Neighborhood House call: Auburn man finds help, turns the corner

Published 5:57 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Brandon Fahlenkamp was a lost youth who needed guidance and purpose.

He was floundering, uncertain of his future until he found support and answers at Auburn’s resourceful Neighborhood House, a multicultural and multi-service nonprofit agency that features programs in basic needs, education and youth leadership.

Fahlenkamp’s plight fortuitously dropped into the hands of Kim Macias-Shell, a youth employment and education case manager, who put him on the right path to a promising career start.

“Kim was there for me,” said Fahlenkamp, 20, who has parlayed the Neighborhood House-supported education and training program into a full-time job as a forklift operator and laborer at Seattle’s Puget Sound Coatings. “Kim helped me make this possible.”

Recognizing Fahlenkamp’s needs, Macias-Shell and the House’s SEEC (Success in Employment, Education and Careers) program collaborated to help him work toward his GED (graduate equivalency degree), complete job-readiness training, obtain a paid internship and ultimately earn a permanent, rewarding job.

Fahlenkamp proved to be a quick study.

“He scored very high. He was very motivated,” Macias-Shell said of Fahlenkamp’s progress through the intensive SEEC program. “It was a big commitment on his behalf, and he finished everything in three months, which I never had a student do that. I mean, that’s really amazing.”

Fahlenkamp completed his stint through the GreenLight Project, a King County working training program that assists the Neighborhood House in giving young adults the knowledge and skills necessary to excel at a trade.

Fahlenkamp was honored for his perfect attendance and commitment to hands-on learning. He graduated at the top of his class after a difficult and challenging five-week work training course at South Seattle Community College. A four-week internship ensued, leading to full-time work.

Fahlenkamp now commands a big job with big responsibilities, lifting heavy pipe and other materials behind the controls of a forklift.

“There’s a lot of life-or-death situations … you need to know what you are doing,” he said.

The job has helped him gain financial footing and the means to support his single mother.

“This job alone is helping me learn more skills,” he added. “I also have a lot more confidence. I’m noticing more of what I’m capable of.”

For Macias-Shell and her staff, Fahlenkamp represents one of the House’s many success stories.

“Great student,” she said. “He really shined.

“I was a young person who really was misguided and barely graduated from high school,” Macias-Shell added. “I can relate to this. … I know how hard the traditional school system can be and how it’s not for everybody. I love this program because it is an alternative to what society offers.”

Neighborhood House programs are located in public housing communities in King County, such as Auburn’s Burndale Homes apartments, where case managers and other staff work wonders for those in need. Neighborhood House programs are committed to helping diverse communities of people with limited resources attain their goals for self-sufficiency, financial independence, health and community building.

Employers and volunteers can support youth in building career skills and opportunities. To learn how to help or to obtain more information about specific programs, visit www.nhwa.org.