PLEASE MEET COLE:
Another rainy Seattle afternoon. Another industrial street. Another panorama of political and social failure. There’s a line of dilapidated RVs, tents, and tarps. Left-behinds of the Great Society. There’s graffiti and city evacuation notices. Anxiety and an upcoming sweep. Trucks blast by inches from the troubled tents and tarps. Generators drone. The mud plank walkways always lead to the dark backside entrance. By the blackberry bushes, chain-links, and razor wire. An outsider’s welcomeness here is quickly discerned. All routine, except for Cole. We’d never met. I knocked on the door.
Cole is 25. A Washington native, born to abusive parents. An alcoholic mother. Cole was taken into foster care at age 6. His home would change constantly until age 18. He hated it. The tall fit young man opened the RV door, crouching as he stepped out. Soft spoken but confident, our conversation started awkwardly. “I’m a generous and kind man. People take advantage of that. I’ll fight if I have too. But I’m not a fighter.” At age 7 his caregivers believed he was possessed by spirits. An exorcism was performed. “To this day I am horrified of things like ghosts or scary movies.” Cole doesn’t smile much. But his spirit is warm. His words are from within. Cole is a spiritual man. Our conversation moved from awkward to comforting. Cole’s voice is soft. His words thoughtful. His eyes clear and honest. Cole is a gentle man.
Cole and his partner were expecting a child when he began a jail sentence. The anticipation of being a father provided Cole with purpose and optimism. Perhaps, for the first time, he saw a path forward. Upon his release, he learned that a child was no longer in his future. This drove Cole into deeper depression. He began using meth and heroin. “I began doing things I shouldn’t have.” With no family or community support, his situation worsened. Cole became homeless. Cole has been clean from heroin for 3 years but still struggles with meth. He left a treatment program early due to a bone infection which still needs major surgery. He wants to work. To live a normal life. His bone surgery will require months of recovery. He wants to resume treatment. “I sincerely try to move forward. Something always sets me back.“ As I left, a large rat hopped from a nearby baby stroller.
Cole is temporarily living with friends in their RV, a situation which needs to change. Cole is a big guy and could use a 6 person tent to accommodate his bike and belongings. If you can help, please dropOFF or shipTO: Facing Homelessness c/o Cole, 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98105.
Georgetown 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 #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness
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
ifONLY
PLEASE MEET KIRK & RUSS:
Kirk and Russ spent the night in a friend's tent along the freeway. They have nothing to their name, all was lost when their camp was swept.
No tent. No sleeping bag. No way to stay warm. Nothing.
Kirk graduated from Bothell High School in 2003, played football there, it was a big deal. His Junior & Senior year they were KingCo Champs. In 2003 they went 11-1 making it to the state quarterfinals.
Kirk brightens up sharing about those times. He breaks into a big smile and says, "Yeah, I always slept with my football through those years." I asked if he wanted a football now and if he would still sleep with it? "Heck yeah!" He replies, "I would love that!"
Russ moved to Seattle from Los Angeles a year and a half ago. He worked as an EMT because he loves helping people. He pauses, then shares, "Unfortunately, that is all gone now."
Standing with Kirk and Russ I'm struck with how comfortable they are, how real and aware they are, how smart they are, and because of all that, how beautiful they are.
As they both tell how drugs have robbed them, how powerless they feel to get out of it, a big heavy blanket of sadness falls over the conversation.
I'm hoping this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between them and all of you. I'm hoping&hoping&hoping for that, believing it will lead to a path out of addiction. A path created by the extensive knowledge and endless compassion of this community and the inner strength and beauty of both Kirk and Russ.
They could both use sleeping bags and a good 4-6 person tent. Russ needs a warm coat - size L, shirts - size L, and boots - size 11. Kirk needs a warm coat - size XL.
I asked what would bring a smile to their face. Russ said a guitar and Kirk said a football. Now I was smiling.
If you can help, please dropOFF or sentTO: Facing Homelessness c/o Kirk or Russ 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98105. A heartfelt THANK YOU!!
International 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 #FacingHomelessness #JustSayHello Crosscut
ourYOUTH
PLEASE MEET CHRIS
It is difficult to discuss youth homelessness, to hear the numbers of those living on the streets away from family, those that are suffering from anxiety or other mental health issues, those that aged out of the Foster Care system never finding home, or those that did not graduate from high school and are wondering where they fit in, or on and on. It is enough to make your beautiful brain hurt.
But sit with somebody that is in their teens or early 20's that is is homeless and your brain will not only hurt, but your heart will want to burst. You will go home, sit down, and cry.
It is important to know that nobody chooses to be homeless. It is important to know that rather than a choice being involved, something happened to this person that set them on a path towards homelessness. You may not know the reason, you may never know the reason, but you can be sure that this person knows it, lives with it, constantly.
Nobody chooses homelessness because homelessness is suffering, and nobody chooses suffering. Nobody ever chooses suffering.
Chris and his girlfriend Bana are living homeless along I-5, they were in need of a new tent, and if possible, a guitar. Both were provided by kind people in this community. So much kindness.
Kindness cannot be overstated or overemphasized in the conversation on homelessness. Kindness is what provides HOPE to those in need, and HOPE is everything for those that have nothing.
Chris and Bana you are BEAUTIFUL together!!! A heartfelt thank you for sharing your beauty with us. LOVE to you,
Downtown Seattle 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
