The 2000s
The technological advances that dominated the 1990s brought new forms of entertainment in the decade that followed. The debut of the iPod and the iTunes online music store helped increase sales of headphones to about one pair every five seconds. Microsoft introduced the Xbox video game console, and handheld consoles – such as the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable – soon followed.
The social networking service Facebook debuted in 2004 and now boasts more than 750 million active users. The online video sharing website YouTube followed in 2005, and by mid-2010, included 14 billion videos.
Phones got smarter in 2007, when the Apple iPhone brought Internet access to your back pocket and gave birth to the expression, “there’s an app for that.”
Taking a break from technology got easier as well, with the invention of noise-cancelling headphones and a fireplace log made from coffee grounds called the “Java Log”.
By 2010, the 18-ounce box of Cornflakes you could have bought for $2.99 a decade earlier had shrunk to 12 ounces and risen in price to $3.79. A new house increased from $169,000 in 2000 to $221,800 in 2010, while average income grew from $40,000 in 2000 to $49,777 in 2009.
Health care reform and new funding lead federal initiatives during the 2000s
As a result of the effects of the Great Recession, in 2009 Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which included funding for health care, welfare, and other activities. Also included were additional funds for affordable housing and short-term rental assistance; emergency food aid for 450 food banks, shelters and meal providers in Washington state; and hot or frozen meals to elderly persons who might not have adequate nutrition.
The economic downturn created a dramatic increase in demand for Hopelink services, and that need continues to grow.
In 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which helps more children get health coverage, ends lifetime and most annual limits on care, and allows young adults under 26 to stay on their parents’ health plans. The new law also reduced drug costs for many seniors on Medicare and implemented tax credits for small businesses that provide insurance for their workers.
In Washington state, change focused on moving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities from residential centers to home- and community-based care. In addition, the state’s Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration implemented a new research-based treatment approach that relies on cognitive behavioral and family therapy principles in both residential and parole programs.
The 2000s bring literacy classes, additional housing and a new emergency service center in Shoreline
The agency’s 40th decade began with a final name change: The Multi Service Centers of North and East King County became Hopelink. In 2000, Hopelink also stepped up service to clients in Bellevue by replacing its aging facility with a new emergency service center, food bank and child development center.
That same year, Hopelink opened 20 units of transitional housing in Bellevue.
In 2001, Eastside Literacy merged with Hopelink. The literacy program helps equip our community’s adults - many of them parents - with the basic literacy skills they need to be better family members, workers and community members.
In 2004, Hopelink partnered with Springboard Alliance to open Avondale Park, with 50 units of transitional housing and eight emergency shelter units. The following year, the agency opened 15 transitional housing units at Alpine Ridge in Bothell. 2005 also was a banner year for Hopelink’s transportation services, which provided more than 2 million rides.
In 2006, Hopelink opened its first emergency service center in Shoreline. Three years later, Duvall Place opened its doors to provide eight units of permanent supportive housing in Sno-Valley.
One of Hopelink’s most innovative changes came in 2009, with the opening of the Kirkland-Northshore Integrated Service Center Grocery Store Food Bank - a model that enables clients to select their own food from food bank shelves. A year later, Hopelink received funding from the ARRA to help address a growing demand for services.
In 2011, Hopelink relocated both its Redmond administrative offices and Redmond Emergency Services Center. The new integrated center offers additional services for local families.