The R.I.S.E Center lifts up community in Pierce County

A man carrying a blue backpack and multicolored shopping bag reaches into an outdoor refrigerator, pulling out a recently prepared meal in a carryout container. He takes it with him as he makes his way on foot along Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

The meals in that refrigerator are part of the “no questions asked” food pantry at the R.I.S.E. Center in Tacoma. Next to the fridge are shelves stocked with canned goods, bags of pasta, masa flour and other dry goods. The pantry is open 24/7 to anyone in need.

A Continuum of Care 

While the food helps fill empty stomachs, inside, the R.I.S.E. Center and its partner organizations offer services that can help fill other needs, such as clothing, shelter, counseling, transportation and health care access.

R.I.S.E. stands for “Restoring and Igniting Self-Empowerment." True to its acronym, the center meets its clients where they are, with what they need. “Our program offers a true continuum of care,” says Gerald Daniels, R.I.S.E Center executive director (pictured below). “Everything happens right under this roof. We create a roadmap to help individuals become productive community members.”

The R.I.S.E Center building also houses five partner organizations that offer services to formerly incarcerated people, those with learning disabilities, people affected by substance use challenges and more. Daniels explains how R.I.S.E. teams up with the organizations within its building. Each pays an affordable rent for the space and agrees to help welcome and orient clients who come through the front door looking to connect with any of the five organizations.

After business hours, the R.I.S.E. Center parking lot becomes a “safe parking” zone for people who live in their vehicles. That effort is a partnership funded by New Hope Church/Homeward Bound.

A Connect Pierce Partner

The R.I.S.E Center is one of 25+ local organizations partnered with Connect Pierce, Elevate Health's free community care hub that matches individuals and families with community-based workers who provide personalized, one-on-one support to help access available health and social care services.

Elevate Health funds several community-based workers and a supervisor at the R.I.S.E Center. In turn, the care coordination team at R.I.S.E accepts referrals through Connect Pierce, participates in specialized trainings throughout the year, and engages in a community-based worker forum convened by Elevate Health. 

“My work has an impact every day,” says Tammy Rivera, one of the community-based workers at the R.I.S.E Center. Rivera says that R.I.S.E prides itself on making sure no visitor goes unserved. “We don’t turn folks away,” she says. “We make sure they leave with something in their hands, whether it be food or a resource to get them one step closer to their goals.”

Humbling Beginnings and Plans to Grow

When Gerald Daniels retired from the Army in 2015, he reconnected with Pastor Ivory Crittendon. At that time, the large building next to the Brotherhood Church of God—originally constructed as a private school—sat empty. Pastor Crittendon hoped that the space would continue serving the community and invited Daniels to propose an idea. That vision led to the launch of R.I.S.E. in 2018.

“I didn’t know anything about nonprofits,” Daniels recalls. “So I hit the streets every day, and the stories I heard really moved me.”

Daniels heard from people who could not find housing because they’d been evicted from a previous home. He heard from people who found every door locked because of a criminal conviction in their past. Still others he spoke with were unable to fill out a job application because they could not read well enough.

He met one man, a military veteran like himself, who had a pension and a house. But grief over the loss of his wife with whom he’d shared the home had sent him into a tailspin, and out onto the streets. That’s when Daniels knew he’d found his next mission. But he credits his late pastor with the inspiration for R.I.S.E.

“It’s Pastor Crittendon’s legacy,” Daniels says.

Daniels hopes to continue that legacy with the new housing development, called New Freedom Project. The project would expand capacity and use trauma-informed design so that residents feel safe, respected and supported on their path to healing and independence. It will also include a small retail space that will provide income for operations.

“This is the goal,” Daniels says of the new project. “But the daily work of R.I.S.E. also continues.”

ABOUT THE STORYTELLERS:
-Writer Debbie Cafazzo is a Tacoma-based freelance journalist and communications professional. She was a reporter for 25 years at the Tacoma News Tribune where she covered education, health care, breaking news and a variety of other subjects.
-Photographer John Froschauer is a Tacoma-based photographer who has shot for the Associated Press for nearly 30 years. He also recently retired from Pacific Lutheran University where he served as the campus photographer for more than a decade.