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The Tesfa Program aims to share information about

available resources in our community, as we hope to
empower people to advocate for themselves and apply
for resources that fit their needs. We recognize that not
all resources will be applicable to every listener, and
only work to provide information that listeners can
utilize when independently looking for and applying to
King County resources.

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 MISSION STATEMENT

Support Amharic-speaking Ethiopian immigrants and refugees

in our region (focused on King County and Pierce) to get
connected to the resources and information needed to manage
life during the pandemic. Second, we as a community learn
advocacy and navigation skills needed to improve our well-being
beyond the covid-19 pandemic.

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Introductions

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 Agenda
1. COVID-19 Update
2. COVID-19 Vaccine Update
3. Resources
4. Community Discussion: Q&A

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COVID-19 Update

Cases are still low, but we saw a slight increase this week. Keep on being
safe and practicing social distancing! 6
COVID Restrictions
King County is in PHASE 3 of the Washington Reopening Plan. Here are the current restrictions:

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COVID Restrictions -
Long Term Care
Facilities
- Visitors are now allowed in Long
Term Care Facilities if:
- The visitor is fully vaccinated,
OR...
- The resident is fully vaccinated
- Outdoor visits will be prioritized.
However, indoor visits will also be
allowed, depending on the health
of the patient and the weather
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Tentative Vaccine Timeline

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King County Vaccination Trends

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Currently in Phase 1B/Tier 2 of Vaccine
Distribution
Who is Eligible for the vaccine?
- High risk critical workers
- People 16 or older who are pregnant or
have a disability that puts them at high
risk for severe COVID-19 illness
- Anyone 65 or older
- All people 50 or older who live in a
multigenerational household
- All workers at risk in healthcare settings
- Educators and school staff for preK - 12th
grade
- Child care workers
- People who live in long term care facilities
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How do I find a
Vaccine
Appointment?
- One way to find
appointments is to use
these tools:
- Visit
https://vaccinelocator.do
h.wa.gov/
- Call the COVID-19
Assistance Hotline
- Appointments will
open up throughout
the week, so check
these resources
frequently
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COVID-19 Vaccination
Notification List
Interested in getting a vaccine at
one of the following locations? Join
the Vaccine Notification List!

1. The Lumen Field Event Center

2. Rainier Beach Community
Vaccination Hub
3. West Seattle Community
Vaccination Hub
For help signing up for these
notification lists, call the Customer
Service Bureau at 206-684-2489
from Monday through Saturday,
between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
In-language assistance will be
available
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COVID Q & A

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 Summary of Last Week’s
Resources
1. Update on Stimulus Checks
2. Washington’s Plan to Reopen Schools
3. Working Washington Grants
4. Eviction Moratorium Update

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Economic
Update: Tax Day
Extended to May
17th, 2021

- The federal deadline to file taxes has been

moved from April 15th to May 17th, 2021
- This will give people more time to file
taxes!

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Working Washington
Grants - Round 4
- COVID 19 Emergency Grants for Small
Businesses
- Application Portal will open March 29th
and close on April 9th
- Technical Assistance will be available
in Amharic
- The maximum grant award is $25,000
and will be distributed by June 30th

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Ready for
Business Fund

Target Audience: Small business owners that could use a $2,500 cash grant to continue
operations

Application Deadline: April 9th at 4PM

Eligibility:
- Any small business that was established before March 2, 2020 is eligible
- Priority is given to BIPOC, LGBTQ and women-owned businesses

Contact Information: Call 206-363-9188 18

Seattle Public Schools Update

New Schedules for Students K - 8th

- Will start on March 29th, and continue for the rest of the year
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 8AM - 2:30PM
- Applies to students in remote, hybrid and in person models
- Wednesday: 8AM - 1:15 PM
- ALL students will be remote

Return to In Person
- April 5th: all Kindergartners through 5th Grade Students can
return
- Bargaining for students 6th-12th grade is ongoing, but an update
may come soon 19
Pandemic EBT for 2021/22 School Year
- P-EBT benefits help Washington families buy food when school are closed or have reduced
in-person attendance.
- Don’t need to apply! If your child is already eligible for free/reduced meals at school, they will
automatically qualify
- P-EBT benefits can be used like a debit card to buy food in most grocery stores and farmers
markets, or to buy food online at Amazon or Walmart.
- Monthly benefit amount ranges from $25 to $123
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 Immigration Update:
Public Charge Rule
Permanently Blocked
- The Biden administration just blocked the Trump
administration’s Public Charge Rule
- This means that immigrants can apply for and
receive food resources (like SNAP) without being
classified as a public charge
- If this is applicable to you, reach out to the following
immigration services for more information:
- CLEAR Hotline: 1-888-201-1014
- Northwest Immigrant Rights Project NWIRP Seattle
Office: 206-587-4009
- In King County: Call 2-1-1 for referral to a legal services
provider weekdays from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm for
Northwest Justice Project
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COVID in Ethiopia -
Travel Information
- In Ethiopia, COVID cases are spiking
and hospital beds for COVID patients
are full
- Due to this increase, the US embassy
is unable to secure a bed or provide
medical care for American citizens that
travel to Ethiopia
- So, if you are planning a trip to
Ethiopia, maintain VERY strict COVID
precautions and consider getting travel
insurance

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Community
Discussion

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Address any questions asked over the
Google Voice Line or that were
unanswered from previous weeks

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 Survey Introduction

The Tesfa Program will be administering a survey in the next few weeks to learn more
about our community and how we can best serve it.

Using the information collected, the Tesfa Program aims to create an outreach guide
targeting the Amhairc-speaking Ethiopian community

Our goal is that the outreach guide will be used by non-Ethiopian organizations to
develop culturally-relevant outreach programs and to strengthen relationships between
the Ethiopian community and social service and public health organizations in the
greater Seattle area.

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 As cases of COVID-19 rise in King County, public health
officials strongly urge families, students, and staff to avoid
gathering in groups and limit the time when you must
gather; wear masks, both outdoors and indoors when you
are around anyone outside your household; and keep
physically distanced.

Thank you for helping keep our community safe

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Questions about the Tesfa Program? Reach out to
(503) 663-8391 or tesfaprogramkc@gmail.com

Spreadthe word about the Tesfa Program! Direct those

who cannot attend the calls to our website,
https://www.notion.so/cd0653827a5842ceaba74eb2312891e
a , so they can watch the video

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