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Multi-Service Center 

Description

Multi-Service Center (MSC) helps to lift people from crisis and vulnerability to self-sufficiency and stability through comprehensive, wrap-around services. With individually tailored programs in education, employment, housing, energy assistance, plus food and clothing, people find pathways out of poverty. In addition, the state's most vulnerable, the elderly and disabled, find support and advocacy through MSC's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. MSC is headquartered in Federal Way, with additional offices in Kent and Burien, and serves people living in 19 cities as well as unincorporated areas throughout South King County.

Mission Statement
Multi-Service Center helps people achieve greater independence and discover the power of their choices.
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Multi-Service Center
PO Box 23699 
Federal Way 
WA
98093-0699 
(253) 838-6810 

Robin Corak 
Chief Executive Officer 

Programs

Multi-Service Center Programs

Employment
Through specialized services for homeless adults and at-risk youth, MSC provides basic job skills training, internships and case-managed support to help people thrive in stable employment.

Education
Both youth and adults who need more individual help to succeed in education come to MSC for classes and one-on-one tutoring to earn their GEDs, to learn English as a Second Language, or to get help with basic literacy.

Housing
With more than 450 units of housing around South King County, MSC helps stabilize individuals and families in time-limited, low-income permanent, and permanent supportive housing. In recognizing the need for low-income senior housing in South County, MSC has built three senior housing facilities for seniors with low- to moderate-incomes.

Food Bank
Multi-Service Center offers supplemental and emergency food to individuals and families who live in the bounds of the Federal Way School District.  Last year, 4,189 households, representing 16,065 people, received more than one-million pounds of food.

Energy Assistance
MSC's Energy Assistance Program helps households meet the financial challenges of increasing heat and light bills.  Payments are made directly to service providers on behalf of households. Level of assistance depends on type of housing, income, household size and home energy usage. 

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
MSC’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a statewide program that trains and certifies volunteer ombudsmen to visit long-term care facilities across the state to advocate on behalf of resident, including nursing homes, assisted living and adult family homes.  Ombudsmen provide residents and their families with information about their rights and available resources and also obtain factual information about residents' complaints and assist with protection of their rights and otherwise ensure that they receive fair treatment from service providers.    

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

MSC's employment program, THRIVE, for homeless (or imminently homeless) adults, is a model program, which other human services agencies are beginning to replicate.

One of THRIVE’s clients, MB, was able to move from homelessness to a steady full-time job that provided her enough income to afford her own apartment.  She is now on the road to stability.

MSC offers a variety of opportunities for community members to support the agency through donations of talents, time, and financial resources. Specifically, our education program seeks volunteer tutors for GED, ESL and basic literacy classes and one-on-one help. General help is regularly needed in our Federal Way Food Bank. And MSC's Housing program seeks people or groups willing to adopt a unit at our emergency shelter to provide newer furniture and remove old, as well as offer ongoing support. Any of our programs can be supported financially and designated specifically through online giving at our website.

Evaluation



Multi-Service Center (MSC) provides shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, food bank, employment, education, and energy assistance programs to low-income individuals and families in South King County.

Proven Success
MSC’s employment program provides training, internships and job readiness services to more than 700 adults and at-risk youth. Recently MSC has been serving higher skilled workers who have been coming to them for energy assistance or housing. These workers have been out of work for a considerable amount of time and do not have the job seeking tools necessary and need retraining. MSC has expanded their service with resume writing, interview training and job search techniques. This expansion has resulted in a Workforce Development Council contract to provide one-on-one support at the Renton Workforce office.

Collaboration
In 2011 MSC formed a formal alliance with Hopelink, the community action agency serving North and East King County. They are sharing expertise to complement and strengthen each other’s work. A specific opportunity arising from this alliance involves their Energy Assistance departments. MSC operates a year-round program and often needs to hire additional staff in the summer months. Hopelink operates its program for a much shorter time and has generally laid off its employees during the “off-season”. MSC is planning to hire Hopelink staff to help with the increased workload that they experience at the same time they would be laid off.

MSC is the only Community Action Partnership (CAP) agency in South King County and partners with more than 200 local businesses, service providers, coalition, foundations, community college, faith-based communities and hospital, as well as city, state and federal government agencies.

Leadership
Dini Duclos retired after 16 years of leadership. Robin Corak is the new Executive Director. Robin has been employed by MSC for ten years, the past two as Chief Operations Officer.

Financial Health
They have had broad support from individuals, foundations, and corporations. $5 million of government support in their current fiscal year budget is for the energy assistance program. They have been traditionally dependent on large government contracts and grants to support their operations. MSC received similar funding levels from the cities for 2013 – 2014. They have been working to diversify their funding and reduce reliance on government funding. MSC’s annual Crab Feed raised more than $100,000, the most they have ever raised. MSC expects reductions in United Way funding. MSC is budgeting conservatively, looking for efficiencies that they might be able to implement without sacrificing the quality and integrity of customer services, and continuing to leverage existing funds in order to secure additional funds.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
3/10/2013 $20,000.00provide general operating support.
3/10/2012 $25,000.00support general operating expenses.
3/10/2011 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
12/10/2009 $65,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/21/2007 $50,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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