A social, recreational and arts and crafts program at Quilceda Community Services, called Willow Place, received $23,250 in Community Development Block Grants.

The goal of activities director Rachel Hawkins is to stimulate the minds and bodies of the clients, of whom there are 300 but only about 120 who regularly participate.

“Every day is different,” said Hawkins, who took the job a few months ago after working for UNICEF in New Zealand. “They learn new things regularly.”

Hawkins said she is a detail-oriented person, which is good because she often has to break down activities.

“It can take them awhile to understand a new game,” she said.

Hawkins will introduce a new activity, such as Capture the Flag, and start with the basics, then build upon them. Getting some of the clients to exercise can be challenging, so Hawkins and assistant Sue D’Willis constantly are praising and being positive. Hawkins and D’Willis try to keep them active to help their range of motion.

The activities program runs Monday through Thursday for three hours. There are morning and afternoon sessions.

D’Willis, who started as a volunteer, loves to see the clients try different things to see what they are good at. When they succeed, their smiles are as big as can be.

“Working with these folks is so rewarding,” D’Willis said. “Their talents — they are often hidden. We never know what they are going to do or like.”

Funding helps hundreds

The city of Marysville watches over the program, which awards money to groups that help the homeless and disadvantaged. The city’s goal is to increase the affordability of decent rental and owned housing for low- and moderate-income residents, as well as the availability and accessibility of decent housing.

Funds are allocated to nonprofit organizations that provide services for low-income people, the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless. The agencies provide counseling, transitional housing, employment and life skills, and child care for the needy.

The city is in the second of a five-year agreement to receive the Community Development Block Grant funds and prepared a report for the Housing and Urban Development.

Areas to improve

In the report, the city says major impediments to fair housing locally include: lack of information and referrals of housing complaints to appropriate agencies; likely discrimination against people with disabilities; likely discrimination against people of color regarding home loans; and limited transit options for low-income, disabled, seniors and refugees.

The city says it needs to monitor sub-recipients better to ensure timely use of awarded funds and timely submittal of reports.

The city is trying other things to help, too. It has changed codes to allow developers to increase density in exchange for rental housing permanently priced to serve non-elderly, low-income households. And, beginning in 2014, the report says, the city will offer a Straight Deferred Payment Loan Program so very low-income homeowners can improve the health and safety of their homes.

Help seniors stay in homes

Another organization helped by this funding is Senior Services of Snohomish County. That money goes to help seniors stay in their homes by helping with minor repairs.

Donna Harris of Marysville is one such recipient.

“They get an A plus rating in my book,” she said.

She recently had a knee replaced and then had major foot surgery.

Unable to continue working as a jeweler, she has looked for help anywhere she could get it.

“I don’t have money tucked away. I live day to day,” she said.

After her foot surgery, a neighbor tried to help her up her old steps but she tripped and fell on him. So Senior Services came out and built her a ramp with low-rise steps wide enough that her wheelchair could fit on each one.

But workers didn’t stop there. They fixed a soft spot in the hallway floor that could have caved in. They fixed a leaky gutter and put in steps in back. They fixed a bathroom leak and put in a hand-rail. They fixed a counter-area that was caving in behind the kitchen sink. They fixed plugged drains in the kitchen and bathroom. They fixed a leak in the roof then re-roofed the mobile home.

“He went above and beyond,” she said of the Senior Services worker. She estimated it must have cost $5,000 in labor and materials. “It’s the nicest thing anyone could have done for me. It’s a blessing.”

Who gets what?

•Senior Services of Snohomish County: $64,367 spent on minor home repairs on low-income houses. It allowed 60 homeowners to stay in their homes. It helped 199 people and 77 households.

•City of Marysville: Planning and administration, $64,000.

•Comeford Park improvements: 514 Delta Ave. $50,000 to city of Marysville.

•Housing Hope: Beachwood Apartments, 1017-1031 Beach Ave. almost $28,100 for playground improvements at a facility that serves at-risk homeless families. Also, $9,800 for supportive services for homeless. Participants were helped to find jobs or secure disability funding.

•Jennings Park restrooms: 6915 Armar Rd. $28,000. Project set to be done Oct. 30 so homeless can have facilities.

•Quilceda Community Services: Willow Place, 9610 48th Dr. NE. $23,500 to provide recreation for disabled people. Of the 112 participants, 39 are Marysville residents.

•10th Street: Sidewalk improvements, Beach to Cedar Avenues. $20,000 for city of Marysville. Provides better access between low-income housing and the Marysville Boys and Girls Club.

•Marysville Boys and Girls Club: Kitchen improvements, 1010 Beach Ave. $10,000. Homeless can use facilities.

•Catholic Community Services: $9,000. Helped 26 senior and disabled people to retain housing and reduce isolation.

•Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy: $7,500 for legal services

•Marysville Food Bank: $6,000 for Backpack Program at Liberty Elementary, 1919 10th St. 7,000 meals were served to fight childhood hunger.