deepGRATITUDE

PLEASE MEET CHIAKA:

Ten years ago I met this man. His name is Chiaka. He's a prolific genius artist. He forever changed my life.

While his artful way impacted me greatly, what mattered most was the friendship he openly invited me into. He shared his journey of homelessness, both his struggles and successes. He trusted me to see him, to know him, exactly as he is. Nothing more, nothing less.

What I discovered over these last ten years, beginning and running this page, is that Chiaka's invitation to come closer, is not unique. Every one of us, living inside or out, at some level, wants to be seen as we are. Nothing more, nothing less.

This is what we owe each other. To break down the barriers of separation and 'Just Say Hello'. To come closer and see for ourselves the person standing in front of us. To not judge. To not control. To just be and feel and love.

Facing Homelessness is asking of all of us to journey creating relationships as a means for building healthy community. And what is beautiful about that, is that healthy community does not accept homelessness.

With overflowing emotions, I want to share that on July 1st I am stepping down at Facing Homelessness. It would be impossible to convey how important these last ten years have been for me, getting to come closer with all of you.

The decision to leave is similar to the reason for why I began. And that is, because my heart tells me it is time.

Facing Homelessness is in this beautiful place of having transformed itself into a vibrant advocate for those in need. It is supported by many thousands of people all putting LOVE first as the foundation for ending homelessness. That is no small thing, in fact, it is a bigBIG THING!!

Its programs of 'Just Say Hello', 'Window of Kindness', 'Community CleanUPs', and the 'BLOCK Project' are thriving with a dedicated staff, board, and community to go with!

I look forward to all the beautiful future conversations I get to have, now as a volunteer!!! A heartfelt THANK YOU to every single person that opened their heart on this collective journey.

At Facing Homelessness we often say, 'Our personal journey defines the direction of this org, not the other way around.' This includes all of you. We are all in this together!

Feeling so much LOVE.

Seattle neighborhoods | Rex

almostHOME

PLEASE MEET AUNTIE:

Falling into homelessness is a unique journey. Every person has their own details of when, how, and why. If we stop to listen we find a truth shared by all, that nobody chose their homelessness. In fact, quite the opposite. At every decision, they chose what they thought best for them among the available options.

Auntie lives with chronic pain. Doctors inserted a pain-pump in her abdomen as a method of giving medication directly to her spinal cord. It worked until she got behind in payments and the doses of medication were cutoff. To address the pain, she turned to heroin. That was several years ago.

When I first met Auntie and her sweet dog Mr. B she was sitting on the tailgate of an RV wincing with pain because the man she was sharing space with beat her up. She thought maybe he had broken her wrist. I drove her to Virginia Mason to have it looked at. While it was not broken, they kept her for three days due to her vitals being in such bad shape. She was released and went back to the railroad tracks in SODO.

If you asked me what Auntie's chances of making it were at that time I would have said not very good, not good at all. In fact beginning of April I was told by folks on the street that Auntie had died, died with a needle in her arm. I was heart broken. I wrote her obituary and posted it on this page. After an outpouring of LOVE for Auntie was shared by so many in this community, I received a phone call from Auntie, telling me she was still very much alive!

She told me she had been at Sophia Way and that they were helping her move forward in a beautiful positive way. They were also looking to find housing for her, wowWOW!!

Keep in mind that housing wait-lists are running between 2-3 years. Which is a whole other conversation of frustration. However Katie, who is Auntie's case-manager, is asking us for help to make housing happen over night, housing for a year which will give time to then figure something permanent.

Here is the PLAN: Katie will find a year-lease for Auntie at $1,000 a month. Auntie pays $450 with $550 being paid by donations. $550x12=$6,600.00. This community, on a previous post has already raised $2,350.10 for Auntie, leaving $4,249.90 needing to be raised.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5N7YH38JASYFY&source=url

If you asked me again, what Auntie's chances of making it were now, I would say very good, like really really good!

Katie said, "My hope is to get her set up with resources and programs that will sustain her so that she will never be homeless again." She went on to share that Auntie has been taking great care of herself. Going to doctor's appointments. Taking her medicine. Her left eye has gone blind and she is seeing her doctor regularly to get help. She's also only smoking a couple cigarettes a day, trying her best to quit. On top of all that, she's been saving money. For all of you that have worried about her dog, Mr. B has seen the vet and is doing great!

Here is the icing on the cake, Auntie has been sober since 12/25/2019. She attends recovery meetings and working on her bright beautiful future!!!

Let's raise the $4,249.90 and get Auntie inside for a year and make good on Katie's HOPE of never letting Auntie be homeless again. ALL LOVE!

Seattle neighborhoods | 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!

newNORMAL

PLEASE MEET MICHAEL AND MATHEW: 

Physical-distancing is giving us space and time for personal reflection. Day by day we are creating a new normal.

What is your new normal? And, is it here to stay or an in-between space before returning to the old normal?

For many, caring for each other has moved to the top of the ToDoList. Good things are happening, like elderly parents suddenly hearing from their children lots more, being told 'I love you', lots more.

People are putting people first. Folks are finding new ways to connect, smile, laugh and share. A time for all of us to tap into our own creative compassion! As community, we are worrying for those that are vulnerable as if it was ourselves needing the care and LOVE.

Please meet Michael & Matthew, owners of 'Three Sacks Full', a pop-up project dedicated to serving wholesome, satisfying food! In addition to the love they have for their work and their clients, they are reaching out to the community with genuine creative compassion!

"There are many people in our community who need help in this pandemic, from unemployed workers to those without homes. Each week, 'Three Sacks Full' is donating 10% of our sales to a charity in our community." So beautiful!

Facing Homelessness was the charity of their choice this last week, receiving $177.00 from Michael & Matthew!!! A heartfelt thank you for your beautiful generosity and desire for making a difference!

https://www.threesacksfull.com/

Seattle Neighborhoods | 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

commonGROUND

MEET THE SWEEPS:

THANKSGIVING is a day dedicated to giving thanks. We spend time with family and friends, grateful to be among those we love and those that love us. Life is GOOD!

How about we follow with a day of REACHING-OUT. A day of calling that friend you had a falling out with or a family member you haven't talk to in two years. How about we all make the call that is most difficult for us, putting judgment and hurt aside and give openness and LOVE.

IMAGINE a community spending time listening, loving and ultimately healing. This begins with each of us reaching-out. Facing Homelessness believes we heal community and end homelessness one relationship at a time. We can do this!

So let's talk about City of Seattle SWEEPS.

Let's begin by reaching-out to find common ground. Let's hold these two thoughts: 1.) Sweeps are traumatic for those being swept, and, 2.) Homelessness is traumatic for those with a business or a residence when it comes to bear at their doorstep. These are both truths.

Even though we can agree with both individually we spend much of our time polarized into one of the two camps they represent. We have turned the sweep conversation into 'Should they stay or should they go?'

This means we have not evolved the conversation. The discussion has been reduced to one devoid of creativity and compassion for the homeless, producing cruel and wasteful solutions such as sweeps, fencing, hostile architecture, lack of garbage service, lack of bathroom facilities, and more.

We have also abandoned our business community and certain neighborhoods to take the brunt of a societal breakdown. This is simply not fair. Homelessness should be addressed by all of us, not just the few where it shows up. For those that have received this burden, solutions offered have also been devoid of creativity and compassion, producing hardships across the board for so many.

We must reach-out to each other. We must begin by having all voices at the table. Specifically the voices that have been and are being traumatized on both sides. All as equal voices. We lean into the harder work of an equitable solution by knowing we will need to give to get, finding deeper solutions that answer to both. Anything less just continues the trauma.

Our turn to be homeless could be around the corner, or someone homeless could come to our doorstep. The time to reach-out and have the difficult conversation is now. We must acknowledge that we are all connected, we are all one. Let's get busy finding our common ground.

Seattle neighborhoods | 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

communityCLEANUPS

PLEASE MEET OUR COMMUNITY

All the Community CleanUPs end the same way, with everyone feeling amazed and proud of the transformation that just took place, it is a wowWOW every single time!!

If you are looking for something beautiful to do in community with a bunch of kind thoughtful people, then come join what is usually a group of 30 or so folks wanting to make a difference.

The immediate goal of each cleanUP is to make new friends, with those living inside and outside, through the joy of picking up litter! You might laugh, but it is crazy enjoyable to pick up litter, filling that immediate gratification bucket!

The long-term goal is to beautifully cleanUP our city and compassionately step forward to stop the sweeps! Sweeping is for garbage, not people suffering to survive.

If you are interested, the next cleanUP is September 22, 2019 from 10:30-12:30 at James Street and I-5, at the east side of the freeway.

This will be our eleventh Community CleanUP, makes me smile so big just typing that, knowing all the beauty and friendships that have come from the first ten!

See you SUNDAY!!!

Seattle neighborhoods | 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 #CommunityCleanUP #FacingHomelessness #JustSayHello

seattleALIVE

I really resisted writing about the 'Seattle is Dying' video, but in the end, the hurt felt and being expressed by folks living homeless was just too great to not make a comment.

I believe it is safe to say: 1. There is an addiction problem. 2. Crime is not acceptable. 3 The police and our justice system must function. 4. Mental health awareness and services are severely lacking. 5. Available and affordable housing is severely lacking. 6. Garbage is not acceptable.

The list could go on. The common ground that we all share as citizens of Seattle is wide and deep and beautiful when we work to find it. We lose sight of our common ground when issues are presented in a way that divides us.

This is what 'Seattle is Dying' did. It took the mentioned truths above and created a narrative that divided further an already emotionally hurt community on this issue. It painted a picture that dehumanized and unfairly categorized.

YES to everyone in this city that is frustrated with the homelessness crisis and is looking for systems solutions, your voice is heard and wanted. YES to everyone that leans forward with compassion and is looking to humanize the issue, your voice is heard and wanted. YES to our police officers, to our fire-fighters, to our politicians, our judges and lawyers, to our city workers, our business owners, building owners and residents, which includes those living inside and out.

If we want to live in community we must act in community, we must work together for solutions, not against one another for victories.

Whether 'Seattle is Dying' resonated with you or whether it upset you, the next step for all of us is the same, to come closer, to take part in the solution with an open heart and open mind. Every person here, no matter if they live inside or out, is welcome and deserves our LOVE.

Please watch Tomasz Beirnacki's film, "Trickle Down Town", found on his web-page - http://www.pechara.com/?fbclid=IwAR1s89eBnhhD-zfaPgYpz5pTAZP_ze_753z03K7C-6c6Cilj-xWEN6ougdQ.

Seattle neighborhoods | 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