Programs

Acting as liaisons, CHWs provide essential support in navigating complex health topics and social needs. These individuals develop trainings and forums to support communities in medical, social, and environmental changes. In addition, CHWs can help overcome language and cultural barriers to provide resources. We offer CHW programs that suit the needs of each community and address barriers such as language, childcare, and other obstacles that keep individuals from having good health. 

Local Results

SeaTac/Tukwila is one of the nation’s most diverse communities – from language and cultural background to country-of-origin, and socioeconomic circumstance. As existing community members from similar cultural backgrounds, CHWs have been able to establish trust within the Somali, Latino, and Eritrean/Ethiopian communities. Global to Local has partnered with a local YMCA, a community center, and an affordable housing community to provide programs that combine physical activity with personalized support. Through our partnership with HealthPoint‘s SeaTac clinic, CHWs assist Somali and Spanish-speaking patients with services such as appointments, insurance and referral coordination, and other needs. CHWs have also offered nutrition and financial awareness classes, helping to close the gap between clinical care and a healthier lifestyle. 

Our weight-loss program for Latina women at the Matt Griffin YMCA in SeaTac provides an example of the effectiveness of CHW-led programs. Participants join one-hour classes twice a week for eight weeks, where they are led through aerobic and strength training exercises. Throughout the program, participants receive weekly remote case management that is personalized to help them lose weight and become healthier. An evaluation of several eight-week cycles showed that participants who completed an eight-week cycle lost an average of 3.6 pounds. 

Best located within a clinic or hospital setting, physicians direct medical patients in need of social services to a Connection Desk to identify opportunities for food, housing, employment, health insurance, language skills training and other available social services. As a result, physicians and case workers are better able to focus on clinical care during appointments. Staffed by volunteer interns from local universities, the Connection Desk is a cost effective and invaluable community resource.

Local Results

In May 2013, G2L launched the first Connection Desk in partnership with HealthPoint. South King County hosts the nation’s most diverse communities with more than 70 distinct linguistic groups represented including newly arrived immigrants, refugees seeking asylum, second-generation immigrants, and longtime residents. Communication, lack of cultural competency and effective translation barriers exacerbate challenges around access to services including affordable housing, transportation, employment, and health access.

A physical space in HealthPoint’s lobby, the Connection Desk was designed to be accessed in person or by phone. This service, more accessible than the many social services located 13 miles away in Seattle, helps people identify and obtain food, transportation, employment and language training. Staffed by University of Washington and Seattle University students who speak a variety of languages, this program has provided more than 8,000 resource referrals. And over the last three years, 87% of people who received Connection Desk help have successfully accessed at least one service. This service allows providers to focus on health-related problems and refer social needs to people better equipped to provide solutions. However, many referrals also come from local community based organizations who have come to know the Connection Desk as a community resource.

In 2018, Global to Local supported HealthPoint to launch a new Connection Desk at their Tukwila clinic, which they are now independently operating.

SeaTac-Tukwila Community Coalition members collaborate to:

• support workforce development, career pathways, and business incubation for immigrants and refugees;
• develop leadership workshops to empower community members to address local social, economic, and political issues;
• boost local civic engagement;
• educate community members about the 2020 national census; and
• prevent and mitigate the impacts of displacement of residents and local businesses.

Member organizations include Congolese Integration Network, Partner in Employment, and Somali Health Board. Communities of Opportunity is the coalition’s funding partner.

Global to Local supports the coalition by: convening community-based organizations to determine local priorities and strategies; managing contracts with partner organizations that implement projects to advance community priorities; and coordinating internal and external communications.

Local Results

Over the last two decades, demographics have shifted dramatically in South King County; currently, more than a third of residents in the SeaTac/Tukwila area are immigrants. Historically, community engagement strategies developed by and for white, US-born residents don’t effectively reach all residents. Government services are still evolving to reach ethnically diverse residents in this area. 

The cities of Tukwila and Burien have contracted Global to Local to recruit active, interested participants in its programs to serve as “Connectors” between city staff and diverse communities. These Connectors participate in a “City 101” training to familiarize them with the roles of the city council, mayor’s office, city departments, and the budgeting and comprehensive planning processes. Connectors have been involved in the creation of community gardens, resident surveys, and community safety events with the police and fire departments. G2L has provided thousands of hours of mentorship and training to more than 50 new community leaders. 

While the Connectors programs have allowed progress to be made, there remains a great need for increased community leadership and engagement. It has become increasingly clear that investing in local leadership is core to the local capacity to achieve change. We’re co-designing a leadership class with South King County partners to build capacity for community-led solutions that align with community priorities. 

Local Results

FIN operates Tukwila Village Farmers Market in partnership with the IRC New Roots program. From June through October, we sell fresh, local produce grown primarily by immigrants and refugees, and we accept SNAP/EBT and SNAP Market Match for payment.

In 2018, we began facilitating the South King Urban Agriculture Network of more than 15 partners focused on supporting land access opportunities and resource coordination for aspiring food growers; we have also provided a workshop about farming in King County for refugee and immigrant community members.

To further improve food access, we have hosted workshops on food resources; participants then shared these resources with their communities through presentations at ESL classes, social media posts, and other outreach. We also bring diverse communities together to learn about and enjoy healthy food at quarterly Community Kitchen Dinners, our annual Food and Community Resource Fair, and cooking classes.

To spur economic development, FIN’s Food Business Incubator pilot program has supported the launch of 12 new food businesses headed by low-income residents, mostly women from immigrant and refugee communities. In 2020 we opened Spice Bridge, a commercial kitchen and incubator facility, bringing this program to scale.