Invisible Needs

Imagine you lose your housing and are suddenly forced to live in your car. You’re desperately trying to hold down your job, but the daily struggles of finding a place to shower, food you can afford, and a safe place to park overnight are beyond exhausting. Now it is winter and you have to choose between sacrificing gas money to run your vehicle to stay warm or shivering through the night in 40 degree temperatures.

There are many people living amongst us who at first glance are not visibly homeless. For every person you see living in a tent, there are many others living in vehicles, bouncing from couch to couch, or cobbling together other temporary forms of shelter.

The Window of Kindness is a resource to folks wherever they’re at. In the scenario above, we would provide a sleeping bag and blankets for insulation and referrals through our Resource Navigation Program to find transitional housing and other supports.

We want every person who visits the Window to have access to warm food, dry clothing, and a non-judgemental listening ear. This is our baseline. But when someone comes to us with other emergency needs, we want to be able to help.

This month, community members like you have contributed $1,670 to our Client Support Fund for tents, sleeping bags, tarps, backpacks, and other life saving supplies. Thank YOU! Let’s keep this ripple of compassion going and get all the way to our $5,000 goal! Just $25 can provide a sleeping bag to someone in need, offering them a bit of comfort and warmth during a difficult time.

Donate today at https://givebutter.com/FHClientSupportFund or if you are inspired what this community can accomplish when we pool our resources, talents, and time, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/compassioncollective and set up a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of this work. THANK YOU!

Give Love

What warms your heart on the coldest winter day? For us at the Window of Kindness, it's the chance to spread compassion and care to those in our community.

This Valentine's Day, we're asking you to give LOVE and help us provide vital supplies like hand warmers, hot meals, and other essentials to our unhoused neighbors. Donated funds also allow us to help with “big ticket” items like tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and backpacks that our clients need for shelter from the cold and wet.

If you’ve never seen The Window of Kindness in action, it’s important to know that it is also a welcoming space for uplifting human connection - where judgments are left at the door, hearts are warmed through conversation, and spirits are lifted with the simple gift of being seen and heard. In a world where many avert their eyes when they pass someone living on the street, the chance for connection the Window offers is so needed.

You can share LOVE today by giving the gift of dignity and care. Donate today at https://givebutter.com/FHClientSupportFund to help us continue providing vital resources and emotional support to unhoused members of our community. Even the smallest act of love makes a difference!

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!

helpingHEARTS

helpingHEARTS:

Imagine today you were out and about and you realized your phone died, or you lost your ID, or you didn’t have money for the bus home. You would probably feel vulnerable, stressed, or even anxious, right? But most of us who are housed would be able to sort out replacing any of those items in a matter of days. For our unhoused neighbors, access to necessities like these present a much bigger challenge.

Earlier this week we asked for your help to support our work at Window of Kindness. We want every person who visits the Window to have access to warm food, dry clothing, and a non-judgemental listening ear. This is our baseline. But over the years we have found that because of the close relationships we build with our visitors, they trust us enough to ask for additional help.

With our new Resource Navigator Program, in partnership with the UW School of Social work, dedicated Master of Social Work candidates work one on one with our clients at The Window: assisting them in accessing government-sponsored phones, case management, new IDs, bus tickets, and various other essential services. This program exists to break down barriers because when folks don’t have access to a permanent mailing address, cell phone minutes, the internet, transportation, and other tools we might take for granted, they simply cannot get help even when it is available to them.

In just 5 days, our community has shown up for us and collectively we have raised $1,185 for the Window of Kindness so far. Thank YOU! The unwavering generosity displayed by this community through your financial contributions, your volunteer time, and your heartfelt words of encouragement ground us and inspire us to do more. YOU make that possible.

If you are inspired to support, you still can! We’re $1,815 away from our $3,000 goal, and your gift, no matter the size, is so needed.

Client Support Fund Update!

Client Support Fund Update!

We want to give everyone who’s donated to our Client Support Fund a HUGE thank you! With your donations, we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to support our Window of Kindness clients in several ways!

Not only were a number of art supplies provided for Dean, but our client David had an opportunity to obtain a cell phone and tablet from Assurance Wireless for only $25 dollars! Because of the Client Support Fund, we were able to make the purchase for him, and he received his devices within two weeks.

Additionally, with your donations, we were able to support our long-time client and friend of Facing Homelessness, Steve, by paying for his phone bill so he could stay connected to his community. We were also able to purchase a long sleeved shirt for our friend, Joshua, who struggles with a sun allergy and requires extra protection. Joshua did not have the financial capacity to purchase one for himself, so we immediately said “this is something we can help with.”

Since we’ve been able to provide one of our clients, David, with some much needed technology, he told us “Since you’ve gotten me a phone and tablet, I’ve been able to stream applications when I’m at the Shelter in my room, I’ve been able to make appointments and also be connected to my friends. When I didn’t have a way to stay connected, I started feeling out of touch with everyone, which can be depressing sometimes.”

Any time we can financially support our community with small necessities such as this, it’s a huge win for us, and we wish for nothing more than to be able to continue to share these resources.

And you can help! You can donate to our client support fund here: https://givebutter.com/FHClientSupportFund

Donations go towards creating sustainable avenues of stability for our clients and provide them with some financial relief. If you have capacity, please consider donating to this much needed cause.

Lastly, we'd like to share with whomever may be in need: if you are eligible for SNAP/EBT and have never received a phone through Assurance Wireless before, you are also eligible to apply for a cellphone! Please see the comments of this post for the Assurance Wireless Link.

Thanks to everyone in advance!

University District Neighborhood|