bitterSWEET

PLEASE MEET STRAWBERRY:

(language warning)

“See that girl over there?” The old man pointed to a colorfully dressed woman. She was cooking over a fire near the tracks, feeding a small group. “Now folks might think she’s just a dirty whore.” he said. I studied the young woman’s interactions. A rude woman arrived demanding food. “But you watch,” he said, “That hungry bitch there? She don’t deserve nuthin. But Strawberry will feed her too.”

The scene got a little crazy. An angry man yelled in my face. A nearby couple argued. A man with a disfigured leg hobbled by pushing a broken cart. A troubled woman in a torn up Mumu tried to talk. But our conversation failed as a train passed and the man resumed yelling. As I left, I greeted the young woman. “I enjoy cooking for people.” she said with a hint of a smile, which dropped fast as she aimed a fork at the aggressive man. “Get the fuck BACK!” she yelled. He scowled, but complied.

The memory of the young woman stuck. I wished I’d spent more time with her. I went back but found she didn’t live there. Months later, stuck in traffic, I looked out the window and saw her standing alone holding a bunch of daffodils. I recognized her eyes immediately. I looked again and she was gone. A year later I found her living in the woods.

“I’m mean.” she said. “The street makes you mean. But I’m a good bitch.” Strawberry, whose real name is Ruth Anne, left home at age 14. Her mother was a drug addict. Her life a tale of sordid abuse. She was once confined to her tent for over a year where she was regularly beaten and forced to have sex until she passed out. “I peed on myself and shit in a bucket. He held a knife to my throat saying he’d kill me and hide my body if I left. He said God told him to make me into an angel.” She escaped but struggled afterwards. “I hooked for a while, but I don’t need hands on me anymore. I can take care of myself. I can hustle better than most.”

Perhaps there is more hope to be observed in Ruth Anne’s tears than her words. “I have no plan. I have no idea what I am going to do,” her nose and eyes streaming. “I do meth because it’s the only way I can cope. To handle the memories of my children. Who were taken from me.”

“What can we do?” I asked. Drying her tears she answered, “I could use some food and cooking utensils. I enjoy cooking for people.”

SODO 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!
#Kindness #FacingHomelessness #JustSayHello Crosscut KING 5

gameCHANGER

PLEASE MEET TOMASZ :

This FB page began a little over nine years ago with the hope of bringing everyone into the task of ending homelessness.

Six years ago it grew into a non-profit providing easy entry points for people wanting to get involved. Programs such as 'Just Say Hello', 'Window of Kindness' and 'Community CleanUPs' have invited each of us to come closer, to see the human being rather than be overwhelmed by the issue.

Four years ago the BLOCK Project was created by BLOCK Architects. http://the-block-project.org/ Three years ago they enlisted this FH non-profit to help bring it to all of you!

From the beginning of this page till now, at every step along the way, magically, at the exact right moment, there's been a person with the exact right skills stepping forward to help push this beautiful dream into reality!

Tomasz Biernacki is currently that beautiful person!

He has engineered how to scale construction of the BLOCK Homes! Designing how to build them faster and safer with nearly all volunteer help. He has the staff at BLOCK Architects and Facing Homelessness buzzing with excitement!

Tomasz sharing why he cares about making a difference:

"I grew up poor, I'm a first generation immigrant who came to the US as a 10 year old kid with my parents. My mother cleaned houses, my father removed asbestos from commercial buildings. My parents always had financial trouble that kept us on the edge of homelessness and poverty. I have never forgotten the struggles and sacrifices they made for my sister and I.

I also remember people in our life who helped my family along the way and who had a profound impact on who I am today. I consider myself extremely lucky as there were plenty of moments in my youth were things could have gone horribly wrong. As an adult I was very lucky as a commercial illustrator and worked really hard to build a successful business. I never forgot were I come from and the lesson that it takes the whole community working together to make a better world.

The homes we built at C2C and the BLOCK Project allow the Seattle community to have a direct and positive impact, a place to plug in and contribute in a profound ways in other lives. The issues around homelessness can feel so overwhelming, and yet I have witnessed time and time again how great our community is banding together and having a positive impact in people's lives. It's the volunteers I meet along the way who really inspire me and give me hope that we can make this world a better place for all."

A heartfelt THANK YOU Tomasz for the profound difference you are making for everyone in this community!!!

SODO 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

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

wiggleROOM

PLEASE MEET VICTOR AND LANA:

wiggleROOM:

Victor was struggling, he had been stabbed with an ice-pick the week before, needing emergency room stitches. Being homeless in Seattle had him scared. His mind was made up to head home to Stockton CA. The Facing Homelessness community rallied and purchased his bus ticket home, wishing him the very best.

Victor met me at the Greyhound Bus Station the next day, half an hour early. He was ready to get on the bus. Nervous but excited. Then his girlfriend Lana showed up. Victor looked at me and said, "Give me five minutes", and walked around the corner with her. Fifteen minutes later I went to look for them as it was nearing time to board.

They were sitting next to each other on the curb. One look at them and I said, "You're not getting on that bus are you?"

It was a good reminder how everything needs wiggle-room. It's so easy to expect, or even want, people in need to accept help offered. In those moments we think we know what is best.

I had to remind myself that stuff happens, and usually for a reason. It is easy to get off base when I try to direct the outcome of kindness rather than just offering kindness for kindness sake.

Sending LOVE to Victor & Lana for their journey together!

SODO 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

spiritualJOURNEY

PLEASE MEET TEX

It had rained hard and Tex's tennis-shoes were sopping wet. He was kicking garbage and personal belongings into a big pile, stuff left behind after another Seattle sweep.

I introduced myself and asked how he was doing. He looked at me, smiled, and said, "Hello Rex, I'm Tex." And then immediately recited a paragraph from the bible explaining the lesson he was learning.

Tex kicked a plastic bottle twenty or so feet right into the middle of the pile and I asked if he had played soccer. He said, "No, why?" Then shared more about the word of God.

We walked side by side kicking garbage towards the pile, quietly exchanging thoughts about life. He had spent time in prison and the rest roaming the country. He was on a journey.

When we had the entire area cleaned Tex looked at me and said, "Well, really nice meeting you. Tomorrow or the next day the city will come with a truck, pick the pile up, and get credit for cleaning the entire place. That's just the way it is."

We both paused. He took off the necklace he was wearing, which had several wood beads and a carved monkey claw, and gave it to me, saying, "Here, this is for you."

SODO 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

mommaJYPSY

PLEASE MEET JYPSY:

Some call her the foundation of her tribe. “God gave me the special gift of understanding my people and their needs.” Her voice is gravelly. Her message solid. “She’s our cornerstone. She’s the mortar that binds us together,” her people say. Indeed, Jypsy is well pegged with parlance from the masonry industry. She is a rock. A pillar. Her spirit immovable. Her integrity a slab of concrete.

Under a dirty bridge in Seattle I met Jypsy 3 years ago. It was a dark place. Near a cement factory. An encampment tangled with tents and troubled souls. Jypsy’s people. Bordered by a railroad spur and indifference. Switch engines basted powerful horns, rolling slowly only feet away. Disturbing. Shaking the ground. Shaking guts and conscience. I passed a smoky fire. In the darkness a woman roasted meat chunks skewered on a long knife. I was startled and kept walking the mud path. On to Jypsy’s tent. Her presence contrasted. Like sunlight splashing on graffiti. Her wit and humor soothed above the industrial noise. Like pebbles rolling under a stream. “I’m Jypsy.” she said. I shook her strong hand, “I know, I’ve heard of you.”

They call her Momma. Jypsy is a leader and a mother to her band of souls living in poverty. These days her health is poor, but she is cared for by her people. She carries portable oxygen and struggles to breath. She coughs. Her respiratory system challenged further by her frequent laughter.

Jypsy speaks of her influences. Her grandmother was loving and kind. Her mother destructive and mean. “She beat me. But I had the insight to recognize the sorrow and confusion that tore her from within. I love her and forgive her.” Jypsy was abducted at age 9. She was drugged and sexually abused. She feels anxiety still. I asked how she remains positive. “We’re all taken care of. In God’s hands we will be fine. We start with this each day, and our problems are minor. “ Jypsy speaks of accountability. Acceptance. Love. Her eyes are warm, but sometimes fierce. Her laughter punctuated with fat tears.

Jypsy’s life is a spiritual journey. “I’m not perfect. I often wonder what the F I’m doing.” I ask her what we should know. “We must not be subservient to ourselves. We must be accepting of others. We must be accepting of all. We must never be bound to our own.”

As I departed a train blocked my path trapping me near the woman by the fire. She pointed her knife at me, offering me the piece of meat on the tip.

SODO 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

oneVOICE

PLEASE MEET AUNTIE:

Nobody should go hungry.
Everybody deserves a home.
Nobody should feel unsafe.
Everybody wants law and order.
Nobody should face addiction alone.
Everybody should have health care.
Nobody likes litter and needles.
Everybody should be loved.
Nobody should feel unwanted.
Everybody wants to end homelessness.

Believe that we are all oneVOICE.

We all want the same thing. However, we are spending vast amounts of time, dollars and energy spinning our wheels, arguing how best to address the issue of homelessness.

And while we bicker back and forth over who has more compassion, or is smarter, or more informed, or knows what is best, and on and on, the homeless remain homeless.

I am not religious, but Jesus said, "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."

It is time for all of us to come closer to each other with open hearts and minds, to LISTEN, LEARN and LOVE. We need to look inward and question our own fears, assumptions and prejudices. We need to ask what is keeping us from stepping forward and when ready, how can we contribute, even if that means having a little less for ourselves. Anything less in the face of this humanitarian crisis is shameful.

It is not enough to share at dinner parties how hard it is to walk past people living outside, or how terrible it is to see so much garbage in our city. We all know this conversation, it is time to help those suffering.

Auntie is living with her dog "B" in a make-shift tarp tent in SODO. She is among others living in tents and RV's that are all there for various reasons, but all suffering, and all now scheduled to be swept this coming week.

Auntie could use a warm sleeping bag, a warm medium size coat, a small tent, a good flashlight, and triple A batteries. If you can, please dropOFF or shipTO: Facing Homelessness c/o Auntie 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98105. Thank you.

If you want to learn more about how we can all come closer to address the issue of homelessness, please contact Facing Homelessness. www.facinghomelessness.org

So much LOVE and ADMIRATION for you Auntie.

SODO 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

controllingPAIN

PLEASE MEET AUNTIE:

I met Auntie 10 days ago, she was sitting on the bumper of Buddy's RV, head bent down, groaning and holding her wrist. Buddy, also homeless and a friend to many, shared that the person she was staying with beat her up. It was clear she needed to go to the ER.

While on I-5 Auntie needed to throw up. We got the window down just in time, a good deal of it finding the side of the car. She couldn't stop apologizing. I couldn't stop thinking how horrible to be 68 yrs old in such pain, getting a ride to the hospital from a complete stranger.

Yesterday we met again. She was feeling better, lots of smiles. Her wrist had not been broken, still swollen, but healing. When I asked where she'll be sleeping, Auntie put her hand on the seat, said, "Right here". I looked at the darker sky forming over West Seattle and asked "What if it rains?" She looked at me like I was stupid, replying, "I'll get wet."

We had a long talk. Conversation that included her growing up in Seattle, her mom dying when she was 16, her father trying to rape her, and lots lots more. Too much to tell. I asked what her plans were. Not just for tonight but for her future. She said, "Getting housing, but that seems all but impossible."

In 2000 Auntie had a pain pump surgically implanted. Without medication she couldn't even walk due to the pain in her legs from an auto-accident. It worked great till 2016 when they cut off giving meds because she owed $280.00. She turned to heroin to control the pain.

I asked if she were to get the meds again, would she get off heroin? Auntie looked squarely at me and said, "In an instant".

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that our goal of raising $280.00 has been reached with $494.92 donated!!! With these funds we will cover the cost of getting Auntie's meds started again. Remaining funds will be used to give care to Auntie. No cash goes directly to her and as is always the case, no funds whatsoever go to Facing Homelessness. A heartfelt THANKS to everyone that reached out with support and LOVE!

There are a good many challenges in front of Auntie, but she is a fighter, a tough survivor. It feels like this could be a good start for her, giving her a chance to get back on her feet. Let's raise the $280.

A bigBIG COMMUNITY LOVE to you Auntie!!!

SODO nieghborhood | 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

heartBROKE

PLEASE MEET JEANIE:

While visiting Dee, who lives in an RV with Devin in the SODO neighborhood, I learned their friend Jeanie was having a really difficult time. We walked two blocks to the U-Haul she was living in, she was sitting in the front seat staring ahead.

When I came up to her my first thought was how kind her face was. I asked, "How are you doing?" She looked at me and started to cry, she said, "Not very good."

For an hour she cried, telling about the mess she's in. For 12 years she took care of her mother, then 10 months ago her mom died and everything went downhill. She rented a car to get a job with Lyft to pay for a room in a house and also pay off her mom's burial expenses. All was going well until a car crashed into her, wrecking the rental. At first the guy was nice, apologizing, next minute he took off, before Jeanie could get information. She lost her job, then her room, that was in June.

Up until two weeks ago she was sharing space in an RV, learning to live homeless. She was a wreck, missing her mom, trying to adapt, when the guy kicked her out. She rented a U-Haul on September 15th to move her stuff into storage, planning on returning the vehicle the next day.

Jeanie is disabled, has had 25 knee operations, she moves slow with a cane. While unloading the truck two men came up from behind and knocked her down, hit her again and then stole her purse and money. At first they tried to drag her into the bushes but she screamed and fought back, eventually getting into the back of the U-Haul, where she stayed for two days, fearful of coming out.

Every day that passed Jeanie became more stressed, freaked out that she could not pay U-Haul the rental fee. She wrote a four page letter to them, explaining what happened, hoping it would make a difference. I read it and was overwhelmed.

I told her this community would try to raise the funds to pay the nearly $1,000 owed. I was going to make that post asking all of you to help. But between meeting Jeanie yesterday and now, the police and U-Haul showed up, put everything of hers on the street and took off. I asked the U-Haul person if they could wait one more day, that we would raise the funds owed. He said no chance of that happening.

Tonight Jeanie and all of her belongings are outside. I want to scream. Not at U-Haul. Not at the police. But at who?

Let's raise $750 for a week of hotel stay for Jeanie, giving her some peace of mind just for a bit to help figure things out.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr…

LOVE to you Jeanie, you are a beautiful strong woman!

SODO 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

enduringSOLDIER

PLEASE MEET ANDOR

It’s September in South Seattle. Rain pounds the dark scene like a bad cinema effect. A band of beaten down folks has gathered away from the flashing blue lights and hazardous waste vehicles. Their meager salvaged possessions heaped in a few piles and small carts. There’s wet clothing, mold and mental illness in the vacant stares. Confusion and sadness in the aftermath of another encampment sweep. Two grown men embrace each other weeping. A young woman stares stone faced at the ground.

Andor is steel eyed and focused. The rain runs off his face. “They took most of our things.” he says angrily. But he turns and speaks gently to his companions, proposing a strategy for their next camp. He negotiates the chaos with determination and a thick accent.

Andor was born in Budapest, Hungary in a war-torn town and time. The son of a motorcycle gang king-pin, they lived in the woods and in abandoned bomb shelters. He hunted wild pigs and was drafted into the military at a young age. He served a short time as a POW. “I can’t tell you what happened to me there, but afterwards I became a bad person. I wanted to hurt people.”

Andor escaped to America using a fake black market passport. He joined the Army and served in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars. “I was a soldier. Fighting was all I ever knew.” Afterwards he made good money smuggling Mexican families into the US. He was arrested and spent 4 years in prison. He ran a paint business for a while. But a struggle with cancer left him weak and unable to work. Andor became homeless. “I can live this way. I learned how growing up.”

Andor survives conditions that have stirred havoc in the lives and hearts of others. He endures the hardships of homelessness and remains stable surrounded by mental illness, abuse, and emotional trauma. Domestic violence, sweeps, endless rain, and snow. He is appreciated by his small community as they are swept from place to place.

Andor is always polite. Always positive. Always the same.
At age 46 Andor isn’t hurting people anymore. He likes fishing and has a keen interest in post apocalyptic sci-fi. He loves medieval garb, weaponry, and “steam punk” imagery. His mask collection lines the walls of his tents. He has artistic skills blending medieval costume effects with modern styles and materials. His eyes light up as he explains. And it’s really hard to believe Andor ever hurt anyone.

Back at the corner, a distraught man clutches a bible while fumbling aimlessly though damp belongings. A young man sits on the curb and vomits as he cries in the rain. An exiting police car passes by closely. The officer’s eyes remain straight ahead.

SODO 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 #Kindness #FacingHomelessness