Homeless arrive here on Friday
By Dean Wong
Monday, February 25, 2008
Twenty new residents will be moving into Ballard on Feb. 29 and they won't be owners of the numerous condominiums overwhelming the area.
Trinity United Methodist Church will be a permanent host for a SHARE/WHEEL (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort/Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League) shelter. The group's Veteran's Hall facility is closing and moving its operation to Trinity.
"We are getting a SHARE shelter that is up and running. We are getting an intact group (of residents)," said Trinity United Methodist Church pastor Rich Lang.
The residents will be a mix of men and women. Some are couples. They will sleep in the church gymnasium on mats.
Lang said the church's vision is to eventually provide storage units for their belongings. A shower room is now being remodeled.
Trinity may provide a breakfast at some point in the future. Currently the church only has a Saturday lunch program for the homeless. Lang said neighbors around the church have seen the soup kitchen in operation for a year without incident.
Lang has met with the residents who will be coming to Ballard. "Many have jobs or are looking for work. They are highly functional people," said Lang.
He said the people he has met are working hard to get off the streets and are a stable group. Residents will have access to the church gymnasium from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
go here for the rest
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/local_news/news04.txt
Looks like this church is taking the message of Christ as a moral value. Bravo!
Showing posts with label homeless American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeless American. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Seattle giving a lesson in real love
Last week, it was Valentine's Day. While most people view "love" as something involving a family member or sexual partner, there is another kind of love. This kind of love is pure, asks for nothing in return as unselfishness calls them to work for the greater good. This kind of love does not stand in judgment. Does not seek blame. Does not seek anything but helping someone in need. This is a lesson in real love. The kind of love Christ spoke of.
I take no joy in posting about people suffering. As a matter of fact, it breaks my heart. These kind of stories, I rejoice in, celebrating the human spirit and the capacity so many in this country have in taking care of "the least among us" when it would be all to easy to just walk by them, act as if they didn't exist or worse, as if they deserved to be in the state they are in.
All across the nation, people are thinking of others and acting as if they do in fact represent Christ with compassion. These stories need to be told as much as the stories of people suffering. They show what people can do when they know there are so many others hurting. This is the best side of what the citizens of this nation can do.
At last, a place of her own
By Marsha King
Seattle Times staff reporter
For the first time in years, Mary Millett, 67, has a permanent roof over her head, a bathroom of her own and a door she can lock.
But after a decade spent in homeless shelters, she is finding her first weeks in a studio apartment both exhilarating and unsettling.
Millett's new digs are in a recently opened apartment building in downtown Seattle for those 55 and older who've been living in shelters, cars or on the streets.
What she's finding is that leaving a long-familiar way of life — even if it's homelessness — can be disorienting, as if something's suddenly missing.
"It's a new experience," Millett explains. "Getting your emotions in tow is the problem."
The $26 million apartment project reflects heightened concerns about the aging of the area's homeless population. Shelter and medical-clinic staffs say they are seeing more older adults with no place to go and with complex health needs that are difficult to meet.It has 92 units, with about 20 set aside for homeless veterans. Residents pay 30 percent of their income toward rent. For most, monthly income ranges between $300 and $600. The project has a nurse, as well as case managers with expertise in geriatrics, mental health, chemical-dependence recovery and veterans issues.
go here for the rest
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004189012_homeless19m.html
I take no joy in posting about people suffering. As a matter of fact, it breaks my heart. These kind of stories, I rejoice in, celebrating the human spirit and the capacity so many in this country have in taking care of "the least among us" when it would be all to easy to just walk by them, act as if they didn't exist or worse, as if they deserved to be in the state they are in.
All across the nation, people are thinking of others and acting as if they do in fact represent Christ with compassion. These stories need to be told as much as the stories of people suffering. They show what people can do when they know there are so many others hurting. This is the best side of what the citizens of this nation can do.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Most Seattleites are not cruel, but many are thoughtless
Most Seattleites are not cruel, but many are thoughtless
By PAUL LEIGHTY
GUEST COLUMNIST
It is cool outside as I write and the weather report says it will drop into the low 30s tonight. Thousands of Seattleites are going to sleep outside tonight in freezing temperatures because they are homeless. A dialogue about the homeless is in progress and I would like to add my two cents' worth. As a three-year veteran of the streets -- now in subsidized housing -- I hope to inject some reality into the discussion.
Homeless people are not gang members. Nor are we all of a piece. We mirror the rest of America. With one major exception we are citizens who have been overwhelmed by events beyond our control. No one grows up wanting to be homeless. We have simply reached the end of our tether due to some reason(s). Major causes are job loss coupled with medical problems, personal bereavement and mental health issues. Substance abuse, either before or after becoming homeless, is another cause or effect. The exception is the hard-working illegals who choose the life so they can send more money back to their homes and families.
Beware. It is extremely easy for this to happen to you or someone you know.
go here for the rest
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/344390_homeless21.html
By PAUL LEIGHTY
GUEST COLUMNIST
It is cool outside as I write and the weather report says it will drop into the low 30s tonight. Thousands of Seattleites are going to sleep outside tonight in freezing temperatures because they are homeless. A dialogue about the homeless is in progress and I would like to add my two cents' worth. As a three-year veteran of the streets -- now in subsidized housing -- I hope to inject some reality into the discussion.
Homeless people are not gang members. Nor are we all of a piece. We mirror the rest of America. With one major exception we are citizens who have been overwhelmed by events beyond our control. No one grows up wanting to be homeless. We have simply reached the end of our tether due to some reason(s). Major causes are job loss coupled with medical problems, personal bereavement and mental health issues. Substance abuse, either before or after becoming homeless, is another cause or effect. The exception is the hard-working illegals who choose the life so they can send more money back to their homes and families.
Beware. It is extremely easy for this to happen to you or someone you know.
go here for the rest
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/344390_homeless21.html
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