successSTORY

PLEASE MEET STEVE: 

Facing Homelessness believes we end the suffering of those living outside when we support each other in this journey.

In this post, we want to shine a light on the nonprofit DESC for their constant commitment to providing shelter and expert care to the most vulnerable among us. Please take a closer look and support their efforts if you can. THANK YOU.

https://www.desc.org/

Nine years ago, when we first met Steve, he was living in a make-shift tent hidden in a blackberry bramble along the tracks in the Interbay Neighborhood.

At that time Steve began doing art on a daily basis in the Facing Homelessness office, creating a community of friends and support around him. This simple handUP helped ready Steve seven years ago to find housing in DESC's Aurora House, where he still lives and thrives today.

THANK YOU DESC for the beautiful heartSMART work you do every single day for those in need. THANK YOU for giving Steve a home, one that he is so very proud of.

Last week I visited Steve, he was worried about his mom back in Nebraska, he wanted pictures taken to send to her, to show he was doing okay, for her not to worry.

Steve spends his time now building things, reading and doing art. His next art-project will be sold on this page to raise money for a piano to gift to the Aurora House, wowWOW!!

Amid all of the struggle in these uniquely difficult times, there are countless non-profits working tirelessly for those in need. Please remember to support the work of those efforts, these are tough times for all of us, that includes those that help those in need.

North 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!
DESC Crosscut KING 5 #Kindness #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness

panicHAPPENING

PLEASE MEET JOSHUA: 

In this new day of Covid-19 there is so much uncertainty. Uncertainty which leads to fear, fear for all of us. Time to be there for each other.

IMAGINE what that means for those living on our streets with nothing, watching the world shut down around them, watching everyone go inside to be safe. Time to be there for each other.

FH Facebook Message from Joshua who is homeless:

"Hello Rex"
"I could really use some help yo"
"I have no way to eat"
"Like everything is shutting down"
"There are no people to spange" (spange = spare change)
"No food banks"
"I'm like f_cked"
"Idk what's happening"
"I could really use some help"
"I don't have food"
"I can't find work"
"Please message me"
"We are not doing very well"
"It's really scary"

Visiting Joshua this morning, standing six feet away, he told me the clutch went out in his van, that he's freaked out about it getting towed, that he will lose everything, he was in a bigBIG panic. He's having a hard time thinking straight.

Hoping to raise $300 so he and his girlfriend could stay in a hotel for three days to get needed rest and time to get his head around on what next. Panic has a serious way of hiding good decision making.

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that the goal of raising $300 has been reached with $1,227,36 donated, wowWOW!! This will mean the world to them in a time of craziness. A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone that stepped up to help. No funds will go to Joshua directly and no funds will go to Facing Homelessness. All funds will be used for hotel stay for Joshua and his girlfriend. If there are any left over funds, for whatever reason, they will be used for hotel stay for others in need. LOVE,

Hang in there Joshua, you are a good man going through some very tough times. This community LOVES you.

Georgetown 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 Crosscut KING 5

enchantingBEING

PLEASE MEET DAVE: 

Dave's voice is warm and bright and lively! The cadence of his talk is just different enough that it keeps pulling you in with curiosity and easy connection. I instantly liked him! His enchanting way reminds me of Andre in the movie 'My Dinner with Andre'.

I asked, "Where were you born?" From that moment Dave talked energetically almost nonstop for at least a half hour, his voice going up and down, as his body did too. It was like he was meeting his new best friend and that we were about to embark on some fantastic adventure!

"I was born right here in Seattle, at Swedish Hospital, my aunt was a nun at St. Alphonsus in Ballard, I'm 79 years old, here, see my driver's license, I used to do lights and sound backstage, was friends with Brewster Denny, who was the great-grandson of the Seattle founding Denny family, and on and on, pulling me into his wonderful world!

At some point he just stopped, and then with genuine curiosity said, "So, what about you, what are you all about, I am so interested to know more about you!" By then I was already in-love with him, feeling so grateful to have met this new friend!

Dave lives homeless with Barb, they've been together for at least 18 years, the last 15 in their Ford Econoline van. Barb is just as adorable as he is. Her family has been here in Seattle for 5 generations, she went to Roosevelt High School, and her life story goes on and on too just like Dave's. They are beyond charming together!!

BIG PROBLEM - their van/home is falling apart, it leaks and no longer runs. They are desperate to find a small RV or large van to continue living in. Dave has about $700 he can put towards a purchase.

Hoping somebody has a vehicle in reasonable shape that they can donate or sell for little to Dave & Barb. ALSO, if you can donate to a vehicle fund please do so. THANKS!

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WZLWB6QRL9JYS&source=url

CAT LOVERS - They also have a 14 yr old cat named Nudger, who is leash trained, that they need to find a good home for. Nudger is a gray long-hair Maine Coon that they have had for 13 years, and love, but no longer can keep. :( Please reply in comments below if you are interested.

So much LOVE to Dave & Barb from this community, you are both so veryVERY BEAUTIFUL together!!

Ballard 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 Crosscut KING 5

heartfeltMESSAGE

STAY HOME, STAY HEALTHY, STAY ENGAGED: 

As the local and national landscape shifts around the Covid-19 virus we are continually updating our program and volunteer protocols to track and implement public health recommendations. Here is what we are doing to continue the work of Facing Homelessness and how you can engage!

Our staff continue to support our neighbors living outside, while adhering to public health requirements. While volunteering at the Window of Kindness is on hold for now, our Facing Homelessness staff members continue to provide essential items through the Window of Kindness. As more resources in the community shut down, the need is ever greater. We are committed to protecting the health of those coming to the Window, who are more vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID virus. We are maintaining the 6 feet rule, using hand sanitizer and disinfectant, and engaging in a lot of hand-washing.
 

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Here is how you can contribute and engage now:

1.) Donate much needed items! This list includes items frequently requested by our neighbors living on the streets, and all items will be distributed at our Window of Kindness. The Facebook page is also active and will continue to feature requests from the individuals we meet. Please note that we are currently accepting new items only, and are sanitizing all packaging.  

2.) Be a messenger of kindness! At a time when people are fearful and there is so much unknown, it is easy for stigma and blame to surface. Please help to share a message of compassion toward our vulnerable neighbors living outside. You can also email us your messages and we'll post them at our office! 

3.) Set up a monthly donation! If you don’t yet donate $5 per month and can spare it, this is a critical time. Your support will allow us to continue to serve our community during these perilous times when fewer resources are available.

4.) Reach out to us with your ideas. Many community members are finding themselves at home with more time on their hands. If you have skills, expertise, or passion you'd like to contribute -- either to our neighbors living outside or toward our organizational needs -- please let us know! We'd love to brainstorm with you. Now is the time for creative compassion. 

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! We miss seeing all of you, and are so grateful for your continued love and support.

Love from all of us at Facing Homelessness,
Karina, Jennifer, Aditi, Lisa, Rex, + Sara

comeTOGETHER

PLEASE MEET TINA AND PAUL:

The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Hey, it's Tina and Paul! Do you remember us?

"Of course I remember you, how could I not!" I remembered mostly cuz they are honestly so beautiful together! Two years ago FH helped them get into a hotel during a particularly hard time. They had been living in their car while Paul worked nights in a produce warehouse. At that moment in time they were both extremely exhausted and needed some rest and care to keep it together.

Tina shared how grateful she was for that help, how it made a big difference for them. She went on to say that they were still living in their car but that things had taken a turn for the worse, that Paul woke up one morning and couldn't move for 5 days. After lab testing he learned he had Stage 3 Kidney Disease. Paul was carrying them financially. Tina is a chef but was out of work due to a painfully needed hip replacement.

They get $500 a month assistance which covers their $425 car payment, which is also their home. The left over amount is for gas. Food comes from Food Banks and offered dinners.

They'd been juggling it all till last month missing the car payment, which now has its ignition locked. They are in danger of losing it. They are freaked out. It's all they have.

As I stood with them at the bus stop in front of the downtown library, listening to the worry in their voice, watching Tina shiver cuz it was so cold, I felt keenly sensitive to what they were going through. It was easy to connect the dots of how close we all are to being in need, to having to ask for help. How COVID-19 has made that so abundantly clear.

Paul & Tina have till Wednesday to make payment or lose their car/home. I am hoping we can raise the $425 owed.

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that the goal of raising $425 has been met with $947.54 donated, wowWOW!!! I know this will mean the world to them right now. THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!! All funds will go to the car payment with left over for gas-cards. No funds go directly to Tina&Paul and no funds go to Facing Homelessness. A heartfelt THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paul and Tina have been together for 8 years. I asked if they LOVE each other. They both looked at each other and smiled big, Paul said, "Yes, for sure! There are of course ups and downs, but we need each other bad." Tina then added with another smile, "and we are best friends through it all."

Kent 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 Crosscut KING 5

goodPEOPLE

PLEASE MEET AL AND DARLENE:

Al and Darlene are good people going through bad times, about to have the water shut off which will trigger losing their rented home.

It's complicated. Darlene has two kids, came to Seattle 6 yrs ago from Florida with a husband that turned abusive. They divorced. She met Al three years ago and are now engaged. I asked Al if he loves her, he turned to Darlene, said, "Very much." I asked Darlene the same, she answered, "I picked a winner. I'm in love for the first time in my life."

Things turned sideways when Darlene became sick with a fibrous tumor, bleeding out, almost died. Two emergency blood transfusions saved her but also triggered an autoimmune issue. She's getting better but on some days has a hard time even turning the door knob. She said, "For over a year I wouldn't leave the house, but Al kept encouraging me and now I can go out on errands."

Darlene will tell you that Al can build anything, even a race car if she wanted one. Unfortunately Al has had his own recent struggle with employment and his health. The man he was doing drywall for closed his business and moved to California. At the same time his truck's engine blew. All of this on top of worry about Al's pre-cancer in his throat.

Darlene and Al are swimming in a sea of worry. I can't imagine the anxiety they and Darlene's children are living with. They owe $2,200 on their Water/Sewer bill. I am hoping we can give these two fine people some help and hope.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=25J2YJSD3D26E&source=url

If anyone is interested, Al would be happy to work for funds donated. As Darlene says, "He can build anything!"

It was such a pleasure meeting you Darlene and Al, you are so very beautiful together!

Bitter Lake 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 KING 5 The Seattle Times

lastingKINDNESS

PLEASE MEET OUR COMMUNITY:

Facing Homelessness is building healthy community through the BLOCK Project, a community funded, community built and community supported project that places sustainable housing in backyards for those in need. It is beyond beautiful!!!

www.the-block-project.org

The reason it is beyond beautiful is because of all of you, because of people like those in The University Congregational Housing Association (UCHA)!!!

Over the years UCHA has had projects to develop affordable housing and helping others do the same. A year ago they voted to retire its nonprofit organization. It had been active for about 30 years, wowWOW!! They owned three residences and two apartment buildings providing help to those in need. After accomplishing the gifting of three of the properties and two transfers, the joyous task was to spend the remaining money in their Treasury.

The money was raised at fundraising events and through generous donations from their supporters. The Block Project was chosen to receive a check for $40,000.00 to help accelerate the process of building Block Homes!!! The UCHA is thrilled that their mission continues!

Facing Homelessness is thrilled and ever so grateful to receive this generous donation and continue the important and beautiful work of UCHA!

The gift is from John Davis, Carol Christoferson, Sue Hall, Marcia McCracken, Mary Elizabeth Maltman, Kate Nelson, Claudia Patton, Ryan Schultz, Martha Tucker and Gail Winberg!!!

A very heartfelt THANK YOU to UCHA for believing in the BLOCK Project and stepping forward with such generous support!

University 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 #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness Crosscut KING 5 www.the-block-project.org

lifeJOURNEY

PLEASE MEET MALLORY:

We are born precious. All of us. In those first moments of life we begin by being infinitely beautifully open.

When LOVE is given we lean in and learn to love back.
When HATE is delivered we pull away and learn to protect.

This constant leaning in and pulling away shapes our life, opens or closes us, defines how we move in the world, how we do or don't function, how we relate to each other.

Mallory lives homeless in a tent. The first thing you see is her struggle, too often that is all that gets seen. Come closer though and you begin to see so much more, the beautiful many layers that make up all of us.

We are born precious.

Mallory is an artist. That's all I know about her right now, but it is enough, because artists are sensitive and creative and find beauty in the world around us.

If you want to send art supplies for Mallory, please shipTO: Facing Homelessness c/o Mallory 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98105. I know she will be thrilled!!!

First Hill 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 KING 5

soTIRED

PLEASE MEET DANNY:

A man was sitting on a log on the hillside between Yesler & James along the freeway, his head down. About ten people from the FH Community CleanUP were working their way up the hill. I quietly walked up to him, asked if it was okay if we picked up the surrounding garbage.

He lifted his head, looked around as if seeing it for the first time, and said, "Yeah, that'd be great, but I don't live here. I'm just sitting down for a moment, I am so tired."

I sat down next to him and we started talking. His name is Danny, 49 years old, born in Oregon, grew up in Everett, lived in rural Alaska with his wife for 14 years till she died of kidney failure from constant drinking.

For awhile the conversation grew quiet, I thought maybe he was going to fall asleep. Then he looked at me and said, "I am so tired I can barely talk, I have no place to sleep, I walk around at night, last night was freezing cold."

I wanted to take him to the FH office to get a tent and sleeping bag but I knew we were all out. Instead we went to Goodwill and purchased some warm things, a heavy coat and sleeping bag, they were out of tents.

When we said goodbye I told Danny how good of a man I thought he was. He started to tear up and said, "I try to be."

BIG ASK: Facing Homelessness is in dire need of supplies for folks we meet out on the street. We are hoping to have 50 sleeping bags and 25 tents donated this week. PLEASE help us meet this goal as it is still cold and wet outside. You can dropOFF or shipTO: Facing Homelessness 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98105. We have a WISHlist here at http://amzn.to/2kskWky. If you purchase through Amazon, please use this account http://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-2376967.

A heartfelt THANKS for all the love and support from this beautiful compassionate community!!!

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!
#Kindness #FacingHomelessness #JustSayHello Crosscut KING 5

braveSOUL

PLEASE MEET AL:

Several weeks ago, Al woke up to the smell of thick black smoke in his nostrils. He woke to find that their structure under the bridge was indeed on fire! He ran to get the help of a friend, Joos, who ran to the burning structure. He bravely went inside where his friend Wolf remained asleep even though the walls were ablaze around him.

"Joos saved me." Wolf told me. "No, Al saved you by asking for help", Joos corrected him. Wolf told me that although Joos was soft-spoken, he can be very loud when it was needed. "I've never heard you use that voice before." They laughed.

Joos said he threw water on the fire, but it only made it grow. Several structures and tents were burned completely. It is uncertain what started the fire.

Al lost everything including his ID, bus passes, all of his clothes. He lost his winter work boots, his cook stove, his headlamp, all of his pants and sweatpants. Wolf was thankful he still had his wallet, and his cool leather jacket.

The three of them seemed to have a comradery brought closer by the experience. "It was a good place for us, a place to come together and share a laugh even in hard times." Al told me. "It will be missed."

Beacon Hill 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

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

ourVULNERABILITY

PLEASE MEET JAMES:

James is illiterate, he's been homeless for the last 40 years, half of that time panhandling in the Montlake neighborhood. Three days ago he was released from the hospital after spending weeks due to blacking-out while begging.

He was discharged with his hospital gown and wheelchair. Facing Homelessness provided him with a tent, sleeping bag and a $100 Safeway gift-card for food.

Yesterday late afternoon I found him down by Foster Island, his collapsed tent in the middle of a field. It was windy and just starting to rain. I spoke to the tent, "Hey James, you there?"

Instantly he yelled back, "Yeah, yeah, help me up!" I lifted the folded over tent, pulled the flap aside, and was hit with a wall of urine odor. His pants were completely wet with it. As I wedged my foot against his and took hold of his arm to pull, I thought to myself, this is so messed up.

Standing upright James said he was doing okay but that he needed to get to Safeway for some food, could I give him bus money? I handed him $20. In the same sentence of thanking me he asked if I could drive him there. I paused.

I've known James for over ten years, he's a dear friend.

I looked at him and said "No, I am sorry, I can't drive you." The honest truth is, I didn't want the car seat smeared with urine. I hated hearing myself say no to him for what now seems trivial. James nodded, and shuffled off, yelling back, "Bye Rex, see you later."

I've not been able to stop thinking about it. I know we can't say yes to every ask from those in need, but we also can't say no to every ask either.

This is one of the hard parts of coming closer to those in need. Yet, to live fully, we must come closer to know how we feel, to know what is right for each moment. And it can be uncomfortable, or even messy. And that is okay. Okay because this is what being human is all about, about reaching out to each other with love and trust, figuring it out as we go.

I love you James.

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 Blair Jordan

comingCLOSER

PLEASE MEET OUR COMMUNITY:

Facing Homelessness offers an array of programs that are beautifully designed to bring us all together!

We believe that when each of us are close enough to genuinely see another person's humanity, we naturally and beautifully step forward to act on our empathy.

This is how we want to end homelessness!

This last Sunday we had our 21st Community CleanUP, wowWOW!! In the two hours we bagged lots&lots of garbage, picked up hundreds of needles, and best of all, spent time getting to know a number of kind folks living in the encampment, including Reese, Danny and Mallory.

Check us out! www.facinghomelessness.org

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 #FacingHomelessness #Kindness Crosscut KING 5

citySWEEP

PLEASE MEET OUR COMMUNITY:

On the morning of January 28th the Dearborn encampment, a place where nearly 90 individuals and a few animals called home, was to be swept by the City of Seattle. This was a result of a drug bust that took place inside the camp recently. They would be vacating all who lived there by 9am sharp.

I didn't know what to expect , but I knew it was going to be a very emotional morning. At 7:30am I picked up Dee Powers who was organizing some activists to help the homeless that morning. She told me to "Clear the day after we are done here, you are going to need a lot of self care." I steadied myself. She was right.

It was just getting light outside and luckily the rain that had been coming down for hours showed mercy and stopped. As we faced the encampment I could see people packing things up into garbage bags. The air was heavy. The mud was thick and deep and full of needles and garbage. Surrounded by freeway it was hard to hear. I walked inside with my bag of Hostess Snowballs hoping to make someone smile. It definitely worked a few times.

As I walked through the camp, I saw the faces of so many people who looked lost. "Where will you go?" Most people told me that they didn't know. I saw a woman nearly in tears holding her two cats in a blanket. She sat them down to move her stuff, and the cats scurried into the shadows. She spent the next few hours crying for them. She still hadn't found them hours later when I left. Another woman arrived 15 minutes after the cut off time-and lost everything she owned. It was all inside her tent... and it was now lined with police tape. No one was allowed in. She stood staring blankly into the sea of tents, "My kid's stuff is in there...my pictures..." she muttered as she wiped away tears.

I met a wonderful young man named Lyman, 24 years old. He had been camping there for three months and has been on the streets just under a year. He had no idea where he would go. "But you still manage to smile," I told him. "Everyday is like this, just survival."

I met a young lady named Red. She is 28 and has lived in the jungle for 5 years. Red was very concerned about where to go, and was really ready to get inside. There were quite a few kind souls walking through the mud just helping people.
Somehow in the midst of all of this chaos I saw the beauty. There was a man walking around aiding people who needed shelter and he helped Red. Thank you Dwight Jackson. Thank you Dee Powers and all of the people who were there to help people move, giving out food, calming people, passing out gloves, blankets, garbage bags, water.

It was a day full of heavy hearts. Many shades of humanity were in front of me. I cried when I got home and stared at the ceiling. I came out of this with a heart full gratitude for everything I love, a drive to help more, and with a greater sense of hope.

Atlantic 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!
#FacingHomelessness #JustSayHello #Kindness Crosscut KING 5 #stopthesweeps

ourCHOICE

PLEASE MEET RELLIK:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost

The barriers of homelessness are seen all too often as being those of the person homeless. We point over there to issues of mental health, drug dependency, housing, jobs, and other shortcomings of that person and society at large.

While these are all important and needing to be addressed, often we overlook one of the biggest barriers, the barrier within ourselves. The one that keeps us from reaching out to those in need when our compassion begs us to do so.

If we take time to get off our own life-path, to help someone that is struggling with theirs, we will end homelessness.

Rellik is of the White Mountain Apache Nation. He's been homeless for 16 years, most of that time living in a tent. It's hard to even comprehend that, especially when you sit with Rellik and get to know him. He shares openly about his struggles with both physical and mental health issues. He also shares about his dreams, about getting into housing. And of course, his constant dream of doing art and playing music. And oh yeah, he loves people! Throughout all of it, the ups and downs, especially the downs which there have been many, he keeps a levelheadedness to him that is remarkable.

Rellik is hoping to take Beginning Blacksmithing at Pratt Fine Arts Center to add to his jewelry making talents. The class costs just under $400 with a $35 supply fee. Rellik wants to save up for it but it will be difficult as he is several months behind in his phone bill. We are hoping to raise funds to help Rellik take this class!!!

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that the goal of raising $435 has been reached with $445.68 donated, wowWOW!!! A heartfelt THANKS to everyone that made this possible, especially to Michelle who asked what was needed to finish it off and donated the last $100!!! All funds will go to pay for class expenses. No funds go directly to Rellik and as is always the case, no funds go to Facing Homelessness, none at all!

A community size LOVE to you Rellik. Thank you for sharing so beautifully your road less traveled.

Northgate 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 KING 5

recreationalVEHICLE

PLEASE MEET MICHELLE:

Nothing recreational about living homeless in a vehicle. Most are purchased for between $50 and $500, which should give a pretty good idea of the condition they are in.

To avoid harassment and to find a small bit of privacy, most cover the windows. When entering, it takes a moment to adjust to the dark, the corners coming into view slowly.

Michelle and Eric have been living in rundown RV's for years. The immediate question is why? Why live this way?

Why do any of us live the way we live?

The answer is the same for each and every one of us, from Michelle and Eric right up to those that build mansions and castles. We ALL want to make the best home possible for ourselves and our family.

We all want safety, we all want protection from the elements, we all want a place that is functional, comfortable, beautiful, and more. And we don't just want it, we want to then keep on improving it. We can know that for every person living in a vehicle, this is their current best available option for making a home.

Michelle and Eric have $276.00 of parking tickets that we hope to help pay off. I know it would bring them a great deal of peace of mind.

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that the goal of raising $276 has been reached with $420.03 donated, wowWOW!!! A heartfelt thank you once again for meeting this need AND every need ever posted on this page. So much LOVE and support! All funds will go to paying the parking tickets. Whatever is left over will go to gas-cards for Eric and Michelle. No funds go directly to them and as is always the case, no funds go to Facing Homelessness. THANKS!!!

Michelle is in the hospital right now, her legs swollen to the point she can barely walk. She has been having heart problems for years, among a list of other medical issues. Please keep her and Eric in your thoughts.

University 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 #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness Graham Pruss Jenn Adams

brightLIGHT

PLEASE MEET SCOTTY:

It is with such sadness I am writing to tell you that our very dear friend Scotty Ferguson has passed away. There is so much to this beautiful man I honestly don't know where to begin. I first met him at his home, which at the time was a covered bench along the ship canal in Fremont. It was the winter of 2011. His friend Dinkus was living there too.

Both Scotty and Dinkus had an undeniable twinkle in their eye, it drew them together, feeding off each other's charisma. They were so alive, now they are both gone. Dinkus passed in early 2017 which hit Scotty hard. Everyone that frequented the bench could see they were a team. Scotty played the guitar and Dinkus sang off-key, Dinkus told jokes and Scotty gave that infectious laugh. And through it all, they drank, and drank.

Scotty's charm was second only to his big heart. He was a good man that would do anything for you. I felt this constantly in my friendship with him. I know the people at the University Methodist Church felt this too, he volunteered lots. Gail Winberg from the church, along with many others, is feeling the painful loss of his friendship.

Scotty's life was in a downward spiral during that time living on the bench. It was horrible to witness his daily struggle. All of that changed when he met Anne. She pulled him out of it with her goodness and love. Often when I was in the office, working early, I would see Anne's car pull up, just when it was getting light, and she'd walk down those steps to visit with Scotty.

Eventually she broke through. He quit drinking and they moved in together. It was beautiful. They were there for each other, both learning and growing. In the end, the obstacles were too much and they separated but their love kept them close, texting daily till the end. It was Anne that told me Scotty had passed on February 5th of cancer. Please send your LOVE to her, I know she is hurting deeply with this loss.

Scotty loved to fish. Often he and Dinkus would fish along the canal. During Dinkus' last year outside he was in a wheelchair and somebody had thrown it into the canal, coming to rest about 10' out and 5' down. You could see it when the water was still. Scotty decided to fish for it. It was a big deal, he spent hours trying to catch it and finally did, slowly pulling it to the surface and onto land. There was a celebration like you'd never seen. Scotty talked about the big one he caught, over and over, asking if we'd heard the story yet. Still makes me smile so much.

We loveLOVE you Scotty. At 60 years old, with so much life in you, you were much too young to leave us. Thank you for your beautiful friendship, for the LOVE of life you shared so very easily with everyone.

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

coldTRAIL

PLEASE MEET SEAN:

Seattle’s Jungle is a splendid forest adorned with vine draped maples. Birds sing high in green canopies. Berries, fruit trees, and mossy foundations speak to earlier times. Mud trails lead to nestled camps. Wandering endlessly through English Ivy. But tangled souls cry pathetically from encampments twisted among the vines and branches. Stuck in a world most can’t conceive. The “Jungle” is a homonym.

I passed Sean’s camp regularly. There was a tent, a firepit and a small patio. He’d greet me with a smile and nod each time, appearing satisfied to see an outsider with good intentions. He invited me over once. We grabbed a couple chairs and sat for a while. It was cold. But the fire and conversation were warm. I immediately like this guy.

“It’s a continuous struggle,” he said. “I worry constantly. I have many sleepless nights. We’re always on our guard.” He tossed a chunk of broken pallet on the fire. Looking into the flame he said, “I’ve always longed for the structure of a family. To be a husband and a father.”

Sean grew up a latchkey kid. His mom worked graveyard. His dad abandoned them early before serving a long prison sentence. He died soon after. Sean worked the docks of Tokeland, WA packing ice and working crab boats. He is an experienced hiker and climber. But as a young man, Sean committed a crime. It would cost him a 13 year prison sentence and any substantial chance at housing or stable employment. Sean has been homeless most of his life. “Each time I find an open door it gets slammed in my face. I feel I’m stuck.”

As I departed he said, “Tell people not to honk when they see us. Some of us cannot function safely without sleep. Tell them we are human just like you. Each of us is doing our best to get out of this hell.”

As I walked the mud path outbound a memory surfaced. As a young kid I once trespassed across a muddy lot. The mud got deeper. Clutching and emitting suction sounds with each step. My right shoe was sucked off my foot. Then the left. I felt helpless and physically drained. I was cold. I panicked. I could see where I needed to go. I could see people who could help me. But they were busy. They couldn’t see me. Or hear me over the noise.

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

urgentNEED

PLEASE MEET ANN:

In April of last year Ann was about to be evicted from her Fremont neighborhood apartment. You all donated enough to keep her housed till now. Wow! So much kindness.

Circles of support and love came forward. Back bills were paid and her home cleaned spotless! It should have been enough. We all thought it would be. We had 10 whole months to take advantage of services available for this next phase of her life.

Services available. Hmmmm. What seemed easy became complicated, then impossible. Case Managers came and went. She was slipping through the cracks as weeks past.

Ann is 78, sharp as a tack! Well, not all the time, just most of the time. I think. For sure sharp enough to say she needed to stay in her neighborhood, "I won't go into a Nursing Home, I can't leave what I know." She insisted the $600 short between social security and rent could be earned by getting a job.

This week Ann will be removed from her apartment by the authorities. Put on the curb with whatever stuff she can carry. My brain can't even comprehend that. Yesterday while visiting I asked her to think about what things she liked, things she could take when the knock at the door came. She looked at me incredulously, saying, "I like all of it." Just then her phone rang, I answered for her. The woman asked if Ann would be sending in payment for her medication, that she was behind.

I don't know what to do. I don't know what is going to happen.

Ann just says she wants to die. She is very depressed. It's all too overwhelming for her. I must admit, my brain wants to explode too. Ann has never been homeless. She won't last two days outside.

Ann receives $1,100.00 assistance a month for food, bills and rent. Is there anyone that can rent a room to her? Her whole world is in and around the Fremont neighborhood so Fremont, Phinney Ridge, Ballard, Wallingford, or Queen Anne would be ideal. But at this point we are just looking for a place to tide her over, to find something within the system.

If you are Case Manager Miracle Worker, which I know all Case Managers are, can you please work a miracle here. A few years ago Catholic Community Services' Noel House took in a woman the next day that we featured on this page. We are hoping for someone to reach out and rescue Ann in the same way.

You can call me directly on my cell. 206-330-1142. If you want to donate funds for Ann's future rent, here is a Paypal link:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3A8G7BDFB9PFJ&source=url

We loveLOVE you Ann, we will get through this together!

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!
#Kindness #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness

dearFRIEND

PLEASE MEET JAMES:

I'm sorry you've been homeless for over 40 years.
I'm sorry you've never had the opportunity to learn to read.
I'm sorry you've never received government benefits even though you've lived without basic needs met nearly all of your life.
I'm sorry that there are those that have treated you unkindly through misunderstandings and fear.
I'm sorry you blacked out while panhandling on the street corner in the Montlake neighborhood.
I'm sorry you've been in the hospital now for over two weeks hoping multiple organs will heal.

I'm grateful for the care given at the UW Medical Center.
I'm grateful to have been included in the phone call to your sister, hearing you say how much you love her and the need for her to pray for you.
I'm grateful for those that have reached across the divide to give you kindness on your street corner home.
I'm grateful for all those that have mailed you birthday cards to our office over the years for you, knowing how happy it made you.
I'm grateful for Blair Jordan who is your dear friend and is helping you navigate towards supportive housing.

I'm grateful to your street friend Michael who has your back.
I'm tremendously grateful to be your friend James, you have deep kindness in your eyes.

On May 20, 2019 we asked this community to raise $500 for food for James. A total of $4,487.57 was raised! Since then we've been giving James $100 Safeway food-gift-cards every Sunday, making a profound difference for him. We still have roughly three months of food-gift-cards to give.

We are now hoping to raise another $500 as an emergency fund for when he gets out of the hospital. This will be used for clothing, a tent, sleeping bag, and other essential needs.

UPDATE: The Paypal link has been pulled in that the goal or raising $500 has been met with $1,687.11 donated, wowWOW!! All funds will be used to help purchase essential needs for James. No funds will go directly to James in the form of cash or check and as is always the case, no funds go to Facing Homelessness. A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone that reached out with LOVE and support!

A bigBIG LOVE to you James, we are grateful to have you as an important part of this community!

Montlake 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