The Hazel Miller Foundation gave a financial boost to a local nonprofit organization that helps people experiencing homelessness find stability.

The foundation awarded Anything Helps a $10,000 grant to address wage disparities for social workers and support sustainable housing solutions for those transitioning from chronic homelessness, according to a news release.

Anything Helps, which serves South Snohomish County and North King County, was one of 14 organizations that received funds. 

Other organizations include the Foundation for Edmonds School District, Edmonds – South Snohomish County Historical Society & Museum, and Mountlake Terrace Seniors Group at Lake Ballinger Center.

The foundation distributed nearly $200,000 total. 

“It has been a big year for the foundation,” Foundation Board Chair Shannon Burley said in the news release. “We are honored to continue supporting such big-hearted community partners who make where we live better every day.”

Anything Helps Executive Director Mike Mathias said his organization offers many services, including helping people get a state ID and connecting them with a provider. 

“We’re the type of organization that will let you take the wheel and tell us what you need,” Mathias said.

Mathias’ experience with homelessness and substance use pushed him to create Anything Helps with other social workers in 2021. He said the goal of the organization is to help fill gaps in the homeless service system. 

Mathias said one of the biggest gaps in the response to homelessness is the aftercare part. He said there aren’t any services that follow people after they get housed. There also aren’t any metrics that identify how many people fall back into homelessness. 

“I can tell you from firsthand experience it’s a lot of people,” Mathias said.

Those who don’t have a home for a long time can lose basic living habits. Mathias said it takes a lot of coaching to reestablish those types of habits, and it can be difficult when people don’t receive support in that area. 

The $10,000 grant will go toward supporting tenants after they get housed. The organization will contract with social workers who already have jobs and provide them with supplemental income so they can provide support to tenants. 

As of Feb. 28, the organization’s website shows that so far they have helped enroll 242 people in health insurance. They also helped 211 people get a cellphone. They have served 351 clients and housed 183 of them.

“We’ve learned that regular engagement with people leads to successful outcomes,” Mathias said. “Even if we don’t have anything that we can readily provide, providing that connection is huge for people.”

The Hazel Miller Foundation is a private nonprofit that serves Edmonds and South Snohomish County. Its mission is to support programs and projects that serve the public’s benefit regarding areas such as education, poverty and the arts.

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network. Contact her at angelica@myedmondsnews.com.