Helpful Connections is a unique resource for low income immigrants and refugees living on the Eastside. Produced and sponsored by the Eastside Human Services Forum and the Eastside Refugee and Immigrant Coalition (ERIC), this publication was created out of a need to increase access to local resources.

Helpful Connections has 22 sections providing a wide range of information subjects like banking, children’s education, neighborhood activities and social services. ERIC designed the guide to be more than a mere telephone and address directory. Each section begins with a useful description targeting people who are unfamiliar with U.S. culture and services. Helpful Connections is available in Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese as well as English. Community members from each of the immigrant groups wrote a section specific to their culture outlining additional tips and information, making each version of the guide distinct and more culturally relevant. Skilled translators volunteered to participate on the translation teams after local providers and experts wrote the English version. The creation of Helpful Connections was a true community effort, with nearly 100 people contributing in some way to the guide.

People can get copies at Eastside public schools, city halls, and certain King County library branches. Social service organizations will also have copies of the guide, both to distribute and to use in making meaningful referrals. Funding for Helpful Connections was provided by United Way, City of Kirkland, City of Bellevue, Eastside Community Network and the King County Commission for Children and Families.

For your free copy in any language, download a copy from the list provided above, visit one of the community locations, or pick up directly at Kirkland Parks and Community Services offices at 505 Market Street, Kirkland, 98033.