A few enhancements / clarifications to these wonderful meeting minutes.

On Election Day, if someone wants to register to vote or needs a replacement ballot, and they can’t make it to the Election Center, they can visit a library branch.  Or, call 253-798-VOTE (8683) and we’ll get you sorted out.

Please see the attached “Points of Assistance” PDF.  You may make copies and distribute these, as needed. This is for Election Day only.

Felons can vote. Please help us inform and encourage people with felony histories.  Attached is a PDF outreach card.  We will happily print and deliver any number of cards to you.  We are translating into Spanish, too.

Elections in Pierce County are very secure.  Attached is a busy infographic about what we do to keep systems safe. And, here’s a fun little video that features a zombie. It should make you feel safe!

If you work with people who don’t speak English fluently, and who want a “101” overview about elections, please check out this page.  Share the videos that we’ve produced in Spanish, Russian, Tagalog, and Korean.  We also have brochures with similar information available in English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian (Khmer), Samoan, Tagalog, Russian, Ukrainian.  I’ve attached English and Spanish as samples.  You can request these from us. 

Please check out and SHARE the attached “Election At a Glance” for the August Primary. Lots of good info.

Please check Pierce County’s 2020 Census page now and check it regularly. This is where you’ll find grant information (coming soon!), communication tools (coming soon!), etc. Information about Census jobs is here.  I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to get specific information about duration of jobs, flexibility, etc. 

And finally, here’s an online flip-book that shows Auditor’s Office services in 2018 and our Strategic Initiatives for the next four years. Or, see the attached PDF, 2019 Strategic Report.

I could keep going, but I don’t want to blow up your inbox!

I need to return to one of your meetings to provide an orientation to the new VoteWA voter registration system (don’t believe the stuff being reported).  It’s a high-value tool for vulnerable populations. For people experiencing homelessness, the self-serve printable Voter ID Card is useful for re-building an identification profile with DOL, etc.

P.S. Gerrit, “precincted” is a real word. 😊

Julie Anderson

Pierce County Auditor

P: (253) 798-3188

From: Gerrit Nyland <GerritN@ccsww.org>
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2019 8:16 AM
To: fullcoalition@list.pchomeless.org
Cc: Melissa Moss <MelissaM@ccsww.org>; Sarah Stutzke <SarahStu@ccsww.org>; Faatima Lawrence <FaatimaL@ccsww.org>; Chris Boitano <ChrisBo@ccsww.org>; Dana Peterson <DanaP@ccsww.org>; Dawn Bohl <DawnBo@ccsww.org>; Debbie Irving <DebbieI@ccsww.org>; Stefanie Backer <StefanieB@ccsww.org>; Kyle Barrett <KyleBa@ccsww.org>; Anisha Fernando <AnishaF@ccsww.org>; Anna Herron <AnnaH@ccsww.org>; Debbie Irving <DebbieI@ccsww.org>; Stefanie Backer <StefanieB@ccsww.org>; Hannah Dike <HannahD@ccsww.org>; Jason Escareno <jason.escareno@piercecountywa.gov>; Alan Brown <Alanb@ccsww.org>; Joshua Waguespack <JoshuaW@ccsww.org>; Kenny Smith <KennyS@ccsww.org>; Crystal Curby <CrystalC@ccsww.org>; Daisy Reyes <daisyr@ccsww.org>; William Stinson <WilliamS@ccsww.org>; Brian Wilson <BrianWi@ccsww.org>; Patricia Schneider <PatriciaSc@ccsww.org>; Maira Castanon <mairac@ccsww.org>; Megan Toney <MeganTo@ccsww.org>; Susan Gordon <dthursgord@rainierconnect.com>; Julie Anderson <julie.anderson@piercecountywa.gov>; Bailey Meade <BaileyMe@ccsww.org>; deann_l_johnson@uhc.com
Subject: Minutes - Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness Provider Meeting – June 7th, 2019

Minutes - Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness Provider Meeting – June 7th, 2019

Welcome

• James Pogue, Comprehensive Life Resources
• http://pchomeless.org/ - info on the groups that attend – agendas, past presentation, access to our listserv.  Listserv has been pretty active in the past, but has been quieter lately. 
• https://www.piercecountyresources.com/ - resource database – please share that and use it.  The goal is to make it as big of a network as possible. 

Maureen Howard, National Low Income Housing coaltions – national

• Postcards – fill out a postcard and send it to a representative.  You can do more than one.  I’ll take care of postcards. 

Julie Anderson, Pierce County Auditor - https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/93/Auditor

• Julie Anderson, Pierce County Auditor - pcauditor@co.pierce.wa.us
• I’ll start off with an update on a client – there was a client I asked on social media for help with – they are currently safe and sound.
• Election Laws – many new laws take effect right now. 
• On demand voter registration – anyone getting an enhanced driver’s license gets automatically registered to vote – they would have to opt out.  We might get some new voters that way.
• Future voter act – 16 and 17 year olds, when they get learners permit or ID card, they get asked if they want to preregister to vote.  They will be put their registration in a suspended status in the voter registration status. 
• Same day registration – takes effect in August primary.  For people new to Washington State, you can wake up, become passionate about voting, and vote. 
• Question – can they can present themselves at polling place to vote?  Julie, we don’t have polling places.  We are vote by mail.  Our desire is to have someone get their ballot by mail.  (I don’t know who asked this, but have a little patience - I suspect she’ll get to this. –ed.)
• Questions  - what if you don’t have an address?  Julie – we have to have a place to mail the ballot.  If you come in same day, you can use the Auditor’s office as the address to vote. 
• Up until 8 days before the election, you can go on-line or use traditional forms to register. 
• Between the 8th day and the election, you have to present yourself at the Auditor’s office (2401 S. 35th St., Tacoma, WA  98409). 
• We have a new pilot program.  The Tacoma, Pierce County and Puyallup libraries will have staff trained and available to register new voters and get them  a ballot to vote.  They can also provide replacement ballots.  The librarians are in training right now.  Some may wonder how we can do that and keep an election secure.  The librarians don’t do the actual registration work.  I think librarians are rock stars (so true –ed) – right up there with social workers.  The librarians will be concierges.  They will dial in to the election center and the election office will process the registration and send a ballot.  Send folks to the library – they will be ready for them (I worked on a project in Library School with the art Librarian for Seattle Public Library.  We became friends.  A few years later, she was  heading the project to build the new Downtown Seattle Library. She was an amazing person, but I think she had the role mostly because they had this famous architect – Remy Koolhaas – designing the building, and my friend was so passionate about working with him she just powered her way into the role.  Anyway, the design of the library took into account the reality that the Downtown Seattle Library was a major destination for folks experiencing homelessness, and the library had to be designed with their needs in mind.  Like social workers, librarians are trained to serve the needs of the people who are in front of them.  No moralizing, no judgement – just service.  –ed)
• Al – can we start saying that out loud at the shelters.  Julie – we needed to get everyone trained and ready – then we’ll get the word out.  We don’t want to promote this, because we don’t have polling places.  I’ll put a flyer out to a really select audience – such as yourselves - so you are knowledgeable and can take that information to the staff.  We aren’t going to do I voted stickers and donuts.  It is a last chance place to vote.
• Question on refuge voting – what type of ID do you need?  Julie - we don’t inspect ID.  People will need to provide where they are living – a point on a map so they can get precincted (the OED says precincted isn’t a word, but she sounded pretty certain when she said it, so we’re going with it. –ed.).  They need to provide where there ballot needs to be mailed – that can be a protected payee, shelter, grandmother, out of state – anywhere.  Between 8 days and election ,no time for mailing ballots. But we do need a place to mail something to – we want it with a relative or service provider.  If they can’t retrieve their mail – we do replacement ballots.  If they can’t get to the ballot, just come to our office or a public library and ask for a replacement ballot. 
• Jeremy – awesome, so happy.  Since these are last resort places – are there concerns about people disrupting voting the process.  Julie – there is the law – no dissuading, no policing around locations – we aren’t doing anything beyond making sure the law is enforced.  We picked libraries as a safe space, because they are comfortable with our clients and with balancing free speech.  We are educating both political parties so they can monitor in a respectful way – we have a great political parties in Pierce County.
• Carlos – volunteers need?  Julie – not so much right now – we’ll need help in 2020, though.  We are piloting to see what the librarian and customer experience is.  In 2020, the libraries will be open, and we’ll need volunteers then.  Same day registration will generate excitement.  We are expecting 500,000 voters in 2020.  But, we only have 13 employees.  Our election center is not adequate for large crowds – we don’t even have public restrooms.  It is a tough place to wait.  We can’t do another election in our election center.  We’ve rented Cheney Stadium for 2020.  We need volunteers there – lots of them. (I’m guessing no food vendors, though. –ed)
• Handouts
• Brochures should look familiar – I delivered a lot at the start of the year.  This brochure explains how we vote in Washington.  This is already translated in 10 languages – just ask us for them and we’ll deliver  them where they are needed.  (it can’t get much easier than that. –ed). 
• Felon cards – felons can vote – no need to go to court or show documentation – all they have to do is register like anyone else.
• Kelly – any media coverage?  Julie – I’ve been trying to do that for years. 
• Don – that information about felons being able to vote just isn’t out there.  Julie – I do saturation mailings – it is always in the voter pamphlets (pamphlet - from the latin “pan”,  meaning all, and “philos”, meaning love. Apparently the love poem “Pamphilus, seu de Amore” was widely copied and passed around in the middle ages, and that’s where we get the word.  The poem is a bit racy -I know the word “deflowered” appears at least once – so maybe NSFW. –ed.)   .  That is why I’m talking to you – and why we have these cards.  A tactic I like – is to hand out these cards – contact info on the outside, felony information on the inside.  Whatever your outreach strategy, we thought you needed something small, brief, and positive.  We brought a big stack, and will replenish as needed. 
• Don – that info will be good for our guys coming out of incarceration. 
• Also, there was a law just passed in this session – the Department of Corrections has always said that people exiting incarceration are informed of their voting rights, that they tell us they aren’t.
• Maureen – voters exiting incarceration group – could use this information.  Julie – get ahold of me with this information and I’ll go there
• Annual Report and Strategic Plan – our big push, on page 12 – is to nourish hard to reach populations – for us to piggy back on outreach that you do.  Our values are community focused and customer led – we don’t want to just deliver information, but empower groups to do what they want to do.  Invite us to anything and everything. (government doesn’t get much more open than that. –ed).
• Al – thank you – you’ve done some really creative stuff.  Russians hacking voting systems – does any of that affect us?  Julie – the threat is real.  In 2016 – in Pierce County, we had Russian IP Addresses trying to hack us.  They didn’t get in, or even get close.  Their goal was to disrupt our voting system.  They can’t get in our voter tabulation system.  We have a video about voter security that covers what we do to keep elections secure.  Security is basically a second job for me – I have homeland security clearance with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  I have a poster for an IT geek about this – just call me and I’ll get it to you (Is IT geek a bit redundant? Don’t you have to be a bit geeky to do IT well, or is that just me embracing the sterotype?   –ed)
• Census – everything security related that we experiencing in the 2018 election, and the hangover from that, will happen with the census.  There is deep interest in disrupting the census – by other governments and political factions.   (Julie asked a question that I didn’t write down, but here are the answers… a big help, I know – just think of it like Jeopardy, I give you the answer, and you have to come up with the question –ed.)
• Kelly  - There is the citizenship question, and that is seen as a means to track down immigrants and refugees. 
• Jeremy – our census determines who gets elected and how we govern – if it is compromised, it is
• Brackman – racism
• In the last census, Washington got an additional seat in the House and more electoral votes.  The count was important for allowing Washington to have correct representation.
• There is a Complete Count Committee to help us count everyone. - https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/6025/Pierce-County-Complete-Count-Committee
• working to create resources:
• You will be able to create a messaging toolkit for your employees and your customer to deploy –
• Why do it
• How to do it
• Digital banners
• Slides for easy posting to Facebook
• Printouts for desk bulletins
• Customizable to specific needs
• Translated in different languages
• Distributed via thumb drives or with a portal.
• Greater Tacoma Community Foundation will have micro-grants – like $3-5k.  Making it very low barrier – easy application, easy reporting, the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation or another agency can be a fiscal agent.  There is no reason you can’t do this work. 
• Mostly this is paying you to do what you normally do
• Use it to include info in what you do
• I’ll  push links out to you
• You can create your own Complete Count Committee (we’ll totally be doing that on the Coalition to End Homelessness, and it will be awesome. –ed).
• Census page has links to tons of report - https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/5853/2020-Census
• For every person in Pierce County not counted, Pierce County lost $1,900 – per uncounted person per year.  Per census estimates.  If a survey responded didn’t count a 3 year old, or the house bound person in Buckley couldn’t hear the census worker at their front door, that means fewer resources to serve them.
• In Pierce County, black residents and Hispanic residents are estimated to be undercounted by 10%. Asians by 9%.  Native Americans by 3%.  Not sure what it will be for people experiencing homelessness. (0%,  because we are going to rock the 2020 census for folks experiencing homelessness – that’s how many –ed)
• I’ve also handed out job opportunities – having trouble getting Pierce County job applicants – must be 18 and pass a background check.  If they apply through the portal, will get posted to the Tacoma Office.  Need multilingual workers to represent the community.  - https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/6056/Census-Jobs
• Work starts now – doing address verification and training. 
• In August, the census will look at transitory locations – campgrounds, shelters, places people spend the night .  Take an inventory of those spots to know where to place enumerators. 
• April 1^st 2020, will do 24-hour enumerators at those transitory locations – and wherever else you send them. 
• This census is a count, not a survey.  It is just 10 questions – not the long form – not the American Community Survey (more info on what it isn’t - https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs -ed).  The census only records your name, address, who lives there, and some demographic information. 
• Two big differences
• Online – this will be great for folks experiencing homelessness.  Hoping 60-80% of Americans will use an on-line portal to self-report – not waiting for an enumerator.  Postcards will have a code – they jump on the portal, enter code and have address pre-filled in, will  fill in their address information.  Libraries and social service bureaus will be able to help count folks as well
• Portal will be open 18 days – we can watch the map heat up about what communities are completing their counts, and where we aren’t getting counts.  Then, as trusted voices – we can encourage people to get counted in those areas with too few residents getting counted. 
• Al – Census jobs – how long do they last – rate of pay?  Julie – on that sheet.  Workforce Central collaborated on the work
• Marybeth – do you have a timeline for jobs?  Many students can work now, but not in October.  Julie – I will find out if that is something the census wants to hire.
• Maureen – encampments move.  Julie - we’ll use your information  to know where to go to.  Maureen – some groups could have some big safe parking nights – food, bathrooms, setup around the count night. 
• Question – how do we let you know how to get folks counted?  Julie – we’ll be constantly feeding you information about this.  Once the census decision is made on the immigration question, we’ll do more.
• People can also complete the census over the phone – if they are uncomfortable with the computer.
• The census in printed is English and Spanish.  The languages available over the phone miss 3 of the top Pierce County languages – not available in Samoan, Khmer (Cambodian), or Ukrainian.  We will invite grants to target those language speakers. 
• Al – if the supreme court say yes to citizenship – is there a legal way not answer – can we boycott this.  Julie – responding to the census is required by law.  Can you skip a citizenship question?  You shouldn’t.  Our philosophy is that the damage has been done – if you are afraid – even not having that question on will be troublesome at this point. 
• Marybeth – If I’m on-line, can I skip the citizenship question?  Julie – there are no required fields on-line.  If you skip a question, you can go on. 
• I have a high degree of confidence in the Census.  There are only 3 political appointees in the entire organization – the rest are long-term civil servants, and I’ve met them and I trust them. 
• Carolyn – there is suspicion in our equity work about reporting race and ethnicity – what should people know?  Julie – I think it is really important for those demographics to be filled out so we know who we are.  The race and ethnicity questions are more free style.  You can describe yourself as you’d wish (I’m Dutch American, in case you were curious. –ed). 
• Call us on any election stuff.

UnitedHealthCare

• De Ann Johnson, Community Outreach manager, UnitedHealthCare - deann_l_johnson@uhc.com
• Jacque DeGidee, United Healthcare (I think I might have both of these names spelled incorrectly – can’t find their business cards.  Sorry – ed)
• We want to talk about how we serve the underserved in this community. 
• We provide insurance coverage to low income seniors, people with disabilities, Medicaid and Medicare recipients. 
• Provide services at no cost. 
• My objective is to uncover groups of underserved, low income, senior, people with disabilities.  I go to the communities, food banks, farmers markets, shelters – seek groups to serve. 
• UnitedHealthCare benefits
• Hearing
• Glasses
• Dental -
• Vision -
• Transportation – 48 one-way trips per year – they have a way to get their dental office or primary care physician
• Need to arrange a couple days in advance
• Fitness – get a fitness benefit  
• $170 per quarter for personal hygiene items
• All that helps them become more independent.
• Jacque is the Pierce County leader serving this demographic
• People just don’t know what they are eligible for, they are very used to people saying no.
• My role,  which started at the Tacoma Rescue Mission, beside low income seniors, there were quite a few people there who were eligible.  I’ve seen the transformation – the housing, the jobs, all those things – they get some control back – with insurance and healthcare – they can be more stable.  I’ve seen one piece of people getting their confidence and dignity back.    People don’t realize they can and that they are eligible for.  We make sure they we are visible and help them get connected to services.  After seeing us quite a few times.  – there was a fellow I’ve been meeting with at the Rescue Mission for 6 months – they finally engaged, and is getting his dentures redone.  That is one part of his life where he is getting some more control.
• We love engaging here – we wanted to be sure that everyone understood what low income and seniors have access to.  There are quite a few folks who are on Medicare.
• We’ve seen tremendous success that folks have had.  Wanted to let you know all that we do.
• On the 3^rd Friday of the month, I sponsor a holiday haircut and a shave.  We have teamed up with a barber college.  The guys come off the streets, get their beard shaved, get their hair done.  It is wonderful what we’re able to do
• We both live in Pierce County and are happy to present or talk anywhere
• Al – We heard about the value of registering to vote and participating in your census.  I’d encourage each Managed Care Organization to participate in informing members about voting and census services.  Jackie – we do provide info to our clients.  I often help folks get access to resources that aren’t in our area – they trust us and can work with us.  Al – many things need to be done more than once.  Jackie- yes – it takes lots of offers before people may use these benefits.  Often folks don’t realize how  they can use the benefits
• Question – is there gas money – Jackie – no.
• De Ann – we work hard to teach our clients how to access their benefits
• Every quarter, they get $170 to order products from a catalog.  Can get a debit card, to do this as well. 
• 4^th quarter last year, reached out to all members with unused dollars – a lot don’t want to order too much stuff.  We had some “catalog ordering parties”, ordered things and had them delivered to the homeless shelter. (I want to go to a catalog ordering party – are there party games and door prizes? –ed)
• James – if you work with folks experiencing homelessness – they probably have Medicaid.  There are 4 different Managed Care Organizations – Molina, UnitedHealth, Amerigroup, and Coordinated Care.  Learn a bit about each provider and the specific benefits they provide.  Learning how to navigate these systems can be really beneficial for your clients.  Just reach out to your MCO contact at this meeting

Tuberculosis  Investigation – (my notes were amazing, but I said I’d replace those with the official talking points from the health Department – so here they are. –ed)

• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is currently conducting a tuberculosis contact investigation at Tacoma Rescue Mission where a person with TB slept. We are working closely with Tacoma Rescue Mission to identify potentially exposed people for testing and treatment if needed. We may find other disease exposure sites as our investigation progresses. We do not currently suspect any disease exposure risk to the public.
• Tuberculosis does not spread easily. It requires close contact with an infected person, such as sleeping or living in the same space.
• Get general information about TB, including an infographic ( https://www.tpchd.org/home/showdocument?id=5238 ) to share with clients, at http://www.tpchd.org/tb .
• Frequently Asked Questions:
• How do I know if I’ve been exposed to TB? If a person you work or live with is found to have active tuberculosis, the Health Department will contact you.  You’ll be offered a TB test. 
• How can shelter staff prevent TB?
• Be alert for chronic coughing.  Offer surgical masks to cover coughs.
• Offer sick clients somewhere to sleep away from other people. 
• Arrange shelter beds from head-to-toe.
• Refer sick clients to a healthcare provider.
• Get tested for TB if the Health Department or your supervisor contacts you and says you were exposed.
• Test all staff for TB as part of the hiring process.
• What if a client seems very sick but won’t go to the doctor?  Call the Health Department and we will discuss the situation with you. Depending on the symptoms, we can send out a staff person to talk with the client.
• To learn more about TB, including where to get tested ( https://www.tpchd.org/home/showdocument?id=156 ), visit http://tpchd.org/tb
• Please reach out to me if you have questions or call the Communicable Disease General Line at (253) 798-6410 .

Hope Center Call for Help

• Carlos – Comprehensive Life Resources – involved with City of Puyallup – doing Positive Interactions for the past year.  I worked with Paula Anderson – the renewal resource center. Paula is putting out an SOS.  The City of Puyallup slapped the New Hope Center with the High Impact Business License.  Usually this is for high noise pollution or environmental pollution.  There is a small, vocal minority that shows up  to vote, and they blame New Hope for the blight and issues around homelessness.  This minority believes that New Hope is the source for all that.  Puyallup  City Council limits programs serving folks experiencing homelessness to very limited areas.  The City got in trouble for that.  However, the City is still working to push New Hope Out. A new rule says that if a business could be responsible for blight, they are responsible for that blight if it occurs within 200 feet of the business, and the business has a reputation, the business owner can be held personally responsible. 
• Marybeth –what kind of recourse can we take?  Carlos – not sure.  Puyallup – show up to City council Meetings.  If you live in the City of Puyallup, you can show up and make comments. 
• Nate – Paula does have legal counsel.  They’d like some more support from the community.
• Next meeting 2^nd Tuesday 9am Puyallup public library.  (June 11^th). 
• Julie, the Puyallup library will be a point of assistance for us.

Good of the Order

• Kelly - Goodwill – career readiness course starting June 10^th – if you have folks interested in 40 hours class – basic math, computer, employment prep, employment placement, June 10^th at 1pm – you must be there on the first day of class.
• Al - Behavioral Health Advisory Board – create inventory of all available transitional and supportive housing in the County – I’ll be sending out a request to the rest of the County.  Lots of state money could be used for this.
• James – The Comprehensive Life Resources youth and child welfare department is closing on proctor and moving to the downtown campus – that building with be all comp, all the time.  Proctor will be remodeled to a children inpatient 14 to 30 bed facility expansion. (all I can say is they need to move the comfy couches and popcorn machine with them – I loved that popcorn machine. –ed)
• City Council got contract amendment for a youth drop in center – will present on that in a couple weeks.  This will be in addition to the Beacon Center.  The shelter operates when the senior center isn’t there.  We are opening ½ of the old healthcare of the homeless building of Metropolitan Development Council for this day center.  We’ll share this info as we go along.

Coming Attractions:

• Next Friday – June 7^th -  City of Destiny Award - Doors open Friday at 5pm, event at 6pm.  We’ll have some cool t-shirts.
• June 14^th - Safe Families for Children - an overview of their temporary hosting for children in households in crisis.
• June 21^st - Overview of the new ACT initiative, an update on The Coffee Oasis' progress on the new youth shelter, and some other exciting programs serving homeless youth and young adults
• June 28^th - The State Trueblood office will present information about their programs for individuals exiting incarceration.
• July 5^th – No Meeting
• July 12^th – Wellfound Behavioral Health – on their new hospital, a conversation with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance about our legislative priorities for the next year, and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department will present on air quality and preparing for the wildfire and heat season
• July 19^th – Something youth focused, and A presentation by LASA on their Homeless Prevention work, as well as update from the Washington Tenants' Union and Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee around tenant protections.
• July 26^th – Some Employment topics - Skookum Contract Services - learn how to connect with an organization that provides people with disabilities employment in logistics and facilities management. Workforce Central and partners will provide information on their projects and initiatives.
• August 2^nd – is Never Let Me Go (2005) the tamest dystopian novel ever written, or just a English boarding school coming of age story a bit too obsessed with moralizing on mortality.  Our panel, including the author himself, Kazuo Ishiguro,  author Seth Grahame-Smith, and experts in organ donations will present the evidence, and you decide. 

Restaurant Review

As we move into summer, I feel a bit odd reviewing a soup restaurant.  But, I’m all in for soup anytime, so I’m going for it.  Ramen restaurants have been popping up around Pierce County for a few years now.  I like them.  Ramen in Japan is serious business – a proper meal - not the dehydrated noodles and soup packet staple of every college student ever.  Well, maybe not ever – the ubiquitous and cheap top ramen packets have only been around since the late 50’s.  During the post WWII period, Japan suffered from a shortage of food.  Bread was being pushed by the Government, mostly because of the wheat flowing into Japan from the US, and the difficulty in transporting fresh noodles, a more traditional Japanese food.   Momofuku Ando, the inventor of top ramen, wanted a way make traditional Japanese food available to everyone is Japan.  When they finally hit the market, top ramen was much more expensive than an actual bowl of soup.  It was a luxury item.  But, Nissin, the company he founded, eventually got the price down.  Way down.  Nowadays, a packet of top ramen is seen as far from gourmet.  But a proper bowl of ramen is an epicurean delight, served in Ramen shops across Japan.  There are 4 major types of ramen broths, each with its own characteristics.  You’ll usually find boiled eggs, kamaboko (fish cakes), pork and more scattered on top of each bowl of noodles.  And each shop usually has its own spin on the broth, noodles and toppings.  A nice little hole-in-the-wall ramen spot is My Lil’ Cube (402 N Meridian, Puyallup, WA), in Puyallup.  They have 9 tables, are usually a bit understaffed, and make great ramen.  The owners are usually in the shop, which is why you can count on quality.   They don’t just do ramen, they also have some dumplings, gyoza, takoyaki (octopus balls), tempura, donburi (a rice bowl with meat or veggies over the rice), and more.  But I’d go for the ramen.  In my most recent visit, I had the Tonkotsu Seaweed Corn Ramen, a rich pork broth with noodles, sweet corn, soft boiled egg and more.  It took me right back to the ramen shops in Sapporo.  The Udon is quite good as well.  For the classic Ramen experience, I’d go for the Shoyu – a clear chicken broth – which they do nicely.  So, if you’re wandering the streets of Puyallup, I’d recommend popping in for a bowl of soup.  It isn’t quite the bargain a packet of top ramen might be – the soup goes for around $10 a bowl – but after you have a taste, you’ll realize why that is still more than worth your time and money.                

Attendees

• Matthew Jorgensen, City of Tacoma
• Marybeth McCarthy, Tacoma Community College
• Alan Brown, Catholic Community Services
• Carolyn Weisz, University of Puget Sound
• Maureen Howard, Housing Advocate
• Jeremy Walker, Housing Advocate
• William Stinson, Catholic Community Services
• Sid Sandstrom, The Coffee Oasis
• Charleen Fitzgerald, Coordinated Care
• Al Ratcliffe, me
• Jacque DeGidee UnitedHealthCare
• De Ann Johnson, UnitedHealthCare
• Pamm Silver, Molina Healthcare
• CC Mendoza, Metropolitan Development Council
• Emily Ness, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
• Kelly Blucher, Goodwill Industries
• Andrea Sanz, Tacoma Rescue Mission
• Nathan Blackmer, Comprehensive Life Resources
• Helen Hernandez, Comprehensive Life Resources
• Greta Brackman, Comprehensive Life Resources
• Carlos Castañon, Comprehensive Life Resources
• Rich Berghammer, Fellowship Bible Church
• Gerrit Nyland, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington
• Julie Anderson, Pierce County Auditor
• Laura Reynaulds, Dave Purchase Project/Northwest Needle Exchange
• Kayla Scrivner, Tacoma Pierce County Health Department
• Don Pitchford, House of Prayer
• Jessica Hall, Greater Lakes Mental Health
• Trisha Munson, Greater Lakes Mental Health
• Gail Misner, Molina Healthcare
• Lisa Kurek, Eagles Wings Coordinated Care
• Michelle Fleetwood, Eagles Wings non-profit housing
• Shennetta Smith, Sea Mar

Gerrit F. Nyland

Director of Client Information Systems, SW

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington

gerritn@ccsww.org

Mobile: 253-304-5105