Facing Homelessness

homeFIRE:

C**t and Tara, and their dog Dede, are homeless living in a tent, tucked away in a small greenbelt. At their tent entrance they have a 10'x10' canopy tent with mesh sidewalls that serves as an entry, living room, and kitchen.

The evening before last a couple came to them just before dark. They asked if they could sleep the night in the front room canopy tent. They had no place to go.

Despite being strangers, C**t and Tara agreed, moving stuff around to make room for them to lie down. They also placed a few candles on the table so their new friends could get things arranged.

Everyone fell asleep. Nobody put the candles out.

At about 2:30 AM C**t and Tara awoke to their dog barking and the woman guest screaming "FIRE!" An entire side wall of the canopy and the back of the cushion chair were ablaze.

It was total pandemonium in the dark! Everyone running on adrenaline. They pulled as much as they could away from the fire while throwing milk and orange juice to douse it.

They were seconds from everything going up in flames.

The next morning I met C**t and Tara for the first time. A burnt plastic smell was still hanging in the air. Miracuously nobody was hurt and nobody was playing the blame game.

We are asking the Facing Homelessness community to help purchase C**t and Tara a new 10'x10' canopy for their kindness given to two strangers in need. They run around $125.00 plus tax.

https://givebutter.com/canopy-tent-for-colt-tara-ckvnuc

I told C**t and Tara they are beautiful together. They smiled. C**t said, "I can't see my life without this woman." Not to be left out, Tara shared, "We have been together for over a year now and despite being married before, it is the first time in my life I have not felt alone."

Both C**t and Tara have plenty of issues going on in their life, lots of trauma. Together they are getting through it.

At the end of our visit, Tara shared, "One thing that would really be beautiful would be if C**t could get a guitar. It grounds him, it makes everything work for him. He hasn't had one for a bit."

I looked over at C**t, his head was down, but he was smiling, and said, "Yeah, that's very true, a guitar would really help me."

Northgate Neighborhood | Rex

A QUIET THOUGHT - If you’re moved by the goodness of this community, please consider a $5 monthly recurring donation on our givebutter account. Your donation helps cover operational expenses. https://givebutter.com/jfdABb A heartfelt THANK YOU!

findingPEACE:

When Elisha dies, she wants her ashes scattered in one of the places where she found peace. After a childhood marked by a neglectful mother, foster care, abuse, an often-absent father on the road, constant moving, and later homelessness, she remembers Polebridge, Montana. It was small and quiet. She and her siblings were together, surrounded by blue mountains.

Born in Orofino and raised across small towns in Idaho, Oregon, and Montana, she spent much of her childhood moving from place to place with her father, a long-haul truck driver.

But before that, beginning at age six and lasting another six years, Elisha and her three younger brothers were separated into different foster homes after state authorities intervened over neglect and instability at home.

“A lot of the time we were left home alone. We were hungry a lot. As the oldest, I raised my brothers,” she said. “I didn’t really have a childhood.”

When Elisha turned 21, her mother reached out to her and her siblings. It had been 15 years since they had heard from her. Eventually she convinced Elisha and her siblings to come live with her for a while.

“She was trying to make up for lost time. But emotionally it was overwhelming” she said. “We [weren't] children anymore. We had to grow up too fast.”

Now in Seattle, Elisha lives in Tent City 4 while battling a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Last year, she underwent chemotherapy and a live donor stem cell transplant through a medical trial at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. The treatments left her exhausted and in chronic pain. Eventually, she chose to stop treatment.

“I thought dying would be harder to come to terms with,” she said. “But I’ve lived a good life. I really have.”

This July, she’ll learn whether the treatment she underwent has slowed the cancer. If it hasn’t, Elisha has made plans to die on her own terms through Washington’s Death with Dignity Act.

“It’ll be peaceful. No suffering,” she said. “I’m grateful I get to choose how I die.”

When the time comes, she wants her ashes scattered in the water near Polebridge, surrounded by the mountains and the memories that brought her peace.

Before becoming homeless, Elisha worked in retail management, hospitality, and customer service. She earned a business degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and later completed an associate degree in wine studies at South Seattle College.

She became homeless after losing stable employment while facing rapidly rising rent costs in Seattle. A studio apartment that initially rented for around $900 a month eventually climbed to more than $2,000.

“The company stopped paying me properly and cut my hours. I quit and found another job, but it paid much less. I couldn’t afford the apartment anymore.”

She eventually found her way to Tent City 3, then located on Aurora Avenue. From there, she moved into an indoor shelter at Gift of Grace and later secured a spot in a Nickelsville tiny house village, where she stayed for five years. The more permanent shelter and extended stay offered a level of stability she had not experienced in a long time. She found work and was able to save money, eventually qualifying for and affording her own apartment at Pride Place senior housing on Broadway in Capitol Hill.

But just a year and a half into her tenancy, she received her cancer diagnosis. To undergo treatment, she had to stop working. She lost her income and was forced back into homelessness.

Through it all, she has found Seattle’s lack of understanding about homelessness particularly painful. She, too, once held a job and had a place of her own. But because of circumstances outside her control and a lack of resources to fall back on, she found herself pushed out.

“People stop seeing homeless people as human beings,” she said. “We still have intelligence, education, experiences, dreams. What homeless people need isn’t judgment. They need resources, patience, and people willing to keep trying. Don’t shut the door on us.”

For now, sleeping in a tent has been especially hard on Elisha’s body as she manages chronic pain.

“Sleeping on the ground hurts. Getting up and down hurts.”

We’re hoping to raise $300 to purchase Elisha a larger tent that will give her enough space to stand comfortably, along with a cot so she can sleep off the ground.

https://givebutter.com/tent-for-elisha-zeuzxg

Tent City 4 Neighborhood | Brendan

A QUIET THOUGHT - If you’re moved by the goodness of this community, please consider a $5 monthly recurring donation on our givebutter account. Your donation helps cover operational expenses. https://givebutter.com/jfdABb A heartfelt THANK YOU!

kindnessOPPORTUNITY:

Brent stands in front of his Soccer Jersey Stand in Pike Place Market greeting folks with a smile, happily sharing his soccer knowledge, hoping to sell you a soccer jersey!

What you don't know about Brent is that this moment, of running his own business selling shirts, is a bigBIG SUCCESS STORY!

After high school, Brent fell into trouble. Lots of it. Over the next 20 years he was in and out of jobs, jail, and homelessness. He spent a good deal of time in various programs, some required, some chosen.

"Before I got sober I thought I had it figured out. I was wrong."

Brent will tell you that he had loving parents, growing up with lots of opportunities. In high school he was a 4-year Varsity soccer goalie and had good grades.

Things fell apart his senior year, failing a number of classes. He wasn't ready to listen. He needed to learn firsthand for himself, the hard way.

"I smoked a lot of ma*****na. I became a pothead. I thought I could be successful without education. Turns out education is important."

On March 16, 2024, while in jail, Brent wrote down thirty things he loves, twenty things he wants, and twenty things he could see himself doing in ten years.

From that moment everything changed. With over two years of sobriety, he hasn't looked back. He works tirelessly building his business while studying for an associates business degree. In his down time he plays lots of online chess!

He wants to capitalize on the World Cup games here in Seattle selling soccer jerseys. Not owning a car, he could use help transporting two bins, the canopy bag, full-length mirror, folding chair, and the sandwich board on the following dates:

June 17, 24, 25
July 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16

So far we have drivers for June 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 30!

All of his stuff fits in a hatchback. We are hoping a number of folks can let us know in the comments which day or days they can help. A driver would pick up material in the University District at 8:00 am and drop off at Pike Place Market. Then pick up at 3:30 pm to return to University District.

I know this is a big ask. What I can tell you for sure is that you'll be glad to have helped Brent out. He is a tremendously delightful person. He is that 'success-story' we all want to see happen for those struggling.

Let's keep him moving forward! Our hope is to get at least 2/3 of the dates covered. Please let us know in the comments which days you can help.

Pike Place Market Neighborhood | Rex

A QUIET THOUGHT - If you’re moved by the goodness of this community, please consider a $5 monthly recurring donation on our givebutter account. Your donation helps cover operational expenses. https://givebutter.com/jfdABb A heartfelt THANK YOU!