‘Be the crutch’

Shared experience fuels North Central Washington Peer Connection

MOSES LAKE — In a little converted upstairs apartment in downtown Moses Lake, a few people are quietly making a huge difference. “We help people with housing, education, employment; if they want to get food stamps, we'll help them do their application for food stamps,” said North Central Washington Peer Connection Program Director Brandi Russell. “Whatever they're walking along the path to, we'll stand with them and help them with that at the moment.” Sometimes that involves helping people find a bed in a rehab center, and sometimes it means finding housing, and sometimes it means helping them resume their education, Russell said. But sometimes the goals are more immediate: food, clothes and a place to go that doesn’t cost anything.