braveSOUL

PLEASE MEET AL:

Several weeks ago, Al woke up to the smell of thick black smoke in his nostrils. He woke to find that their structure under the bridge was indeed on fire! He ran to get the help of a friend, Joos, who ran to the burning structure. He bravely went inside where his friend Wolf remained asleep even though the walls were ablaze around him.

"Joos saved me." Wolf told me. "No, Al saved you by asking for help", Joos corrected him. Wolf told me that although Joos was soft-spoken, he can be very loud when it was needed. "I've never heard you use that voice before." They laughed.

Joos said he threw water on the fire, but it only made it grow. Several structures and tents were burned completely. It is uncertain what started the fire.

Al lost everything including his ID, bus passes, all of his clothes. He lost his winter work boots, his cook stove, his headlamp, all of his pants and sweatpants. Wolf was thankful he still had his wallet, and his cool leather jacket.

The three of them seemed to have a comradery brought closer by the experience. "It was a good place for us, a place to come together and share a laugh even in hard times." Al told me. "It will be missed."

Beacon Hill Neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness #Kindness

citySWEEP

PLEASE MEET OUR COMMUNITY:

On the morning of January 28th the Dearborn encampment, a place where nearly 90 individuals and a few animals called home, was to be swept by the City of Seattle. This was a result of a drug bust that took place inside the camp recently. They would be vacating all who lived there by 9am sharp.

I didn't know what to expect , but I knew it was going to be a very emotional morning. At 7:30am I picked up Dee Powers who was organizing some activists to help the homeless that morning. She told me to "Clear the day after we are done here, you are going to need a lot of self care." I steadied myself. She was right.

It was just getting light outside and luckily the rain that had been coming down for hours showed mercy and stopped. As we faced the encampment I could see people packing things up into garbage bags. The air was heavy. The mud was thick and deep and full of needles and garbage. Surrounded by freeway it was hard to hear. I walked inside with my bag of Hostess Snowballs hoping to make someone smile. It definitely worked a few times.

As I walked through the camp, I saw the faces of so many people who looked lost. "Where will you go?" Most people told me that they didn't know. I saw a woman nearly in tears holding her two cats in a blanket. She sat them down to move her stuff, and the cats scurried into the shadows. She spent the next few hours crying for them. She still hadn't found them hours later when I left. Another woman arrived 15 minutes after the cut off time-and lost everything she owned. It was all inside her tent... and it was now lined with police tape. No one was allowed in. She stood staring blankly into the sea of tents, "My kid's stuff is in there...my pictures..." she muttered as she wiped away tears.

I met a wonderful young man named Lyman, 24 years old. He had been camping there for three months and has been on the streets just under a year. He had no idea where he would go. "But you still manage to smile," I told him. "Everyday is like this, just survival."

I met a young lady named Red. She is 28 and has lived in the jungle for 5 years. Red was very concerned about where to go, and was really ready to get inside. There were quite a few kind souls walking through the mud just helping people.
Somehow in the midst of all of this chaos I saw the beauty. There was a man walking around aiding people who needed shelter and he helped Red. Thank you Dwight Jackson. Thank you Dee Powers and all of the people who were there to help people move, giving out food, calming people, passing out gloves, blankets, garbage bags, water.

It was a day full of heavy hearts. Many shades of humanity were in front of me. I cried when I got home and stared at the ceiling. I came out of this with a heart full gratitude for everything I love, a drive to help more, and with a greater sense of hope.

Atlantic Neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#FacingHomelessness #JustSayHello #Kindness Crosscut KING 5 #stopthesweeps

extendKINDNESS

PLEASE MEET DOUGLAS:

Douglas Bundy, 61, has a very kind and gentle way about him. He lives in the Georgetown tiny home community with his dog KoKo, who is also a very sweet soul.

Douglas got KoKo two years ago and takes very good care of her. He has been living here in his tiny house for three years. He owned and lived in an RV before this, but it got too expensive and he had to let it go.

Douglas was born in South America and came to the states at age 16. He lived in Michigan for a long time before coming to Seattle. He hopes one day he and KoKo could find a bigger place to live, but he's warm and safe here.

Every day he walks to visit a friend who doesn't have the money to feed his dog, and tries to bring his friend dog food. I had given KoKo a bag of dog treats and Douglas admitted he was bringing them to this friend who needed them more.

How sweet is that?

Georgetown Neighborhood | Dawndra

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

spiritANIMAL

PLEASE MEET MICHAEL:

Micheal was quite shy at first. He wasn't sure about the camera either. I told him that I don't bite, and I'm here to chat about positive things, and he warmed up right away. He told me he doesn't like cameras because he is self conscious about his teeth. Once we got passed that, he was very eager to tell me his story.

He was born in Three Rivers Michigan and was adopted. He did not meet his real mother until the age of 27, and it is unknown who his real father is.

When Micheal met his biological mother, he was shocked to learn two things, one being that she lived only 20 miles away and worked at General Motors, and two that she was just eleven years older than him. In his adopted family, Micheal is the youngest of four. In his biological family, he is the oldest of four.

Micheal told me that his spirit animal is a wolf. One day in Fresno, California a black wolf followed him around for a whole day until it disappeared and he never saw the wolf again. He told me that he cannot describe it, but that wolf is still a part of him, and he thinks of the wolf to this day.

He showed me a very cool metal necklace that he handmade. He loves working with his hands and talking to people, "but it's hard to sell your art or be a salesmen without any teeth."
I asked him if he had any art supplies at the moment and he said no, but he would love a drawing pad and charcoal to work with.

Micheal's adoptive father was very hard on him and he ran away for the first time at age eleven. It was the beginning of a long stream of both adventure and trouble ahead. "I'm doing something right, I'm still here." He once lived in Apache Junction where he collected and bought stones at a cheaper price for his jewelry making. His favorite stone is turquoise. He was also quite a pool shark back in the day.

What an interesting and important life Micheal! I told him it was so great to meet him. he thanked me for being a person who thinks of others besides myself. I thought about that a lot. Micheal, you made my day.

Georgetown Neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

stayTOGETHER

PLEASE MEET ROBERT AND ASHLEY:

Robert and Ashley have been married since 2012. They met at a NY Giants baseball game. When she told me that they both received tickets that were given out to low income families, all I could think was, wow, you never know what an act of kindness can bring someone. Those tickets brought them love and companionship for this many years, wow.

They live in a tiny house village in Georgetown with their two beloved dogs, Opal and Coral. The dogs are sisters, and they both have striking electric blue eyes. They've had the dogs since they were 8 weeks old and now they are 3 years old.

Robert works off and on when he can at the Millionaires Club Charity - a Seattle non-profit Temporary Staffing Agency that connects people experiencing homelessness and poverty with dignified jobs and supportive services.

Ashley suffers from Asperger's and has been told she cannot work. She told me that she wants to work, but fears having an outburst. They love living in this tiny house community, the people are nice and there is a great place to walk the dogs daily nearby. They have lived together in tent cities and at one time they had an RV.

Ashley and Robert both asked me if I brought any dog treats or wet canned food. The place could use that for both dogs and cats. In fact, had brought a bag of dog treats and they had already been used up before I got to these dogs. Lots of animal love here! I love this place.

Georgetown Neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

kindSOULS

PLEASE MEET THERESA :

Meet Theresa. She lives in a tiny house community in Georgetown. This place is a small plot of land, cozy with tiny houses. They take people in on a case by case scenario, often those having a special need.

A lot of people who live here have beautiful pets. I met Rambo the sweet pit bull, KoKo the little guy, Opal and Coral the Huskies, and a random sweet kitty that let me pick him up.

Theresa has a large beautiful white American Japanese (I had to google that, very beautiful dogs) Akita named Wilbur. Theresa and Wilbur used to live in a house with a fenced in yard where Wilbur was free to roam the property. You can just see the love between her and her dog, it's something special.

Hard times fell upon Theresa when she fell ill and was not able to work. Unable to pay her mortgage, she fell behind and lost her home of ten years. She and Wilbur had nowhere to go. I asked her where she went. "To the woods at first." The two of them eventually found refuge at Meyers Way tiny home community, and they lived there in a tent. "It's been very traumatizing and depressing, but things are going to start getting better for us. You just have to stay positive." She has a kind smile and an easy way about her, and Wilbur has the same gentle demeanor.

Theresa loves the sense of community here. "Everyone is helpful, there's a lot of kind souls here." On most days, you can find Theresa walking Wilbur to a park along the Duwamish River.

Georgetown Neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness #Kindness

dearHEART

PLEASE MEET MIKE :

I met Mike in a small tent community tucked under the freeway on Airport Way, Georgetown. It was so cold out that my fingers were completely numb at the fingertips. The freeway above is quite loud for chatting. When we arrived people were very hungry and thirsty and very grateful for the food and water.

Mike is very talkative and friendly. The very first thing he said to us when we walked in was that if we ever needed a place to stay, we could stay there at his "hotel" for no charge. He pointed to a cluster of tents which he has set up for people to stay in who don't have a place to go. He told me he does not charge anyone a dime- that he just wants to help others in his community. "Even if I had a million dollars I would be right there doing this exact thing helping others.... but I would definitely make this camp look more like an Ewok village with streaming lights and walkways in the sky."

Mike has hopes that this little tent community will actually become a legitimate camp with honey buckets and garbage service. He is helping prove that they maintain order and do not bother anyone. He said most of all people that live there are thirsty and need more water to drink, and then he corrected himself and said "actually I'll be honest ...coca cola, ha ha."

I asked him if this place had a name and he said "Two Bridges, since it's under these two bridges," and then he added, "Resort", and then laughed.

He told me that he does not worry about money or his future because God will take care of him. Mike has been homeless for 8 years and is 44 years old.

Georgetown neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

survivingCOLD

PLEASE MEET JERRY :

I met Jerry in the Pioneer Square neighborhood on a clear cold winter day. He has been homeless for 10 years of his life and he is 49 years old. He told me that right now he is just using everything in his power to survive this cold weather while he tries to raise money for a bus ticket to get back to California where it's warm and he can be free just wearing shorts.

He talked a lot about how much he loves just wearing shorts in the 70 degree weather while smoking his self rolled American Spirits. "It's the simple things."

Jerry is not used to this weather making it much harder for him to be here. He feels that he is almost being held here against his will, that something is stopping him every time he gets close to leaving and he's not sure why.

We talked about finding his purpose to be here in Seattle and staying warm in the meantime. He sleeps in a tent where he never quite gets warm no matter how hard he tries.

I asked him if I could call him "Sailor Jerry" because I felt like he looked like a ships captain. He laughed and said "PLEASE!" We decided that's what he was in another life.

Pioneer Square neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness #Kindness

honestLOVE

PLEASE MEET JOSEPH :

Joseph sleeps in a tent on the Seattle waterfront with his dog Buddy. He is 58 years old and has been homeless for 20 years of his life. He told that he doesn't know any other way of life. He carries a guitar on his back and I asked him to play me a song and he sadly reported he had a broken string. He said he's only played the guitar for a few years and it has got him through some hard times.

He got his dog Buddy two months ago for the same reason, to get each other through some hard times. He assured me that buddy is warm in a sleeping bag at night, and gets lots of food and treats, but he admits that it's really hard to train a puppy.

He is not entirely sure that he is the right owner for Buddy. We made a deal that he would not give the dog up to just anyone. I quickly got on Amazon and bought Buddy a coat, and Joseph and I are meeting this week for the exchange and to talk more about Buddy's future.

Such honesty and love. Thank you for sharing that with me Joseph.

Pioneer Square neighborhood | Dawndra

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!

#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

iAM

PLEASE MEET ALEX :

I pulled up in the Pioneer Square neighborhood and spotted a man pushing all of his belongings in a cart across the street from me. I hopped out of the car and waved and he waved back and yelled "HELLO!"

Alex is a very articulate soft spoken man with an east coast accent. He grew up in New York and told me that his step mother kicked him out of the house at age 12. He has lived on the streets most of his life, most of those years spent on the streets in the five boroughs. He's been here in Seattle just a short time.

He had a job, a wife and twin girls who are now almost 18. I asked him why he prefers the sidewalk over a shelter, he said he likes his freedom and to be left alone. He always sleeps in front of the Pioneer Smoke Shop, the owner is nice and doesn't mind.

When I asked Alex if he was able to keep warm on these cold nights, he said he was freezing and just trying to survive every day. I gave him some hand warmers and he was very grateful. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was not enough, I got a lump in my throat.

"What do you like to do for fun Alex?" "Well, talk to you of course." We had some laughs. Just then at the smoke shop, I noticed the most beautiful dog tied up waiting for his owner inside. I instantly bonded with the dog and remained petting and playing with him. Buddy is a smaller pit bull mix and also lives on the streets. I noticed a man walked by a few times looking at Buddy very closely. I spent a lot of time talking to Buddy's kind owner.

After those two left, Alex said to me "You know you just saved that dog from getting stolen to use the dog for fighting? It was meant to be that you are here now." I asked him how he knew that, and he said "Because I AM the streets."

Alex will be turning 47 on January 26th, and all he really wants to do is go to the movies.

Pioneer Square neighborhood | Dawndra

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

openHEART

PLEASE MEET DEE AND DEVIN :

Dee and Devin are just good-hearted people. This couple have called an RV home for the last five years. Dee told me that circumstances will not be allowing them to be indoors anytime soon, but they are happy and grateful to be there, and they hope to be allowed to stay put. "We don't want to rejoin the shuffle, but we also know this is temporary".

They feel safer where they are parked than they have for a very long time. These two have been together and in love for 8 years! WOW! They live with their beloved 15 year old cat Chanel, who delightfully is grumpy and sweet.

Dee is articulate, welcoming, helpful, and smart as a whip. People who live on the streets come to them for help all the time because they are stable. In fact they have had FOUR people come to them to get help with administering Narcan in the last four months! That is life saving.

Dee told me about an app that you can put on your phone called "NaloxoFindApp". This free app allows first responders and good-samaritans to register as naloxone carriers, making them reachable by the NaloxoFindApp users in emergency situations.

Dee is a voice for their community by filming sweeps, doing outreach work, and bringing supplies to encampments.

WOW! SO MUCH LOVE DEE AND DEVIN.

SODO neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

freeSPIRIT

PLEASE MEET BRIAN:

Brian has the kindest smile, so I just had to go talk to him.

Although he couldn't chat long, what he told me in those brief moments was so interesting. He had two shopping carts full of his stuff, and told me that he prefers sleeping on the streets over staying in a shelter because he doesn't care for all the rules.

He loves hanging out in the park with his friends. Brian is in his 50’s and is from Lummi Island.

In three months time, he's very excited to go visit his mother and his NINE sisters. They have twenty-two kids between the ten siblings. His mom lives on Lummi in a log cabin. He told me that he lost his step-father and his real father within ONE day of each other, and that they both died from the same kind of cancer! So at one point Brian's mother had to raise all of those kids on her own. How wild is that?

Pioneer District neighborhood | Dawndra

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!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

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