Caring for One Another:
Each time there is an extreme weather event - whether it’s rain, snow, or extreme heat - I think about the times when I was homeless and fighting to stay awake, or begging to fall asleep, just to escape the reality of knowing that I didn’t have a place to call home, and that I couldn’t see a way out of my situation. This is a feeling that was felt through the streets amongst all of us who were experiencing homelessness. These situations are as real as it gets. The fact is, some of us have a home and some of us don’t and as we saw last week throughout the city, we, as a collective, can support one another throughout these times. We all have moments of needing community, services, and support, and last week with temperatures in the 90s and no easy way to get relief, was one of those moments.
Last Thursday, Facing Homelessness collaborated with hair stylist and artist Arianna (owner of the Cobra Syndicate hair Salon) and her partner Syd (owner of Kottu food truck) to provide a day of care for our Window of Kindness visitors as part of their “Best Day Ever” project. The event ran from 2-5 pm and Arianna and Syd, in addition to sharing their resources and talents, helped turn our parking lot into an oasis from the heat.
The event featured two free haircut stations, Syd’s food truck serving delicious burgers with side salads, many cold beverages donated by our community, a couch lounge area where our clients could relax, and most importantly, eight canopies that filled our whole parking lot with shade. Additional small businesses who supported this effort included Kendra from Monkey Grind Espresso and her partner Nick who set up a cold coffee station, Aurelio, who works at Rituel hair salon and provided additional haircutting as he does often in encampments, and Sarah Nayani, owner of Grow Girl -Seattle, who donated 12 gorgeous bouquets of flowers that made the space feel that much more warm and welcoming.
To all of these beautiful community members, including volunteers who helped us set up and break down the event, as well as those who donated their time, talent, and treasure, THANK YOU! It takes a village coming together to create a beautiful and caring environment such as this and to pivot when circumstances, like an extreme weather event, occur!
Clients had the space to relax, read, eat, listen to music, and everyone had the space to build new relationships and find moments of joy and connection whether through donating, being in service to one another, or sitting and having conversations.
We do want to acknowledge that while this was happening at Facing Homelessness, the City was facilitating sweeps and forcing people to move, many with no destination. As we imagine the future, we hope to see an end to these violent acts of exclusion and expulsion that only do more harm and reproduce trauma for folks experiencing homelessness. We hope instead to see more spaces of welcoming and community care, spaces for people to gather and receive the resources we all need including, housing, food security, safety, space to rest, compassion and community.
University District | Karina
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/
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