lastingKINDNESS

PLEASE MEET OUR COMMUNITY:

Facing Homelessness is building healthy community through the BLOCK Project, a community funded, community built and community supported project that places sustainable housing in backyards for those in need. It is beyond beautiful!!!

www.the-block-project.org

The reason it is beyond beautiful is because of all of you, because of people like those in The University Congregational Housing Association (UCHA)!!!

Over the years UCHA has had projects to develop affordable housing and helping others do the same. A year ago they voted to retire its nonprofit organization. It had been active for about 30 years, wowWOW!! They owned three residences and two apartment buildings providing help to those in need. After accomplishing the gifting of three of the properties and two transfers, the joyous task was to spend the remaining money in their Treasury.

The money was raised at fundraising events and through generous donations from their supporters. The Block Project was chosen to receive a check for $40,000.00 to help accelerate the process of building Block Homes!!! The UCHA is thrilled that their mission continues!

Facing Homelessness is thrilled and ever so grateful to receive this generous donation and continue the important and beautiful work of UCHA!

The gift is from John Davis, Carol Christoferson, Sue Hall, Marcia McCracken, Mary Elizabeth Maltman, Kate Nelson, Claudia Patton, Ryan Schultz, Martha Tucker and Gail Winberg!!!

A very heartfelt THANK YOU to UCHA for believing in the BLOCK Project and stepping forward with such generous support!

University District 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 Crosscut KING 5 www.the-block-project.org

brightLIGHT

PLEASE MEET SCOTTY:

It is with such sadness I am writing to tell you that our very dear friend Scotty Ferguson has passed away. There is so much to this beautiful man I honestly don't know where to begin. I first met him at his home, which at the time was a covered bench along the ship canal in Fremont. It was the winter of 2011. His friend Dinkus was living there too.

Both Scotty and Dinkus had an undeniable twinkle in their eye, it drew them together, feeding off each other's charisma. They were so alive, now they are both gone. Dinkus passed in early 2017 which hit Scotty hard. Everyone that frequented the bench could see they were a team. Scotty played the guitar and Dinkus sang off-key, Dinkus told jokes and Scotty gave that infectious laugh. And through it all, they drank, and drank.

Scotty's charm was second only to his big heart. He was a good man that would do anything for you. I felt this constantly in my friendship with him. I know the people at the University Methodist Church felt this too, he volunteered lots. Gail Winberg from the church, along with many others, is feeling the painful loss of his friendship.

Scotty's life was in a downward spiral during that time living on the bench. It was horrible to witness his daily struggle. All of that changed when he met Anne. She pulled him out of it with her goodness and love. Often when I was in the office, working early, I would see Anne's car pull up, just when it was getting light, and she'd walk down those steps to visit with Scotty.

Eventually she broke through. He quit drinking and they moved in together. It was beautiful. They were there for each other, both learning and growing. In the end, the obstacles were too much and they separated but their love kept them close, texting daily till the end. It was Anne that told me Scotty had passed on February 5th of cancer. Please send your LOVE to her, I know she is hurting deeply with this loss.

Scotty loved to fish. Often he and Dinkus would fish along the canal. During Dinkus' last year outside he was in a wheelchair and somebody had thrown it into the canal, coming to rest about 10' out and 5' down. You could see it when the water was still. Scotty decided to fish for it. It was a big deal, he spent hours trying to catch it and finally did, slowly pulling it to the surface and onto land. There was a celebration like you'd never seen. Scotty talked about the big one he caught, over and over, asking if we'd heard the story yet. Still makes me smile so much.

We loveLOVE you Scotty. At 60 years old, with so much life in you, you were much too young to leave us. Thank you for your beautiful friendship, for the LOVE of life you shared so very easily with everyone.

Fremont 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!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness