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Our Services
MDC offers programs that fall under the following categories: Education, Children, Youth and Families, Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Housing, Homeless Services, Economic and Career Development, Phone Services and Prevention. Read More
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About Us
Our mission is to develop and manage innovative programs that promote self-sufficiency and remove individuals and families from poverty. Since our inception in 1964, MDC has provided high quality services to Tacoma and Pierce County residents. Read More |
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Get Involved
We exist because of you. There are many ways for you to get involved in working together with us to accomplish great things. We have multiple programs that are in need of volunteers. Or you just may want to make a donation. However you want to work with us, we welcome your interest and we want to know how we can help get you plugged into our organization. Read More |
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Employment
The main reason MDC has grown over the years and continues to provide excellent service to its clients is because of our amazing staff. If you are interested in making a difference in your community and having fun doing it, we'd love to have you apply for one of our current job openings. Read More
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| News |
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New MDC Web Site launches July 1st.
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Jul 1st, 2008
We've pleased to announce the official launch of the New MDC Website. |
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MDC part of Tomorrows home for soldiers of today
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Jun 6th, 2008
MELISSA SANTOS
The News Tribune Published: May 24th, 2008 01:00 AM
Updated: May 24th, 2008 06:21 AM
The average resident at the Washington Soldiers Home & Colony in Orting isn't a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most hail from past eras' World War II, Korea and Vietnam. But the number of injured soldiers returning from today's wars has the 117-year-old facility making plans for how it can also serve a younger population of veterans. The 181-acre campus is looking to increase transitional housing for returning soldiers and to add treatment programs for veterans with traumatic brain injuries. The Soldiers Home in East Pierce County is the oldest of three veterans homes in Washington run by the state Department of Veterans Affairs. It offers its 182 residents three levels of nursing care on grounds that include century-old brick buildings, a fishing pond and well-maintained lawns. What it could use more of are resources such as occupational and speech therapy, said Donald Lachman, special projects coordinator for the state VA. For every fatality in this war we have 16 injured veterans, and the head injury is the signature injury of this war, Lachman said. We know these soldiers are coming because of the kind of injuries that are happening, and we're not ready for that.
NEW HOUSING
Part of the department's plan includes partnering with Pierce County's Metropolitan Development Council to renovate a 91-year-old barracks at the entrance to the grounds. The renovation would create 30 housing units for homeless veterans. The Garfield Barracks was condemned in 1978 and has since been used for storage. Half of the units in the renovated structure would become transitional housing; the other 15 would be permanent low-income units. Residents would have access to the other health care facilities at the Soldiers Home, which include a light-care nursing facility and a skilled-nursing home. We've really seen on the streets of Tacoma and Pierce County an increase of single and chronically homeless folks on the street, said Sandy Burgess, a development consultant with the nonprofit Metropolitan Development Council. I think a significant part of that is people returning from the war with severe health issues. This is an opportunity for people to regain some stability and really just recover in a peaceful setting, she added. Part of the council's mission is to provide affordable housing and reduce homelessness, making the partnership a good one for the VA and the county, Burgess said. The nonprofit has raised $75,000 for the first phase of the project, but expects it will take another 11/2 years to raise the remaining money. The total project cost is estimated at $6 million. Burgess said she hopes the renovated barracks can open in 2011. “It really benefits both parties, and in the end it benefits the people we are trying to house, Burgess said.
PARTNERING WITH THE COMMUNITY
John Lee, director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, said he wants to see the Soldiers Home grow to serve not only a wider population of veterans, but also the nearby community. The department is trying to increase its connections with the City of Orting and the Orting School District. A healing garden designed by University of Washington landscape architecture students will also appear in the next few years, and possibly a military museum. I'm trying to look at this in terms of the vision for the Soldiers Home for the decades ahead, Lee said. We'd like to integrate the people coming into that community with the community here in Orting. Already the city's Parks and Recreation Department has started holding some recreational baseball games on the campus, Orting Mayor Cheryl Temple said. Temple said she hopes the city can soon market the Soldiers Home as an attraction for people to visit in Orting. They're kind of opening up to us, Temple said. We're really excited to be able to market them. Talks with the Orting School District include providing community service opportunities and job shadow programs. For instance, students could learn about medicine from nurses who work at the home's skilled-nursing facility, school Superintendent Jeff Davis said. The idea is to make it a win-win situation, so their residents have the opportunity to be a part of this community and our students have a chance to explore career opportunities, Davis said.
NEW THERAPIES
Students in the UW's therapeutic garden certificate program have already gotten involved. They've come up with designs for a healing and walking garden at the Soldiers Home that could be used for physical therapy. It would be placed next to the skilled-nursing facility, said Roxanne Hamilton, a lecturer in the university's landscape architecture department. Research has shown that patients benefit from using a garden as a social setting as well as a site for outdoor physical therapy, Hamilton said. Patients also could help take care of the garden. We're designing ways that people can do all their physical therapy activities, but outdoors, Hamilton said. People's fine motor skills and general health and well-being can improve greatly through personal one-on-one interaction with plants. Lachman said he hopes the garden will be just one of the new therapeutic additions to the Soldiers Home. The state VA is looking to add speech therapists to help patients who have suffered head injuries. Their work could correspond with a potential service dog and kennel therapy program and day-care services for traumatic brain injury patients. Eventually, the state VA wants to have an information center at the Soldiers Home that can educate people about living with brain injuries, Lachman said. Veterans Affairs is formulating plans to increase services this year and hopes to move forward in the next two years. We are learning more and more about the brain. We cannot just write off these young veterans who are injured, Lachman said. We have to have an aggressive program. Melissa Santos: 253-552-7058 |
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Lester Lewis receives 2008 WA State Outstanding Weatherization staff
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Jun 5th, 2008
The Center for Trade and Economic Development Housing Division is pleased to announce that Lester Lewis from MDC has won the Outstanding Person in Weatherization for Washington. The award was presented to him at the state Energy Outwest awards luncheon June 4th. Lester is the sole recipient of this award for the State. Below are excerpts about Lester from the nomination letter of recommendation submitted by Lewis' supervisor:
Q - Explain why the nominee should be considered for the Outstanding Person in Weatherization Award. Include specific examples of accomplishments or notable contributions by this individual.
A - After working with Mr. Lewis the sum of five years, I have witnessed professionalism and mastery of his knowledge and skill pertaining to weatherization. However, what most impresses me about Mr. Lewis is the compassion and human element he incorporates into his work. An example of this would be the time I accompanied him on an audit in the coldest part of winter. What we discovered was that an elderly woman lived alone in her home that had not only no insulation, but also no drywall, extensive electrical work needed to be done, and her only heating source was a portable gas stove. It was so cold in the house that we saw our own exhalation from our noses and mouth when as we spoke. The condition of the structure made it impossible to apply any weatherization measures. The costs involved to bring the home to liveable suitability was beyond what the client could afford. Realizing that our funding sources could not allow the extreme cost of renovation, Mr. Lewis rallied several local businesses to volunteer time, materials and labor to bring this home in a livable condition and prepare it to qualify for weatherization services. I am pleased to report that the outcome was greeted with an emotional display of gratitude from the home owner and a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from everyone that was involved in this project. This is just one example of Mr. Lewis achievements. I can site many other examples of his altruism, but even if it were just for this one effort, I highly feel that Mr. Lewis deserves to be recognized for this extraordinary achievement. Mr. Lewis brings great pride to our organization and has earned him well deserved esteem from all of us who work with him on a daily basis.
Q - Please provide as much background information as you can regarding this individual's history with the program (number of years, etc.)
A - Mr. Lewis has worked for the Metropolitan Development Council for the past nineteen years. He has worked his way up from an associate to a supervisory capacity. He is well versed in all aspects of Weatherization, carpentry, and plumbing. Mr. Lewis is supervising other programs within our organization. Namely: Emergency Minor Home Repair, The ReHarvest Center and Housing Maintenance. He not only excels in his supervisory duties but is also a hands on person leading his crews by example. |
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City of Tacoma Fair Housing Award for Cathy Forslund
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May 31st, 2008
MDc's own Cathy Forslund, the program assistant of rental management, received the 2008 City Of Tacoma Annual Fair Housing Award at the 22nd annual Fair Housing conference for:
"Commitment to Excellence in the Promotion of Equal housing Opportunities"
Way to go Cathy! |
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