Together Center
September 7th, 2010 | By: Barbara DeMichelle
Pioneer Eastside campus celebrates two decades of efficiency and care.
(left to right) Executive Director Pam Mauk, Senator Patty Murray, Boardmember Holly Plackett, and Board Chairman John Spangenberg. Senator Murray toured the campus as a national model of social service delivery
On September 24, the Together Center (formerly the Family Resource Center) will celebrate 20 years as the Eastside’s first—and, until recently, only—social service campus.
What is a social service campus and why is it needed? Often, people seeking help with food, medical care, or counseling need the services of more than one agency. Before the existence of the Together Center, such individuals traveled many miles and spent days accessing the help they needed. Public transportation was not always available.
In 1990, four Eastside agencies took a broad leap of faith by creating a new nonprofit and purchasing an old strip mall in Redmond. By joining forces and co-locating their agencies—Friends of Youth, HealthPoint, Hopelink, and Youth Eastside Services—they hoped to lower barriers to services as well as keep costs low.
The model proved to be a boon to the agencies and their clients. Today, 18 co-located social service agencies serve more than 40,000 Eastside clients every year. The Together Center’s board and staff manage the campus, provide coordinated referral services, offer professional development classes, and raise funds to support cost savings. Last year alone, member agencies saved $218,000 in overhead costs.
At Together Center, medical services are available to all on a sliding scale payment basis
In 2006, Issaquah community leaders, nonprofit agencies, and elected officials began exploring how to replicate the Together Center’s campus model. A feasibility study, funded by the Issaquah City Council, will be completed by the Together Center this fall.
Those interested in learning more about this unique model are invited to the Together Center’s 20th-anniversary open house on Friday, September 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. (16225 NE 87th St., Redmond). Call 425.869.6699 for more information.
