There was something a little bit off about the Toyota Highlander parked across the street. A sunshade blocked the front glass, and were those garbage bags over the passenger windows? The side mirror dangled limply from a cable, and a roof rack (or maybe it was just a tarp covering an amorphous blob of belongings) lay soggy and tired over it all. Wallingford Avenue N, up where we live in Tangletown, is pretty idyllic. Everyone on the block takes care of…
Being Wallyhood, I figured it would be useful to occasionally ask our council person, Alex Pedersen, questions and post his answers. My first question, below, is a bit wordy, and his answer is more of a treatise than a blog post. I don't expect this post to go viral on social media, but read on if you are up to a deep dive into the complicated world of affordable housing... Question: Seattle has focused affordable housing money on the “housing first”…
On Jan. 26, the night before Seattle's annual count of homeless individuals in King County, a poetry reading and film screening will seek to raise awareness about homelessness. The event will feature Seattle's Youth Poet Laureate, Angel Gardner, who in June talked to The Seattle Times about her own experience with homelessness, alongside Seattle's Civic Poet, Claudia Castro Luna, and writers from Recovery Cafe and Mary's Place. Attendees will also see a screening of Michelle de la Vega's film US THEM WE, which paired homeless…
I’ve probably walked or driven by The Assistance League of Seattle a hundred times, but never bothered to see what went on inside. This charity is run out of two houses on North 45th Street, opposite the Chevron gas station. The AL Seattle runs three philanthropic programs; the Enrichment Scholarship Program, the Financial Aid for Education Program, and Operation School Bell, which provides free clothing for children in need in grades K-5. The Assistance League of Seattle is a chapter of the National Assistance League and it has operated here locally since 1962. The recently declared, State…
Our recent and prolonged cold snap made me wish there was more I could do to help folks who sleep outside or those who can't afford to heat their homes to a comfortable temperature. I talked with Jake Weber and Elizabeth Ralston at FamilyWorks, our neighborhood food bank and resource center, for advice about how to help in meaningful ways. If you're the sort of person who likes to have something on hand to give to people sleeping out in the elements, Elizabeth…
March 5, 2013: This post has been updated to reflect the passage of SB 5147 concerning juveniles and runaway children. The following is a guest post by Ray Lumpp--a writer for AllTreatment.com, a local resource for individuals and families facing addiction and mental health issues in Washington State. Seattle boasts a comprehensive support network for adults facing addiction and mental health issues: from the free Wallingford public library, one can find local food banks, needle exchanges, drop-in centers, and emergency housing.…
'Tis the season for giving, even if it's a set of hotel soaps you brought home from your last trip. Salon Metro (1714 N. 45th) is collecting toiletries the Orion Center and Youth Care Transitional Living Program to benefit the homeless and those in need. Here's a few ideas for items on their wish list: The shelter requests unopened shampoo, conditioner. straighteners, curlers, razors, plus soap for faces and bodies. Full size or travel size from your last hotel trip is…