makingHOMES

makingHOMES:

“We did it!” It’s easy to look around after completing a new BLOCK Home and take pride in our accomplishment, particularly now that BLOCK Homes are built entirely by community volunteers. Smiles are exchanged, tools are stowed away, and there is an awareness that, soon, one more person will no longer live unsheltered in Seattle. We feel JOY in having built this home with little more than the simple decision made by regular people to do so.

After construction, the next crucial step is required, and that step is taken collectively through the Facing Homelessness network of love. That’s where we invite you in.

Care is shown in the little things--hand towels, a natural soap, privacy curtains, a mug to drink something warm from. These details and provisions, and the care behind them, demonstrate our love for new friends moving into BLOCK Homes. Throughout the trials of COVID-19, and all that life has brought this last year, hosts are still saying “Yes, in my backyard.” We are on track to build at least five new homes in backyards across Seattle--from West Seattle, to Ballard, to Mount Baker. Within these five homes are countless connections, opportunities to care, to come closer, and to be part of the solution.

In order to prepare a BLOCK Home for a new resident, or possibly a mother and infant, we provide “Welcome Home Kits” upon move in. Guided by our resident’s needs, these kits include custom made curtains, sheets, towels, and privacy dividers. We make sure our residents have the pots, pans, and utensils they need to cook a hot meal, and the plates and bowls to eat it with. Through the provisions of Welcome Home Kits, new residents can focus on settling in, enjoying privacy, and continuing their work of healing from the traumas of homelessness.

Each full Welcome Home Kit costs $1,000. Due to the very specific sizing and needs of the BLOCK homes, we cannot accept in kind donations at this time, so please donate through the Paypal link, or send a check with “Welcome Home Kit” in the memo line, and we’ll take it from there. Every gift helps transform houses into HOMES. Our goal is to raise $5,000 for 5 BLOCK Homes. As always, together we are Facing Homelessness.

Welcome Home Kit: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=K928P352YVBF6

No funds will go to Facing Homelessness. Any funds in excess of $5,000 will remain in the Welcome Home Kit fund for future Welcome Home Kits.

Crown Hill Neighborhood | Phoebe, Barron, and Sue

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 #justsayhello #kindness #yesinmybackyard #theblockproject

FEARLESSLeader

PLEASE MEET SUE:

We are beyond excited to announce that Facing Homelessness has hired an Interim Executive Director! Please help us welcome Sue Rooney to the Facing Homelessness staff! Sue will be guiding FH through the next 6 months as we frame the next phases of priorities and leadership for our growing organization, and we couldn’t be happier to introduce her to you, our amazing community!

Sue is a passionate advocate for tangible solutions to homelessness that recognize our shared humanity. She’s also a familiar face—having served on the Facing Homelessness board of directors for the past four years and making her someone ready to hit the ground running. Sue has held various leadership roles in the nonprofit and private industries, and has stewarded organizations through growth phases and transitions, including leading a nonprofit through a four-fold increase in programs and funding during the Great Recession. We’re grateful to have her.

In her own words:
"The work of Facing Homelessness, indeed every aspect of what Rex Hohlbein, Jennifer LaFreniere,
and Sara Vander Zanden have developed over the past five to ten years, is not only crucial for our homeless community--it also resonates for me personally. My life story includes many experiences that could have resulted in serious housing insecurity. What I had that too many of our homeless neighbors do not was a committed community of people who offered me somewhere safe to live for no cost. And free child care. And encouragement. And employment. With these tangible provisions my life quickly turned around. At Facing Homelessness, we recognize that those living housed have the capacity and the compassion to step in without judgement. They can look directly into the eyes of those whose resources and capacities have dried up, and say, “I see you. I care. Let me help you.” Our staff, volunteers, partners, community supporters (YOU), and love itself, take it from there.“

We’ve been quieter than usual during this year of challenge, but behind the scenes we’ve been active, adapting to the changing landscape of COVID-19. The Window of Kindness hasn’t missed a day providing support to our most vulnerable neighbors. The BLOCK Project continues to create permanent homes and personal connections in residential backyards throughout the city. You will be hearing more from us in the coming months. Please know that even amid moments of silence, we are still very active and grateful everyday for all of YOU and the love and compassion you give to our unhoused neighbors.

With love,

Facing Homelessness Staff and Board

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!
#facinghomelessness #justsayhello #kindness #yesinmybackyard #theblockprojectThe