Tackling Hunger & Homelessness with Bellevue LifeSpring

To many, Bellevue is a quiet haven far removed from its bustling neighbor across the water. The streets of Downtown Bellevue are clean, the people are happy, and the city is well maintained. Yet, even such a thriving area occasionally faces struggles. Executive Director of Bellevue LifeSpring, Jennifer Fischer, says it’s what you don’t see that matters most.

“Our biggest challenge in Bellevue is awareness. People don’t understand that there are children here who are wanting – there are more than 4300 students in our district on a free or reduced meal program. You don’t see it on the streets, so I have to remind people that hunger is often invisible," she said. 

Fischer explains that there are many misconceptions surrounding poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Often, it only takes one small thing to place families into a crisis. Job loss, medical emergencies, and rising cost of living can be excessively burdensome on those who are already stretched thin. Every situation is unique and different, and therefore must be addressed with care. Bellevue LifeSpring seeks to just meet people where they are and engage in dialogue about their needs. For example, someone recently raised a concern that the boxes of food LifeSpring was providing failed to meet some of the dietary needs and preferences of families. In order to better suit the varied demographics of the community, they shifted instead to a food voucher program that allowed people to make their own informed choices about purchasing groceries. 

Bellevue LifeSpring’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty for children and students in the community and provide them with the resources needed to achieve stability. Currently, they are heavily focused on providing emergency rent assistance, which is often a necessary byproduct of today’s high cost of living. The nonprofit seeks to prevent eviction for families, acknowledging how difficult it can be to remain a renter with an eviction on one’s record. By providing up to $3000 in rent support, LifeSpring aims to prevent homelessness. For those needing immediate assistance, they have also opened Family Hub Resource Centers in two schools.

“What we want is to ensure that every student in Bellevue has the nutrition, clothing, education, and emergency support they need to succeed in the classroom, graduate high school, and pursue secondary education,” Fischer says. “There should be no child in this community in that situation -- we just need to come together to help make that happen.”

Leading a nonprofit poses unique challenges that require specialized solutions. Currently, there are 117 unaccompanied youth in the Bellevue community. These children have no formal adult supervision, often needing to support themselves financially by holding a job while going to school full time. There are very few adequate services in place for this demographic, which Bellevue LifeSpring seeks to counter. To break down barriers that prevent aid for minors, the organization facilitates essential conversations addressing gaps that need to be filled. They recently conducted a roundtable of community leaders to discuss ideas such as housing site construction or alternative schools for the unique, vulnerable population of unaccompanied youth.

The LifeSpring team is also excited about their new “listening circle” program. Each meeting focuses on a community in need and offers a space for underserved or minority individuals to voice their concerns. Since the beginning of the series, LifeSpring has met with Africans on the Eastside, Mary’s Place residents, and school-aged unaccompanied youth during their school lunchtime.

Because the nonprofit only works within the Bellevue School District Boundaries, that is their biggest partner. There, they've been able to develop close personal relationships with the individuals and families that they serve. They work alongside District Superintendent Dr. Kelly Aramaki - who is also a board member - to ensure that their methods are always adapting and changing to meet the children’s needs.

Bellevue LifeSpring’s mission requires the organization to remain consistently aware of happenings throughout the city. Fischer explains that the key to this lies in their commitment to staying active in local boards and organizations such as the Bellevue Downtown Association and the Chamber of Commerce. They balance this with relationships between a variety of media and corporate partners, rounded out by LifeSpring’s incredible team of dedicated professionals who spread the word through monthly newsletters and social media. Fischer feels deep pride in the many ways that Bellevue’s nonprofits interact with one another to achieve such potent, quantifiable results.

“There is a misconception that we’re all competing for the same dollar, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re partners, we work together, we’re always talking. I have so many mentors within the community.”

Like many nonprofits that benefitted from short-term supplemental federal funding during Covid, Bellevue LifeSpring has since lost such financial support. Unfortunately, the need is still great. To replenish those funds, the nonprofit hosts numerous community events to rally people together and generate excitement and support for the cause. Their upcoming fundraiser, Uncork the Night, is known as an annual "Celebration of Giving". The event will feature wine tasting, a dessert dash, games, exclusive packages, and luxury stays across the globe. Fischer beams with excitement as she gushes about the overwhelming energy that fills the room each year. This year, tickets sold out at an unprecedented rate.

For those interested in learning more or getting involved, there are many volunteer opportunities available for people looking to become more engaged and informed about the issues affecting children in their area. For Jennifer Fischer, this has been the most meaningful part of her work as someone who cherishes her life in Bellevue.

“I’ve been in Bellevue for 32 years – it’s my home. I feel so fortunate and honored every day to be able to support the community where I live.”