freshSTART

PLEASE MEET MICHELLE:

Michelle has had a long rough road to travel in life. She's tough as nails and at the very same time is as sweet as can be. She cares about you, even when she’s yelling at you. My heart goes out to her for all she goes through on a daily basis. She knows the struggle of survival.

Michelle is in and out of the emergency room. She has heart problems and more. She’s what the nurses call a ‘frequent flyer’. Sometimes it’s because her feet and legs have swelled to the point of bursting, other times she’s gasping for air, unable to catch her breath.

Michelle lives in an RV with her dog Syd. They are best friends. I can tell you that Syd is the out-of-control friendly type! There have been an uncountable number of times I’ve opened the RV door to have Syd nearly knock me back off the step with his paws in my chest. It makes me smile to think of it as I hear Michelle yelling for Syd to stop and get back, get back!

There is so much I can share about Michelle and our 8 year friendship. So many stories. What I want to tell you right now though is that Michelle needs help. The RV she lives in leaks something horrible. There is black mold everywhere. Rats have eaten through much of the interior, including through some of the electrical. She says, “I can deal with all that is going wrong but I am at my end with the rats. There are too many of them. I wake up at night and they are crawling on me. I can’t stay here anymore.”

The problem is, she has nowhere else to go. Nowhere.

We are making two ASKS of our community:
Does anyone have an RV they want to donate, or sell cheapCHEAP, to Michelle? If you do, please contact rex@block-architects.com.

Can you donate to help purchase a used RV for Michelle? We are hoping to raise $2K.

UPDATE: Givebutter link has been removed in that our goal of raising $2,000 has been reached with $2,707 donated!!! WowWOW! We know this will be incredibly helpful to Michelle and her well-being, and make her heart warm with love. A HEARTFELT thanks to everyone for your kindness and support!! Please note that no funds will go directly to Michelle, no funds go to Facing Homelessness, as is always the case, and if there are funds remaining, they will go to someone with a like need. Thanks SO very much!

If you'd like to continue to support Facing Homelessness's work, please visit: https://givebutter.com/facing-homelessness

A heartfelt THANKS in advance for any and all donations. This will be a fresh start for Michelle. She needs it. In my opinion, she deserves it.

Wallingford Neighborhood | Rex

*For additional stories please visit https://www.facebook.com/goodoldlistening

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 gift that is meaningful to you--even a “monthly recurring” donation of just $5 in support of the work. Thank you!
#facinghomelessness #windowofkindness #TheBLOCKProject #kindness

beautifulHUMAN

PLEASE MEET PATRICK:

A few days ago my friend Michelle, who lives chronically homeless, called to let me know Patrick had passed. My stomach tightened. A feeling of sadness surrounded me.

I saw him a week ago, yelling to him from across the street. He started to cross over to talk, but I said, "Hey, I gotta run, I'll see you later, soon!" I tear up knowing I won't be able to see him again.

If I'm completely honest, there is anger there too. How is that we have not figured out how to provide housing for everyone? Is this as good as we can do? Are we okay with the way it is?

Patrick was 64 years old when he died. He grew up in Ballard. He was as sweet and kind of a man that you'll ever meet. Everyone that knew him, knew that to be true. He brought each of us joy.

He was a regular at the Fremont Cafe Ladro coffee shop. I remember once offering to buy him a cup of coffee while talking with him outside. He said, "No thank you, the nice people here usually give me a cup when I come in." When I was leaving I went over to thank the employees for the kindness given to Patrick and both behind the counter said it was nothing, that Patrick was an extremely nice man, that they loved him.

There are many worlds swirling around us in every moment. We're oblivious to most of them. Only when we stop to take an interest does that world truly become visible. If you take the time to look closer into the world of homelessness, you will find a depth of beauty there that will open and change you profoundly.

Patrick created this change for many by sharing his humanity.

Once I saw him sitting on a bench with his head in his hands, then a few days later he was leaning up against a building in an alley. I came over to ask if he was okay, he said, "Two of my brothers passed away." It was weighing heavily on him, so much sadness.

So often the dehumanization of homelessness has us forgetting that we all have feelings, that the heart feels love and pain whether you live inside or outside.

Patrick is one of those folks that had an extra charm to him, a twinkle in his eye. He was always happy to see you, eager to share thoughts or concerns. I remember once, as he was leaving the FH office, he stopped, turned to us and said, "Sometimes I get claustrophobic living in this universe!"

You are free from it all now my friend. So many blessings to you for being such an extremely beautiful human being. I just want to say, THANK YOU, for being you. You will be missed and always LOVED.

Ballard 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 #FacingHomelessness #Kindness #TheBLOCKProject #yesinmybackyard

recreationalVEHICLE

PLEASE MEET MICHELLE:

Nothing recreational about living homeless in a vehicle. Most are purchased for between $50 and $500, which should give a pretty good idea of the condition they are in.

To avoid harassment and to find a small bit of privacy, most cover the windows. When entering, it takes a moment to adjust to the dark, the corners coming into view slowly.

Michelle and Eric have been living in rundown RV's for years. The immediate question is why? Why live this way?

Why do any of us live the way we live?

The answer is the same for each and every one of us, from Michelle and Eric right up to those that build mansions and castles. We ALL want to make the best home possible for ourselves and our family.

We all want safety, we all want protection from the elements, we all want a place that is functional, comfortable, beautiful, and more. And we don't just want it, we want to then keep on improving it. We can know that for every person living in a vehicle, this is their current best available option for making a home.

Michelle and Eric have $276.00 of parking tickets that we hope to help pay off. I know it would bring them a great deal of peace of mind.

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that the goal of raising $276 has been reached with $420.03 donated, wowWOW!!! A heartfelt thank you once again for meeting this need AND every need ever posted on this page. So much LOVE and support! All funds will go to paying the parking tickets. Whatever is left over will go to gas-cards for Eric and Michelle. No funds go directly to them and as is always the case, no funds go to Facing Homelessness. THANKS!!!

Michelle is in the hospital right now, her legs swollen to the point she can barely walk. She has been having heart problems for years, among a list of other medical issues. Please keep her and Eric in your thoughts.

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 Graham Pruss Jenn Adams

atCROSSROADS

PLEASE MEET MICHELLE:

The Jungle is a city designated Emphasis Area where, “Encampments have become consistent problems.” The Mayor’s office clarifies, “The City makes determinations based on the totality of the circumstances.” It’s all the same to Michelle. Because generally, and in totality, the emphasis of Emphasis Areas is you’re getting swept. She was setting poles at her new camp when I arrived by the mud trail. “You brought some of your wife’s bread, right?” I asked how her new place was working out. “It’s ok actually. There are fewer rats.”

Michelle was an RN. She’s patient. A caring woman who enjoys conversation on a nice day and hates being cold. She loves her family, blood-wise and otherwise. She has the demeanor of… an RN. So what drove Michelle to homelessness? Why would an RN live here? Maybe it started when her mother shot her in the back as a kid, leaving a bullet lodged in her kidney. Or maybe a subsequent traumatic experience lodged deeper in her mind and heart.

Michelle describes her childhood as horrid. Her mother was bipolar. Schizophrenic with multiple personalities and a drug habit. Against odds, Michelle finished high school and a BS degree in nursing. She went on to become a mom with visions of an MSN degree. But things went bad. Perhaps childhood stresses caught up. “I snapped. I don’t remember everything. I did some real bad things to someone.” Michelle intended to protect her sister, but in doing so committed a serious crime. She hid, and became homeless. Evading the law and working secretly for a travelling carnival for two years. The carnival ended with a five year prison sentence. Followed by a meth habit. And more homelessness.

Michelle is honest. She owns her situation. She places no blame. She keeps no score. She has a vision of escaping homelessness. She’s ready, but cautious. What does her vision look like? A long pause, “I, don’t know.” For now homelessness is a conscious decision recognizing the risks and fears she has of sheltered living. A precautionary approach that protects herself and others. She feels safe in her tent in the woods. “I can feel sounds and movement outside my tent. I can distinguish between a rat and an intruder.”

Why is Michelle homeless? “I’m afraid. Afraid of snapping again. Of depriving others. Afraid of change after being outside for so long.” Counselors have suggested that Michelle suffers from Schizoaffective Disorder. She has tried to get help. “If I could get the help I need I would be there with bells. I’d be out of here. Something will work out. I just don’t know what.” We love Michelle.

As I prepare to leave Michelle hugs me. A pickup slows down on the nearby onramp. An angry man shouts, “Get a job ya piece of crap!”

Beacon Hill neighborhood | Damian

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 Crosscut KING 5