THANK YOU!
THANK YOU to the 386 people that donated a total of $175,501.00, making our 2020 work possible, wowWOW!!
THANK YOU for supporting and seeing the beauty of person in the over 12K homeless in King County, over 8K in Seattle!
THANK YOU to every person that is outside struggling for the courage and kindness you show us daily!
THANK YOU for believing in Facing Homelessness and the core-beliefs we hold essential to our mission!
THANK YOU for all the very kind comments during this fundraiser! I hope you know how important they are to us.
THANK YOU for believing in Seattle even when other voices cry out that Seattle is Dying!
THANK YOU to the Facing Homelessness staff and board who believe in ending homelessness with their whole hearts!
THANK YOU to everyone that steps out of their comfort zone to 'Just Say Hello' to those struggling!
THANK YOU to the endless stream of people that go about their day sharing kindness, acts that often go unseen!
THANK YOU to all the volunteers that breathe beautiful life into our programs and make possible our successes!
THANK YOU to all those that provide care to those suffering from mental health issues, your work is beyond beautiful!
THANK YOU to all those that have met asks for those in need over the years on this page, answering with $300K donated.
THANK YOU to the Host Families of the BLOCK Project, you all are showing us the true meaning of putting others first!
The list of reasons to say THANK YOU is long and our feelings of GRATITUDE so very deep. Maybe most important to us, on a daily basis, is your believing in the work we do.
Your believing sends a message of LOVE and HOPE to all those suffering, there is nothing more important.
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff & board!!!
somethingBEAUTIFUL
DO YOU WANT TO HEAR SOMETHING VERY BEAUTIFUL?:
ONE LAST PUSH to reach our FUNDRAISING GOAL of $175,000.00 for our 2020 Budget!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
The painted sign behind the Facing Homelessness staff reads, "Do you want to hear something very beautiful?"
Every single day in the Facing Homelessness office this question has us smiling. It is a smile of deep gratitude for all the beauty we get to experience in each person that we are coming into relationship with.
A beauty that comes from genuine kindness offered freely by those struggling outside and those comfortable inside wanting to connect and make a difference.
Today we answer the question, "Do you want to hear something very beautiful?", by letting you know that it is YOU. You are what is so beautiful! You have made this journey possible with the support and love you give. You are creating the change we all want to see!
THANK YOU so veryVERY MUCH!!
Our last ask for this END OF YEAR FUNDRAISER is to raise the final $25K. If we do this, we reach our goal and are ready for another year of creating profound positive change in our community for everyone, wowWOW!!!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
A heartfelt community size THANK YOU from all of us at the Facing Homelessness staff and board!!!
endHOMELESSNESS
TOGETHER WE CAN AND MUST END HOMELESSNESS:
On day 7 of our week long fundraiser we share a coreBELIEF that makes this all possible.
"TOGETHER we can and must end homelessness."
We begin by seeing that this is not just a homelessness crisis but also a community crisis. When we say homelessness crisis we talk about those people over there, but when we talk about a community crisis, we must include ourselves.
"TOGETHER we can and must end homelessness."
This Facebook page has been sharing the beauty of our neighbors on the streets for over 9 years now. With sensitivity, trust, and love there have been countless exchanges of empathy, tears, laughter, growth and friendship.
With all of you we are building the foundation for ending homelessness, one relationship at a time.
During that time every single ASK made for those in need has been met by YOU. Take a moment to realize how beautiful that is. Each time a person in crisis has reached out you have been there with nearly $300K donated in funds to meet specific needs. Also, countless items that include tents, tarps, clothing, musical instruments and more have been donated and delivered to our office and then given lovingly to the person that asked for it.
The tears of joy and hope created within those you have helped is beyond measure. It is a big deal what all you have done to help the most vulnerable in our community.
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
If you are reading this please donate. It is that simple. We need you now to help us continue the work of this page, of our 'Just Say Hello' campaign, the 'Window of Kindness', the 'Community CleanUPs', and the 'BLOCK Project!'
Take a moment if you will to read back through the posts of the previous six days and ask if this is something you want more of in your community.
PEACE and THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board.
comeCLOSER
THE CLOSER YOU COME THE MORE YOU FEEL, AND THE MORE YOU FEEL, THE MORE YOU ACT:
Today we share a sixth coreBELIEF. One that is a call to our higher and better self in the face of suffering.
"The closer you come to those in need the more you FEEL, and the more you feel, the more you ACT."
When we view homelessness from across the street our questions are from the head. We look for understanding and meaning through information. "Why does he have all that garbage?" or,"Does he use drugs?" Maybe the most important, "Am I safe."
But when we cross the street to come closer our questions evolve. They begin to include the heart. "Are you okay?", "Can I ask what your name is?" Maybe the most important, "Can I be of some service to you?"
In these moments, of coming closer to each other, we find meaning in the human connection. We learn to believe that the closer we come, the more we feel, and the more we feel, the more we act on our higher and better self.
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
This is Ronnie, he's lived homelessness in Ballard nearly his entire life. I can not even begin to list the amount of pain he has endured, a list that includes his 20 year daughter being killed in a head-on-collision on I-5 by a drunk driver. It took Ronnie two years before he could say her name.
Every person experiencing homelessness is suffering. We won't know that until we come closer to feel it. This is what we humans are meant to do for each other.
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board.
*Right now we have a $75K matching donation, please donate now and double your dollars!!!
allBEAUTIFUL
WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL:
Today we share a fifth coreBELIEF. One that reminds us in the face of homelessness to always see the person.
"We are all BEAUTIFUL"
Every single human being is born beautiful and remains so their entire life. But stuff happens to each of us. Often early on. Layers of this stuff build up. Layers of joy, love, fulfillment, purpose but also hurt, anxiety, fear, separation and more. We become complex quickly with all our layers.
And then we are asked to live together.
Let's be honest. With our differing layers, it is not easy. And maybe it's not supposed to be easy. Maybe that is what makes it so worthwhile, so important. This meaningful journey of coming together begins by believing we all are BEAUTIFUL.
This is Randy Woman Dress Bill, of the Lakota Sioux Nation. He was born beautiful and remains beautiful to this very day. Like all of us, Randy has many layers, one of which includes homelessness. But if that is the only layer you see, you will have missed how incredible this man is.
"We are all BEAUTIFUL."
If you believe in the beauty of our multi-layered complexities and differences, and that these layers are what make us a vibrant community, then please support the work of Facing Homelessness. Because we believe this!!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board!
*Right now we have a $75K matching donation, please donate now and double your dollars!!!
toSUFFER
NOBODY CHOOSES TO SUFFER:
Today we share a fourth coreBELIEF. One that challenges the negative stereotype that people choose to be homeless.
"Nobody chooses to suffer."
Nobody chooses to suffer, nobody chooses to be cold, alone, sick, hungry or invisible. This is what homelessness is and clearly nobody chooses that.
In every nano-second of every day we humans make choices one after the other. All of them are what we believe to be the best for us in that moment. Every single person does this, homed or homeless. Blue shirt or red shirt today, coffee or juice, workout or relax, it is non-stop.
When life is good, the options are endless. For those struggling the options simply don't exist. A 16 yr old being sexually abused at home. Homelessness is not a choice, it is survival.
When a friend is struggling we ask, "What's wrong, are you okay, can I do something to help?" Why is it so difficult to extend this same compassion to the homeless? Do we think they don't hurt, or they deserve this suffering?
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
James has been homeless since he was 15, he's now 54 years old trying to survive. Living illiterate and begging on the streets is all he knows.
ASK Blair Jordan, a young woman that befriended James, what she knows. She knows James is kind and funny. She knows too that he is struggling horribly. Blair knows these things because she has become his friend.
This is the work of Facing Homelessness. To bring everyone into friendship with each other so that we can be there for one another, whether laughing or crying. We need each other.
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
*Right now we have a $75K matching donation, please donate now and double your dollars!!!
bigNEWS
UPDATE:
We have some serious bigBIG NEWS!
An anonymous donor generously offered to MATCH the next $75,000 donated during this campaign! wowWOW!!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
We've already raised $25,000, and WE NEED YOU to help us raise the next $75K to unlock this matching gift. If you have already contributed, THANK YOU! If you're still waiting to give, please make it happen today!
What this all comes down to is asking YOU to get involved.
Yes we need your funds to help us continue this work, but we need more, we need YOU. We need you to pledge that today is the day you are going to join the effort to end the suffering in our city. Today is the day that you begin to use your voice to speak up for those in need and less privileged.
Please share our ASK and your PLEDGE of speaking up for those in need. Share this with your circle of friends and family on Facebook, at the coffee shop and yes, even in the elevator! We can do this, but only together!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
Wondering how a matching gift works? Our matching donor believes in Facing Homelessness, and wants to support the work we do while also encouraging others to give. They've made a very generous commitment to give, if you do too.
Let's create the needed HOPE, right here, right now for those suffering through homelessness and for those that are held captive watching it unfold.
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board!
allNEIGHBORS
WE ARE ALL NEIGHBORS:
Today we share a third coreBELIEF that informs our work and inspires the culture of KINDNESS and JOY that is the Facing Homelessness community.
"We are all neighbors."
If we are to end homelessness we must bring those in need closer to us rather than push them away. We must see the person rather than be overwhelmed by the issue.
When we build relationships the barriers of fear come down, trust is built, and hope found. And hope is everything for those that have nothing.
This is what we can do for each other.
We know this because this is what our BLOCK Project is doing for neighborhoods across our city. This sustainable solution is bringing people closer and providing opportunities for everyone to be a good neighbor!
Bobby is 76 years old, First Nation Cree. He lived for ten years on the streets of Seattle but now lives in his own BLOCK Home with a kitchen, bath, bed, covered porch and a garden, all in Kim & Dan's backyard on Beacon Hill. He's lived there for over two years now. Their lives and so many others involved in the BLOCK Project have profoundly changed because of these new beautiful friendships!
We now have (9) BLOCK Homes built and placed in Seattle backyards and we are just getting started! By taking part in this fundraiser you are confirming our coreBELIEF that we are all neighbors and that together we can do anything!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
Kim shared, "We gave up a little piece of our backyard and received a whole new world in return." Not a bad trade!
If you believe in the work Facing Homelessness is doing with the 'BLOCK Project', our 'Window of Kindness', the 'Just Say Hello' campaign, and the 'Community CleanUPs', then please support us in this daily journey of KINDNESS and JOY!
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board!
whereyouLIVE
WHERE YOU LIVE DOES NOT DEFINE WHO YOU ARE:
Our goal for the first day of our fuundraiser was to raise $20K and WE DID IT with $23,211.00 donated, wowWOW!! A heartfelt thank you to everyone that reached out in support. WE LOVE YOU!!!
We still have a long way to go.
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
To begin our second day of the fundraiser, we want to share another coreBELIEF we hold important to our work, one that reminds us daily to meet people where they are at, to come openly to each person without judgment.
"Where you live does not define who you are."
Our friend Dzy has lived in the Ballard, Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods for years. Most of that time he's spent surviving nights in a tent and days playing guitar for folks on the sidewalk, busking for what little he lives on.
It would be easy to pass judgment on Dzy. To see him come out of a tent and say to yourself, or out loud, "Get a job."
But come closer. Spend time with Dzy. You'll learn he not only is a phenomenal musician, but that he is funny, and kind, and good, and someone you become grateful to know.
I am not pointing fingers, I would have to point them at myself first, but damn it, all the judging needs to stop. We must open ourselves to see the beauty that exists in everyone.
"Where you live does not define who you are."
By the end of the day today, to stay on track for reaching a goal of $175K donated in 7-days, we need to raise at least another $15,000.00. Please help us.
https://www.classy.org/campaign/2019-end-of-year-campaign-or-facing-homelessness/c256387
I know we can do it. For almost 10 years this community has met every single ASK on this page for those in need. YES, every single ASK! That is honestly unbelievable to me and gives me hope that this same community will reach out to help us continue this work.
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board!
www.facinghomelessness.org
whenLOVED
WE ALL LIVE BETTER WHEN WE FEEL LOVED:
IF over the last 9 1/2 years you've read a story on this page, one of over 2,500 shared, and it motivated you to come closer with understanding and compassion, then please take this moment to support our work. We need you now.
give.classy.org/fh2019
The truth is that ending homelessness needs everyone. And right now, during our one-time-annual-ASK, we need you to help us continue the work.
Our work is grounded in our coreBELIEFS, which we will be sharing with you over the next seven days. The first belief, the one that informs every story we share and every action we take is:
"We all live better when we feel LOVED."
It is the foundation of our 'Just Say Hello' campaign, our 'Window of Kindness', our Community CleanUPs, and our BLOCK Project!
David and Rondine are friends, they are both homeless. Rondine had just finished telling us that her life was falling apart, she was sobbing uncontrollably. Her usual strong confident self seemed shattered. David gently told her how amazing she is, how brave, how good of a person she is. His words calmed her, his hug reassured her. She felt loved.
"We all live better when we feel LOVED."
Facing Homelessness believes when we come close enough to listen to each other, we can better love each other, and in the process better understand how to be of service.
We are asking to raise $175,000.00 to continue making possible the impact we are bringing to our neighborhoods, for both the homeless and the homed!
give.classy.org/fh2019
We have a GOAL of raising $20,000 today, please help us get off to a bigBEAUTIFUL start on this GIVINGtuesday!!!
THANK YOU from the Facing Homelessness staff and board!
www.facinghomelessness.org
let'sTALK
One of the questions asked about CommunityCleanUPs is if those that have made the mess are helping cleanUP.
Answer: Sometimes YES and most of the time NO.
If this does not sit right with you because you feel the people that made the mess should be the ones to clean it up, please take a moment to read this post and begin a discussion here. We are all learning as we go and the best way forward is through open respectful conversation.
Here are four thoughts:
1. Most people living outside are suffering. Not just a little, but a great deal. Staying warm and dry with enough to eat is their primary concern. The greater the suffering the less able we are to take care of anything other than what helps us get through the moment. For those living outside, that 'moment' is a constant day to day experience.
2. Most people living outside are dealing with some level of trauma. Often this trauma is debilitating. Even the simplest of things can be made difficult.
3. Addiction to drugs further narrows the ability to take care of the simplest of things. It is important to remember that drug-addiction is the symptom of a greater issue involving trauma and mental health.
4. Nobody likes garbage. This is true for those living inside and outside. Unlike for those living inside, for those outside there is not only no garbage pickUP, but also no place to take it.
Homelessness is a complex issue. We can either wash our hands of it and walk past or we can come closer to find real answers for ourselves. Looking forward to this discussion.
These photos are from our 13th CommunityCleanUP! So grateful for everyone that again came out to take part!!!
Green Lake neighborhood | Rex
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/ and click on the 'donate' button and consider a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#Kindness #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness
aboutKINDNESS
There is no reason for us to be spectators in the face of homelessness when we hold the most important tool for healing, and that is loving.
We can begin by first seeing the homelessness crisis as a symptom of a larger crisis — a community crisis. This is an important distinction. When we say “homelessness crisis,” we look at those people over there as the “other,” as something needing to be “fixed. When we say “community crisis,” we include ourselves. This fundamentally changes our relationship to the issue. It now involves us.
As we begin to come closer to those in need, beautiful new pathways naturally open. Solutions we could not see before, hidden behind our barriers, suddenly become obvious and achievable. When we “Just Say Hello,” we become less overwhelmed by the larger issue and more understanding, more genuinely loving, of the individual. In this moment of seeing the person, we join the solution for ending homelessness.
For more thoughts on this, please read the Opinion Editorial I wrote for this week's Real Change newspaper.
https://www.realchangenews.org/2019/10/02/homelessness-community-crisis-involves-all-us?fbclid=IwAR3CqY_d0CR5n8pVUaAdJLLOa1e1mNEX_tkHyW4nTmdyyg_6iv7dHJEVMAQ#.XZYC-ItmUvA.facebook
We must remove the barriers around homelessness. Not those that the homeless experience in their struggles, but rather our own. When we say “she is lazy” or “he is choosing to be homeless” or any number of other negative stereotypes without getting to know that person, we are hearing our own barriers. Looking there first is the hard work of ending homelessness. Perhaps this is why it has been so difficult to accomplish. But we can change that.
Like Blair Jordan has in getting to know Michael and his best friend dog Daisy or an uncountable number of other regular ordinary people providing simple beautiful acts of kindness to those in need.
Sure there will be those that talk about enabling, or that folks need to pull themselves up by their own boot-straps, or that laws are being broken, and on and on. Fine, let's have those conversations, but regardless of the view or position taken on this issue, there is never a reason to withhold kindness. Never.
A community size LOVE to all those that silently and beautifully provide service to those that are struggling. Thank you.
Seattle neighborhoods | Rex
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/ and click on the 'donate' button and consider a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#RealChangeNewspaper RealChange VendorProgram Real Change News #JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness
seattleALIVE
I really resisted writing about the 'Seattle is Dying' video, but in the end, the hurt felt and being expressed by folks living homeless was just too great to not make a comment.
I believe it is safe to say: 1. There is an addiction problem. 2. Crime is not acceptable. 3 The police and our justice system must function. 4. Mental health awareness and services are severely lacking. 5. Available and affordable housing is severely lacking. 6. Garbage is not acceptable.
The list could go on. The common ground that we all share as citizens of Seattle is wide and deep and beautiful when we work to find it. We lose sight of our common ground when issues are presented in a way that divides us.
This is what 'Seattle is Dying' did. It took the mentioned truths above and created a narrative that divided further an already emotionally hurt community on this issue. It painted a picture that dehumanized and unfairly categorized.
YES to everyone in this city that is frustrated with the homelessness crisis and is looking for systems solutions, your voice is heard and wanted. YES to everyone that leans forward with compassion and is looking to humanize the issue, your voice is heard and wanted. YES to our police officers, to our fire-fighters, to our politicians, our judges and lawyers, to our city workers, our business owners, building owners and residents, which includes those living inside and out.
If we want to live in community we must act in community, we must work together for solutions, not against one another for victories.
Whether 'Seattle is Dying' resonated with you or whether it upset you, the next step for all of us is the same, to come closer, to take part in the solution with an open heart and open mind. Every person here, no matter if they live inside or out, is welcome and deserves our LOVE.
Please watch Tomasz Beirnacki's film, "Trickle Down Town", found on his web-page - http://www.pechara.com/?fbclid=IwAR1s89eBnhhD-zfaPgYpz5pTAZP_ze_753z03K7C-6c6Cilj-xWEN6ougdQ.
Seattle neighborhoods | Rex
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/ and click on the 'donate' button and consider a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#Kindness #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness
