colleges, College Success Foundation, Umoja, Seattle Vocational Institute,, Youth Wise, Skillspire, Cad Youth, Seattle Public Schools individual counselors

We have recently formed a consortium of agencies to provide services from feeding to training the underserved. The members of this consortium, "4 Youth"work collaboratively and individually to best serve our clients. Our partners in the consortium are GSBP of Bellevue and Care Wellness of Bellingham.

The Board of The Agape House is committed to putting a crimp in the pipeline from the foster care system that often leads to human/sexual trafficking.

The model simply employs non-time limited housing, engagement in fulfilling/completing each woman's training and education, assuring better health care, with the
end result being employment and moving into independent self-sufficiency living.

This program also addresses systemic racism as the underserved homeless 18-24 year old woman of color (especially the African-American woman) appears to comprise over 50% of those on the streets although they are only 6-7% of King County's population.

Finally, projected monthly costs for Agape housing and education are $1,500 per woman as contrasted with an estimated $6,000 if a woman is incarcerated at a prison or jail such as Purdy Women's Prison. The costs of providing social services to each woman have not been collected yet we suspect the costs will far exceed the $1000 per month per woman.

Recognition

1.We recognize the encouragement of civic activists such as Ron Sims, LeRoy McCullough and Larry Gossett.
2.We so value the "shoulders" of the late Judge Pat Clark, Delores Lane (the Dove House) and the late Alvirita Little (Girls' Club). We "stand on them" in order to fulfill our mission of offering preventative, seamless services of housing and education/training to at-risk women who have been in foster care or who are homeless. We get to youth before the streets do.
3.Thank you to our Board Members who are Ron Ward,, , Lewis Ferguson, , Deja Williams, , Betty Jamison, Sam Cameron, Barbara Johnson, Andrea Clarkson, Ruth Saunders, Michelle Mitchel, Ashley Burnes Nascimentoashley, Evie Livingstone-Taylor, Moni Law, Ashley Albert, Royal Alley Barnes, Dr Afia Ukor, Sara Ward
4. Our Executive Director is Kiti Ward.
5. Thank you to businesses, individual donors, the Black community press, mother mentors, women's and church groups who have supported us.
Thank JLL Business Alliance and their volunteers for their help in putting the house together.
6) Thank Score Business Group (our mentor is Gabrielle ) for their often free services and reality based encouragement.
7) Thank the community for the contributions of items for the house.