The need for gas, rent, utilities, food and other necessities has risen significantly in recent months, say leaders with St. Vincent de Paul and Sequim Community Aid.

Calls to St. Vincent de Paul’s emergency line (360-683-2112) rose from a norm of 10-15 per week to 30-40, said Ed Koszykowski, president of Society of St. Vincent de Paul, at the St. Joseph Conference earlier this spring.

“The enormity of need and the complexity of people’s lives has grown along with the cost in order to help them,” he said.

Both agencies support residents within Sequim School District boundaries who in many cases are on the cusp of becoming homeless and/or having their power shut off, Koszykowski said.

“It’s all time sensitive needs that help keep people from being in dire situations,” he said.

Kathy Suta, president of Sequim Community Aid (emergency number 360-681-3731), said the amount of new people she and volunteers are supporting is “alarming.”

“More and more people are starting to fall through the cracks,” Suta said.

“Some of them might be a one-time thing but we think a lot of them will need help every year.”

Living in a tourist destination, Koszykowski said many people are hospitality and seasonal workers who see hours plummet in the offseason or they are laid off.

That’s typically in the winter as electricity costs go up, Suta said, but many senior citizens on fixed incomes are struggling with costs too.

“I encourage them to use the food bank and food pantries and not spend money on food so they have money for rent,” she said.

At the May 31 Sequim Health and Housing Collaborative summit, Andra Smith, executive director of the Sequim Food Bank, reported their visits were up 42 percent from the same time last year.

She too encourages people to visit the facility at 144 W. Alder St. (or call 360-683-1205) so residents can spend money on other necessities.

Whatever the scenario or circumstance, Koszykowski said they and partnering agencies are going to try and help people with the basics. They connect them with other partners as well.

“We want to try to keep people in their homes because they may need help within 24 or 48 hours because their housing is gonna be gone,” he said.

St. Vincent de Paul and Sequim Community Aid help on an emergency basis in a variety of ways, Koszykowski said.

A man called two weeks ago needing help with gas and a ferry ticket so he could pick up his wife from the hospital and within hours Koszykowski said volunteers had his vehicle filled up and a ferry ticket purchased.

By the numbers

Sequim St. Vincent de Paul representatives report they’ve helped 1,304 Sequim area residents from Oct. 1, 2022-June 4, 2023.

Their top three needs were: gas (211 requests), utilities (121), and rent and/or rent deposits (62).

Many families are on the verge of being evicted, their power shut off, or not having money to purchase gas to travel to work, medical appointments, and/or drive children to school, Koszykowski said.

“Our ability to immediately respond to impending evictions and utility shut-offs often prevent dire situations,” he said.

Comparing May 2023 to May 2022, Suta said Sequim Community Aid is spending $2,000 more a month because of demand. Fortunately, she said, the group had a larger pool of grants and donations to pull from this January to help with rent, deposits and utilities.

Two weeks ago, Koszykowski said St. Vincent de Paul in Sequim volunteers spent $4,200 for the week, which is close to becoming their norm.

Both volunteer agency leaders said if donations were to stop today they could only continue giving at their current pace for about eight to nine months.

Both volunteer groups say their overhead is minimal, and that they don’t give cash to anyone.

St. Vincent de Paul

St. Vincent de Paul doesn’t require people to be Catholic, Koszykowski said, and they partner with many churches and organizations through the Sequim Cares group.

“Only thing we look at is need,” he said. “If you have people in need, call us.”

The St. Joseph Conference has 21 active volunteers who operate on two-person teams that are on-call seven days a week.

Community members call the emergency line at 360-683-2112 and leave a voicemail.

Koszykowski said they try to build relationships with those in-need to better address needs.

Funding comes from St. Joseph Church parishioners, the Albert Haller Foundation, and United Way. The group plans to bring back its Friends of the Poor Walk on Sept. 9, in Carrie Blake Community Park, to help address the growing financial need.

To support the group’s efforts, send contributions to: Society of St. Vincent de Paul, P.O. Box 2114, Sequim, WA, 98382.

Sequim Community Aid

Sequim Community Aid operates weekdays with eight volunteers sharing on-call duties. In-need residents call and leave a message at 360-681-3731.

Funding largely comes from personal donations, churches, service groups and the Albert Haller Foundation. Suta said they hope to see more businesses support them.

After 72 years, the group continues to operate Toys for Sequim Kids each December to offer presents for children.

To help the group financially, mail donations to: Sequim Community Aid, P.O. Box 1591, Sequim, WA, 98382. Checks for Toys for Sequim Kids should state “toys” on the memo line.

Both groups are in need of volunteers and can be reached at their respective numbers.