aleutianLIGHT

PLEASE MEET SHERYL:

Exploring homelessness inevitably leads to pondering solutions. In conversations and thought processes. It’s the normal progression. But constraints and ideas get quickly tangled in tedious frustration.

Kind of like social long division. Answers are elusive as a seemingly infinite solution domain abuts the empty set.

Tired common denominators stagnate beneath an endless sequence of irrational numerators. Each quotient being as unique as a human soul. But only by engaging the souls do we begin to abate the confusion and complexity. And learn reasons, if not solutions.

Sheryl lives in a small tent in the woods with her dog Two Paws. I didn’t know her. “I’m an open book,” She said. “I have no secrets.” Her stories are choreographed with structure and sequence, peppered with humor and blunt honesty. Echoing ancient influences. This woman has soul.

Sheryl is a descendant of the Northern Aleut tribe. Her people inhabited the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea for thousands of years. She speaks of traditions from her native heritage and Russian Orthodox upbringing. “In the ocean we fished and hunted seals, ducks, sea lion, and octopus. From the cliffs we gathered sea gull eggs. In the mountains we hunted Ptarmigan. We ate salmon eggs, sea urchins and fermented seal flippers.” Her favorite food? Her eyes widened, “Octopus with seal oil and salt!”

In sixth grade Sheryl helped organize the Native Olympics in her small town. She participated, excelling at events like the Seal Hop, Kneel Jump, One Armed Reach and others. “I almost won the women’s One Foot High Kick.” This entailed kicking a 92 inch high suspended seal fur ball and landing on her feet. In the winter Sheryl enjoyed church traditions including “Staring” where the community walked from house to house carrying a large star, bringing food to needy neighbors and singing traditional songs.

Sheryl is 51 now. She was married for 34 years and worked front desk jobs. She loves people and animals. She has struggled with drugs and alcohol since childhood. She was clean and sober for 5 years, but the death of a close friend and subsequent divorce left her challenged, homeless, and back to alcohol and substance abuse. She makes no excuses. She clearly states her personal solution in simple terms, free of complexities or confusion, “I need to pull my head out of my ass and get on with my life.”

Getting to know Sheryl, you see though the eyes of an old soul. Stitching yesterday to today. Her dark eyes offer light, and speak to insights engrained from ancestors and experience. Ushering an honest and direct path into a beautiful soul.

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

extendKINDNESS

PLEASE MEET DOUGLAS:

Douglas Bundy, 61, has a very kind and gentle way about him. He lives in the Georgetown tiny home community with his dog KoKo, who is also a very sweet soul.

Douglas got KoKo two years ago and takes very good care of her. He has been living here in his tiny house for three years. He owned and lived in an RV before this, but it got too expensive and he had to let it go.

Douglas was born in South America and came to the states at age 16. He lived in Michigan for a long time before coming to Seattle. He hopes one day he and KoKo could find a bigger place to live, but he's warm and safe here.

Every day he walks to visit a friend who doesn't have the money to feed his dog, and tries to bring his friend dog food. I had given KoKo a bag of dog treats and Douglas admitted he was bringing them to this friend who needed them more.

How sweet is that?

Georgetown 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!
#Kindness #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness

newBEGINNING

PLEASE MEET DZY:

It started with Lydia. At the end of last September she read a post on this page about Dzy, about him not being sure if he could survive another winter in a tent.

Lydia and family responded by donating their van to Dzy, wowWOW!!

They put a new battery in it, outfitted it with curtains for privacy, and purchased a small heater along with some fuel and a carbon monoxide sensor to make it warm and safe!

It's hard to measure the importance of this kindness. To know what would have happened if they had not reached out. What we do know is that Dzy is in a better place making positive change in his life. Among other improvements, he now has 10 days off of heroin.

Dzy is a talented musician. He busks around town to cover food and phone bills, and now fuel for the van. Off heroin, he's able to save money earned, ready to rent a room for $500 a month. It's a big step. Right now he's $150 short, hoping we can help him get inside.

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that the goal of raising $150 has been reached with $352.67 donated, wowWOW!!! I know this will mean a great deal to Dzy in his journey forward. A heartfelt THANK YOU!!! All funds will be paid directly to Dzy's landlord with no funds going to Dzy directly and, as is always the case, no funds to go to Facing Homelessness.

Thank you Lydia for putting all of this goodness in motion with your beautiful KINDNESS!!!

Fremont 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 Lydia Sigo

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

spiritANIMAL

PLEASE MEET MICHAEL:

Micheal was quite shy at first. He wasn't sure about the camera either. I told him that I don't bite, and I'm here to chat about positive things, and he warmed up right away. He told me he doesn't like cameras because he is self conscious about his teeth. Once we got passed that, he was very eager to tell me his story.

He was born in Three Rivers Michigan and was adopted. He did not meet his real mother until the age of 27, and it is unknown who his real father is.

When Micheal met his biological mother, he was shocked to learn two things, one being that she lived only 20 miles away and worked at General Motors, and two that she was just eleven years older than him. In his adopted family, Micheal is the youngest of four. In his biological family, he is the oldest of four.

Micheal told me that his spirit animal is a wolf. One day in Fresno, California a black wolf followed him around for a whole day until it disappeared and he never saw the wolf again. He told me that he cannot describe it, but that wolf is still a part of him, and he thinks of the wolf to this day.

He showed me a very cool metal necklace that he handmade. He loves working with his hands and talking to people, "but it's hard to sell your art or be a salesmen without any teeth."
I asked him if he had any art supplies at the moment and he said no, but he would love a drawing pad and charcoal to work with.

Micheal's adoptive father was very hard on him and he ran away for the first time at age eleven. It was the beginning of a long stream of both adventure and trouble ahead. "I'm doing something right, I'm still here." He once lived in Apache Junction where he collected and bought stones at a cheaper price for his jewelry making. His favorite stone is turquoise. He was also quite a pool shark back in the day.

What an interesting and important life Micheal! I told him it was so great to meet him. he thanked me for being a person who thinks of others besides myself. I thought about that a lot. Micheal, you made my day.

Georgetown 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

hardTIME

PLEASE MEET WOLF:

I was looking for someone, inquiring around the woods above Georgetown. A robust bald man with suspenders and a large beard sat scraping mud from his boots with a butcher knife. He hollered and pointed with the knife, “He’s over there. At Wolf’s place.”

Nearby was a sprawling camp, a patchwork of worn tarps and a wooden substructure. The site was clean. The framework square. A plank walkway led through the mud to a back entrance. There was a quiet man outside cooking over a fire. I proceeded towards the back. Two cats darted, knocking over a bottle. A man with a stubble beard appeared suddenly. I was startled and fumbled as I explained my presence. He smiled genuinely. “No problem. I’ve seen you around.” I shook his strong hand. He looked at me squarely. “My name is Wolf.”

Wolf’s childhood was a disaster. His parents were chronic alcoholics. They were both killed in suspicious incidents when he was very young. Wolf believes they were murdered. He was raised by his grandmother. “I grew up as a kid who couldn’t express himself.” At age 18 Wolf committed a crime that cost him nearly 20 years in prison. “I was an angry kid. I didn’t know how to react. I’d handle things differently today.”

Wolf left prison in his late 30’s with few basic living skills. He then met the love of his life. “She fell from the sky. She helped me get my life back. She had a nail business. I didn’t even know how to write a check,” he laughed, “She even did my nails and gave me pedicures, something I never thought I’d appreciate.”

Wolf found employment working construction and driving a wrecking truck. Things improved. But his son’s death from a traffic collision changed everything. And sadly, his angel from heaven would die the following year. Wolf was devastated. He turned to meth. Homelessness followed. Wolf speaks honestly with humility, fully owning the results of his actions. “I’ve learned you can jab a needle in your arm, you can climb inside a bottle. But you cannot hide from what lies within your heart.”

The day we spoke was Wolf’s 51 st birthday. “It’s been a long road. I’m tired. I can’t stand the dirt anymore. It’s like a dog chasing his tail. I know what I need to do but don’t know how.” I asked how he copes anymore. He smiled, “Laughter is the key to happiness. Negativity begets negativity.”

The very next day Wolf’s entire dwelling burned to the ground in a massive fire, destroying everything he owned.

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!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

stayTOGETHER

PLEASE MEET ROBERT AND ASHLEY:

Robert and Ashley have been married since 2012. They met at a NY Giants baseball game. When she told me that they both received tickets that were given out to low income families, all I could think was, wow, you never know what an act of kindness can bring someone. Those tickets brought them love and companionship for this many years, wow.

They live in a tiny house village in Georgetown with their two beloved dogs, Opal and Coral. The dogs are sisters, and they both have striking electric blue eyes. They've had the dogs since they were 8 weeks old and now they are 3 years old.

Robert works off and on when he can at the Millionaires Club Charity - a Seattle non-profit Temporary Staffing Agency that connects people experiencing homelessness and poverty with dignified jobs and supportive services.

Ashley suffers from Asperger's and has been told she cannot work. She told me that she wants to work, but fears having an outburst. They love living in this tiny house community, the people are nice and there is a great place to walk the dogs daily nearby. They have lived together in tent cities and at one time they had an RV.

Ashley and Robert both asked me if I brought any dog treats or wet canned food. The place could use that for both dogs and cats. In fact, had brought a bag of dog treats and they had already been used up before I got to these dogs. Lots of animal love here! I love this place.

Georgetown 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

kindSOULS

PLEASE MEET THERESA :

Meet Theresa. She lives in a tiny house community in Georgetown. This place is a small plot of land, cozy with tiny houses. They take people in on a case by case scenario, often those having a special need.

A lot of people who live here have beautiful pets. I met Rambo the sweet pit bull, KoKo the little guy, Opal and Coral the Huskies, and a random sweet kitty that let me pick him up.

Theresa has a large beautiful white American Japanese (I had to google that, very beautiful dogs) Akita named Wilbur. Theresa and Wilbur used to live in a house with a fenced in yard where Wilbur was free to roam the property. You can just see the love between her and her dog, it's something special.

Hard times fell upon Theresa when she fell ill and was not able to work. Unable to pay her mortgage, she fell behind and lost her home of ten years. She and Wilbur had nowhere to go. I asked her where she went. "To the woods at first." The two of them eventually found refuge at Meyers Way tiny home community, and they lived there in a tent. "It's been very traumatizing and depressing, but things are going to start getting better for us. You just have to stay positive." She has a kind smile and an easy way about her, and Wilbur has the same gentle demeanor.

Theresa loves the sense of community here. "Everyone is helpful, there's a lot of kind souls here." On most days, you can find Theresa walking Wilbur to a park along the Duwamish River.

Georgetown 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 #FacingHomelessness #Kindness

taggingTOMORROW

PLEASE MEET ROBYN :

Robyn’s tent sat high on a concrete shelf under a bridge. Near a bulkhead adorned with lichen and green slime. And graffiti tags. It’s a dank place with wide views of Seattle. Expanding across your vision, the city hums. There’s energy, effervescence and affluence. But here the steel beams rumble overhead, dripping dirty water. Streaming off the tents into the mud. It’s a lonely place with strangers and shadows. Darkness’ territory. Robyn never got over being scared out here at night.

Robyn asked with weak anticipation “Any good news?” As I answered, her big eyes lit up. A bed and shelter waited a few blocks away. She clinched her fists and jumped like a school girl. “YES! When can we leave? ” “Right now” I said. “Did you bring my guitar?” she asked. We had been storing it for her. She was packed in 5 minutes. Robyn hates being homeless.

I met Robyn in the Jungle during the summer of 2018. Fast forward a year when Rex profiled her here. She had no plan. No vision for tomorrow. She spoke of her dearly deceased grandmother, and her love for playing guitar. She wanted to get off the streets. But that was last summer. What took so long?

Robyn came to Seattle in 2011. Her grandma’s passing devastated her. She sought a new start after difficult circumstances. The subsequent death of her boyfriend in 2013 hit her hard, unraveling her life incrementally, eventually leading to homelessness. “I lived in the Jungle because I was alone and scared. People looked after me there. My family doesn’t know I’m out here. My grandma would roll over in her grave. Now I’ve seen things I wish I hadn’t seen. I know things I wish I didn’t.”

Robyn’s eyes speak volumes. Sometimes pools of sadness. Sometimes the sun peeks through the clouds. When she’s happy they shine like a National guitar. But they mist up when she speaks of her grandma.

Many roads lead to homelessness. Few lead outbound. And to understand homelessness one must experience it, which I have not. But with homelessness, tomorrow can be a long time. Robyn’s journey has been fraught with failures and false starts. But today there is cause for celebration. “My grandma sends good people my way to help me.” Her vision now includes an apartment, a job, and a dog. Today it’s Robyn’s day. Because tomorrow is her territory. We love you Robyn.

South Seattle 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 #JustSayHellloi #FacingHomelessness

dearHEART

PLEASE MEET MIKE :

I met Mike in a small tent community tucked under the freeway on Airport Way, Georgetown. It was so cold out that my fingers were completely numb at the fingertips. The freeway above is quite loud for chatting. When we arrived people were very hungry and thirsty and very grateful for the food and water.

Mike is very talkative and friendly. The very first thing he said to us when we walked in was that if we ever needed a place to stay, we could stay there at his "hotel" for no charge. He pointed to a cluster of tents which he has set up for people to stay in who don't have a place to go. He told me he does not charge anyone a dime- that he just wants to help others in his community. "Even if I had a million dollars I would be right there doing this exact thing helping others.... but I would definitely make this camp look more like an Ewok village with streaming lights and walkways in the sky."

Mike has hopes that this little tent community will actually become a legitimate camp with honey buckets and garbage service. He is helping prove that they maintain order and do not bother anyone. He said most of all people that live there are thirsty and need more water to drink, and then he corrected himself and said "actually I'll be honest ...coca cola, ha ha."

I asked him if this place had a name and he said "Two Bridges, since it's under these two bridges," and then he added, "Resort", and then laughed.

He told me that he does not worry about money or his future because God will take care of him. Mike has been homeless for 8 years and is 44 years old.

Georgetown 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

communalSOUL

PLEASE MEET WENDY :

I’d been searching for a young woman who had recently been evicted from a shelter. I’d heard she had been distraught and sick. I called out under a dirty bridge in south Seattle. A voice nearby replied, “She’s over here. With me.” The tent unzipped. She was there with Wendy. Sobbing and cursing her situation.
Cursing her homelessness. She cried as Wendy comforted her. I had not met Wendy. But she consoled the young woman with a silent and powerful compassion I had not seen before.

Wendy cares about her people. “They come to me for everything. Food, blankets, hygiene items, clean needles. I’m so sad when I can’t help them.” She keeps her small encampment village clean, complete with sharp containers. A small stool sits near her door. Like Lucy’s psychiatry booth in the Peanuts cartoon. The doc is usually IN. People come for companionship and consolation. Sometimes they come for help shooting up safely. In an earlier life, Wendy was a medical student and paramedic.

Wendy grew up on the Eastside in an affluent environment. She participated in high school and college sports including basketball, soccer, and swimming. A spiritual person, she avoided drugs, even alcohol. She attended Juanita High School, then Duke University. She attended medical school before contracting leukemia, which she beat. A career change led to further affluence as an account executive at a
mortgage company. But in 2016 Wendy was struck by a texting driver and suffered a head injury. She became addicted to pain meds which led to her heroin addiction. “They cut off my meds. But heroin was cheap and available.” Heroin would lead to Wendy’s rapid spiral from wealthy account executive to
homelessness.

Wendy is no longer interested in money or career advancement. She wants to help others now. “I used
to turn my nose up at homeless people. I thought homeless people were disgusting. Until I became one. Now it’s cold and I miss my family.” Wendy spoke her next words through tears: “Tell people homelessness is not contagious. Neither is drug use. It’s ok to stop and say hi to us. I know there are terrible people out here. People with no souls at all,” she wiped her eyes and sniffled, “but there are beautiful souls out here too.”

Beacon Hill 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

survivingCOLD

PLEASE MEET JERRY :

I met Jerry in the Pioneer Square neighborhood on a clear cold winter day. He has been homeless for 10 years of his life and he is 49 years old. He told me that right now he is just using everything in his power to survive this cold weather while he tries to raise money for a bus ticket to get back to California where it's warm and he can be free just wearing shorts.

He talked a lot about how much he loves just wearing shorts in the 70 degree weather while smoking his self rolled American Spirits. "It's the simple things."

Jerry is not used to this weather making it much harder for him to be here. He feels that he is almost being held here against his will, that something is stopping him every time he gets close to leaving and he's not sure why.

We talked about finding his purpose to be here in Seattle and staying warm in the meantime. He sleeps in a tent where he never quite gets warm no matter how hard he tries.

I asked him if I could call him "Sailor Jerry" because I felt like he looked like a ships captain. He laughed and said "PLEASE!" We decided that's what he was in another life.

Pioneer Square 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 #FacingHomelessness #Kindness

honestLOVE

PLEASE MEET JOSEPH :

Joseph sleeps in a tent on the Seattle waterfront with his dog Buddy. He is 58 years old and has been homeless for 20 years of his life. He told that he doesn't know any other way of life. He carries a guitar on his back and I asked him to play me a song and he sadly reported he had a broken string. He said he's only played the guitar for a few years and it has got him through some hard times.

He got his dog Buddy two months ago for the same reason, to get each other through some hard times. He assured me that buddy is warm in a sleeping bag at night, and gets lots of food and treats, but he admits that it's really hard to train a puppy.

He is not entirely sure that he is the right owner for Buddy. We made a deal that he would not give the dog up to just anyone. I quickly got on Amazon and bought Buddy a coat, and Joseph and I are meeting this week for the exchange and to talk more about Buddy's future.

Such honesty and love. Thank you for sharing that with me Joseph.

Pioneer Square 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

iAM

PLEASE MEET ALEX :

I pulled up in the Pioneer Square neighborhood and spotted a man pushing all of his belongings in a cart across the street from me. I hopped out of the car and waved and he waved back and yelled "HELLO!"

Alex is a very articulate soft spoken man with an east coast accent. He grew up in New York and told me that his step mother kicked him out of the house at age 12. He has lived on the streets most of his life, most of those years spent on the streets in the five boroughs. He's been here in Seattle just a short time.

He had a job, a wife and twin girls who are now almost 18. I asked him why he prefers the sidewalk over a shelter, he said he likes his freedom and to be left alone. He always sleeps in front of the Pioneer Smoke Shop, the owner is nice and doesn't mind.

When I asked Alex if he was able to keep warm on these cold nights, he said he was freezing and just trying to survive every day. I gave him some hand warmers and he was very grateful. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was not enough, I got a lump in my throat.

"What do you like to do for fun Alex?" "Well, talk to you of course." We had some laughs. Just then at the smoke shop, I noticed the most beautiful dog tied up waiting for his owner inside. I instantly bonded with the dog and remained petting and playing with him. Buddy is a smaller pit bull mix and also lives on the streets. I noticed a man walked by a few times looking at Buddy very closely. I spent a lot of time talking to Buddy's kind owner.

After those two left, Alex said to me "You know you just saved that dog from getting stolen to use the dog for fighting? It was meant to be that you are here now." I asked him how he knew that, and he said "Because I AM the streets."

Alex will be turning 47 on January 26th, and all he really wants to do is go to the movies.

Pioneer Square 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!
#KIndness #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness

evisceratingEXPECTATIONS

PLEASE MEET JEFF AND BRANDY :

Homelessness carries visions of cartoonish characters. Outlaws and bogeymen. Demons and danger. As a kid, dangerous places taunted me. Woods, bridges, abandoned buildings. But if danger is your deal, you may find homeless encampments boring. Because, with notable exceptions, in an encampment you’re more likely to encounter Ned Flanders than Vincent Price. Doris Day than Cruella de Ville. The Jefferson’s rather than the Adam’s Family. If homelessness were TV drama, Jeff and Brandy are the couple next door in a 70’s sitcom. Quirky, witty, engaging. Sometimes outshining the main characters.

Brandy is a jovial soul with flowing red hair. She enjoys company and conversation. A genuine woman, she laughs often, but speaks with conviction. She’s delightful but don’t mess with her. She yields no quarter to trouble makers. A neighbor fellow was recently evicted for harassing women. “If he was on fire I wouldn’t piss on him,” she laughs, pulling back her long red hair. Brandy was a competition roller skater. Her eyes catch fire when she talks about it. She’s tough. But also enjoys drawing and has an insatiable appetite for homemade cheese cake.

Today there’s tension. An upcoming sweep has them agitated. Brandy is packing up. In frustration, she’s tossing belongings into bags with a vengeance. Pontificating passionately about the city’s failed policies. Still yapping, she grabs a stick deodorant and vigorously applies it under her sweatshirt before tossing it at an open suitcase where it bounces and hits the floor. All without breaking verbal stride. Brandy will always crack you up. Jeff keeps a low profile in these instances.

Jeff is quieter. He works hard. Roaming alleys nightly, collecting recyclables. He returns after sunrise. “We survive on the money from the cans. But you’d be surprised at what people toss in dumpsters. Tools, valuables, even money.” He points at 4 large sacks of fresh food discarded from a Starbucks. He smiles, “These will feed our entire camp today.” Jeff is a framer and general woodworker but has had trouble staying employed. “School never worked for me. But I learn well on the job.”

Jeff and Brandy have been homeless and in love together a long time. But why are they homeless? Having known them for 3 years I can only say it’s not a lifestyle they choose. But knowing Jeff and Brandy, one can’t help but conclude that, by stereotypical expectations, these two simply don’t look or act homeless. But on the stage that is poverty, Jeff and Brandy reside in the wings. Behind crooked props. Out of view of the critics. Defying audience expectations.

Beacon Hill 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

oneWORLD

OUR FRIENDS IN CAMBODIA :

Generational poverty and debt brought this family from the countryside into the city. Now, years later, hope of finding jobs, paying off debt, and returning to their home and friends, is a long ways away.

They live together in a one-room shack at the edge of the Phnom Penh garbage dump. Days are spent scavenging through mountains of garbage, searching for recyclables as their only means of income. It's beyond horrible.

A monthly $7 rent allows them to build shelter on the land, same as the 60 or so other families. At the end of the month, leftover money is for surviving, little to nothing going to debt owed. Seems hopeless.

It's hard to explain the feeling of this place. It stops you. Life questions come in loud and clear, one after the other.

I ask the woman on the left, who is in her early 40s, what her dreams are, what does she want for herself. She locks eyes with me, even when the interpreter translates. When he is done, she pauses and then says, "I don't have any dreams for myself, only for my children."

In this regard, she has won the lottery. Her three children are going to school at the Cambodian Children's Fund. There is hope that the generational poverty her grandmother, her mother, and herself have lived with, will end with her children.

I'm feeling overly warm, a bit lightheaded. I rub my eyes. Not sure if they sting because of the dust or the piles of burning garbage. I remember I'm supposed to be drinking water.

https://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org/

Phnom Penh | 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 Cambodian Children's Fund

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

alternatingCURRENTS

PLEASE MEET JAMIE :

Entering an encampment there’s a sense of crossing a line. Trespassing into a separate reality. Across the tracks physically and figuratively. A people apart. Shadows and souls stir under the bridge. Take the high road and you’ll miss it. Take the low road and ignore it. Or follow the muddy path near the entrance. It can be steep and slippery. It leads inward.

“Jypsy was right. You’re ok.” she said finally. Building trust with Jamie was a game of interpersonal dodge ball. One anticipates their opponent’s moves. Sometimes incorrectly. Jamie’s a tough read. Moving one way on the surface. Another underneath. We’d seen her around the past couple years. In the encampments. Glancing like a cat then gone. “I have mental health problems. Talking to new people is not easy for me.” Beneath the surface tension there’s a girl next door. Quiet and confident, running deep. She writes poetry and reads. Her thoughts categorized and ordered. A woman.

Jamie grew up with three sisters and two parents. Her mom was sometimes abusive. Her father kind and loving. In her mid 20’s she began hearing voices. She was fired for reacting to an employee she thought had verbally disrespected her son. She understood and accepted that something was wrong with her. “I’ve learned to handle the voices. The phantom touches are more difficult. On my legs and arms. I feel like I’m on fire.”

Homeless for 10 of her 37 years, Jamie remains optimistic. Even funny at times. She has recently connected with the REACH organization for help. She is interested in an eventual career in medical records.

Jamie feels safer being off medications these days. Because becoming stable presents the risk of becoming unstable. A horrifying transition for her. Jamie carries scars from traumatic events earlier in life. Her three children were taken from her. She has twice attempted suicide. She was raped as a young woman. She told me how many times.

Ironically, through homelessness Jamie has learned to be constructive and disciplined with herself. She kisses her dog Meatball and laughs, “To keep myself honest I call out the false masks I sometimes wear that are not me: Jackass, Stupid B, Dumb C.” She has discovered five pillars important to good mental health, each instilled by individual homeless people she admires: “Take chances, establish boundaries, respect yourself, know you can do it yourself, and laugh often.” To the outside world she says, “You are more like me than you care to know.”

I feel I know Jamie as a friend now. It was worth it. As I left she asked, “Please call my dad. Tell him I’m ok.”

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

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

freeSPIRIT

PLEASE MEET BRIAN:

Brian has the kindest smile, so I just had to go talk to him.

Although he couldn't chat long, what he told me in those brief moments was so interesting. He had two shopping carts full of his stuff, and told me that he prefers sleeping on the streets over staying in a shelter because he doesn't care for all the rules.

He loves hanging out in the park with his friends. Brian is in his 50’s and is from Lummi Island.

In three months time, he's very excited to go visit his mother and his NINE sisters. They have twenty-two kids between the ten siblings. His mom lives on Lummi in a log cabin. He told me that he lost his step-father and his real father within ONE day of each other, and that they both died from the same kind of cancer! So at one point Brian's mother had to raise all of those kids on her own. How wild is that?

Pioneer District 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

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