Our Resilient Community Alliance (ORCA) announced in early July the start of services at Summit House in downtown Sequim, enabling access to transitional housing and wrap-around social services to women and children experiencing homelessness, crisis or trauma.
“We’re excited to have a full house,” Jacki Marquart, ORCA President of the Board of Directors of ORCA, said.
“We have six families with five children on site and every single one of us is dedicated to making this endeavor a success,” she said.
ORCA representatives have scheduled an ice cream social for 2-4 p.m. Sunday, July 21, at at Summit House, 405 W. Spruce St.
RSVP with a text at 360-605-0723, contact ORCA via Facebook at www.facebook.com/olympicorca or through www.olympicorca.org.
“We’re so grateful to everyone for their generosity and we have had so many calls from people wanting to come and check us out that we thought this would be a great chance for everyone to stop by,” said Hailey McLaughlin, who handles ORCA’s programs and operations. “Especially all the wonderful volunteers with Beautiful Day who helped us get the facility ready from our landlord.”
Summit House has found great support in the community, ORCA representatives say, with several families stopping by to donate items such as clothes, furniture and canned goods. A local family generously donated the estate of a deceased parent.
“It’s the most amazing thing to see our participants enjoy the comforts of a nice and comfortable home,” ORCA Managing Director Manny Aybar said.
“It’s a constant reminder for us to be good stewards of the gifts we receive and to always to do better, work harder, strive higher.”
Aybar, a retired mental health professional and government human services administrator, says ORCA would like to offer more services within the City of Sequim.
“We’re the new kids on the block and we’re just glad to be part of the safety quilt this community offers to our neighbors in need,” he said. “We hope to grow so we can partner and assist other populations experiencing homelessness, crisis or trauma — primarily older adults and at-risk youth. We have dreams, however; manageable growth is my mantra.”
Lisa Amoni, a Summit House participant, said, “We’re a warm and inviting group of women and children who enjoy being here and letting people know what a great place this is. I hope people will take the time to come and meet us and see the great things Hailey and Manny are doing for the community.”
ORCA/Summit House provides a scope of services serving women and children who are experiencing homelessness, crisis or trauma which include housing, courses and training in various social services (job skills, budgeting and finance, communication, faith/spirituality, etc.).
Our Resilient Community Alliance is a nonprofit whose programs “strive to be successfully progressive systems of seamless, accessible, and effective services that promote prevention, intervention, recovery, and resiliency for individuals and families in Sequim and Clallam County.”
For more information on ORCA or Summit House, see www.olympicorca.org.
