Bellwether Housing was founded in 1980 to create housing in downtown Seattle so city workers could live close to their jobs. After over 40 years of success and growth, Bellwether is the Puget Sound region's largest nonprofit affordable housing provider. Today Bellwether apartments are home to approximately 5,000 residents (and counting).

We serve families large and small, households recovering from homelessness, seniors, immigrants, preschool teachers and social workers, and young people just starting out. Living at Bellwether, residents gain access to the resources and prosperity of their surrounding communities and, in turn, cultivate a more inclusive and equitable city.

Bellwether’s resident are majority BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), and our larger households with children are nearly 80% families of color. Since 2016, Bellwether has prioritized the development of 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom apartments to create as many options as possible for low-income families.

Our apartment communities include resident amenity areas, such as community rooms, outdoor play spaces, gardens, and laundry. Our on-site resident services team connects residents with the resources, services, benefits, and community relationships they need to thrive.

Bellwether operates around 40 buildings that are all very different. Students will be located at one of four buildings, working 1-1 with a dedicated task supervisor at that site. Students will have the opportunity to shadow at many different properties if they’d like to. The four available site placements are listed below:

Meridian Manor: 110, 1 bedroom apartments for seniors age 65+. HUD building. Large Chinese and East African Population.

The Aries: 200, 1-3 bedroom apartments. This is a new building that is not fully occupied yet.

First & Vine Apartments: 82, 1-bedroom apartments for adults with (physical and mental health) disabilities and seniors. HUD building.

Kingway Apartments: 165, 1-3 bedroom apartments. Large East African population.

Manage a small caseload of higher needs residents (with support and supervision)
Work 1-1 with residents to assist them in identifying and accessing resources and referrals. Common resources we assist residents with include: rental assistance, DSHS benefits, social security, mental health services, Medicare/Medicaid, transportation, immigration, childcare or in home care for seniors, and more.
Outreach residents in their home (occasionally the hospital) when needed
Conduct intake and follow up assessments with residents (assessments will vary by building and population.)

Plan and host or co host community building events and activities. (there is a lot of room for creativity here and Bellwether has a budget to support events. Events could be, for example, a mental health peer support group, a cooking class, an art activity, a cultural celebration, a job fair, etc)
Attend community meetings with other local non profit organizations
Network with local non profit and for profit organizations around partnerships and/or donations (of items like: hygiene supplies, food, baby stuff, harm reduction items, etc)

Research and implement educational initiatives for the building you are at. For example, an educational initiative to increase youth participation in after school programming, or an educational initiative to inform seniors of the risk of falls in their home, etc
Students will also have the opportunity to learn about and participate in affordable housing advocacy work and to attend the affordable housing and homelessness advocacy day in Olympia

There is a possibility the stipend amount will be greater than $700 per student, it will not be less. The final total stipend amount will be split up by quarter, paid to students at the completion of each quarter.
Bellwether will also pay up to $300 per student per year for professional development trainings that interest students.

We are looking for students who have some experience working in social services with diverse populations. Any amount of previous experience will be considered. Experience in any of the following areas is a plus: mental health, substance use, immigration, international policy, housing and homelessness, end of life planning, domestic violence, CPS or APS reports, event planning and community organizing. We value students who have both lived experience and professional experience in these areas.
The ideal intern for this position is passionate about helping others, has excellent communication skills, high self awareness, and an independent, proactive work ethic.

Preferred that students can speak one of the following languages: Mandarin, Tigrinya, Amharic, Korean, Somali, or Russian.

It is required that students feel comfortable accessing interpretation and translation services (language link or google translate) to work with people who do not speak English.

Please email your resume and cover letter to Haley Meyering at HLee@bellwetherhousing.org

In your cover letter, please let us know what interests you about this practicum opportunity at Bellwether.