Showing posts with label homeless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeless. Show all posts

KCRHA Cold Weather Shelter, February 13–16, 2023

Monday, February 13, 2023

It was snowing in Shoreline Monday evening.

Due to cold weather, with low temperatures in the 20’s to 30’s and the potential for snow, King County Regional Homeless Authority (KCRHA) is activating Severe Weather Response protocols.

Members of the public who would like to support the distribution of harm reduction supplies like coats, blankets, wool or synthetic socks and gloves, sleeping bags, blankets, hand warmers, and food should donate funds directly to a local service provider

Donating funds ensures flexibility so that outreach and shelter providers can adjust their supplies to meet the need. Check our homeless services database to find a non-profit in your neighborhood.

Download the Seattle Cold Weather Shelter flyer here.

This information was last updated on Monday, 2/13/2023 at 4:25pm.


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Weigh in on King County Regional Homeless Authority's 5 Year Plan

Monday, February 6, 2023


The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) is drafting its 5 Year Plan.

You can provide feedback in their survey until February 8, 2023.

Survey here: 
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/8faaa73923904cd3814865de200db997

Add your voice about this major policy and massive public investment - for, against, or something in between!

There are links to the documents and summary on the KCRHA.org website. It takes 10-15 minutes to complete the survey, including the reference documents.

The Seattle Times ran a comprehensive article on January 26, 2023 with additional information https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/ending-homelessness-in-king-county-will-cost-billions-regional-authority-says/



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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter to be open Monday night 1-30-2023

Monday, January 30, 2023

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Monday, January 30, 2023 at 8:30pm.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

If you would like to be a shelter volunteer, email staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626



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Severe weather shelter to be open Sunday night

Sunday, January 29, 2023

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 8:30pm.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

If you would like to be a shelter volunteer, email staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626



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Benefit concert Saturday for Camp United We Stand

Friday, January 20, 2023


We invite you and your family and friends to support Camp United We Stand at a Benefit Concert featuring area choirs, performers, singers, and musicians from: Haller Lake United Methodist, Richmond Beach Congregational Church, Shoreline Free Methodist, Church of Pentecost, St. Dunstan’s, Aislinn the Bard, John Lawson, Naomi Bernstein on the Ortloff organ, and a group of friends who met while singing with Seattle Pro Musica.

WHAT: Glorious and Joyful Music of ALL Kinds!

WHO: Area Choirs, Folk, Harp, Cabaret, Organ, Show tunes, Violin, Cello and Piano Trio

WHEN: Saturday - January 21st at 2 p.m.

WHERE: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church - 722 N 145th St. in Shoreline

Camp United We Stand (CUWS) is a legally authorized and sanctioned encampment. We apply for permits from the cities and churches that shelter us. We are a federal 501 ©3 nonprofit and a Washington State non-profit. We receive no grants or funding from any governmental agencies, but survive strictly on the love and monetary support of our friends.

Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@SaintDunstans

To donate online: Go to https://campunitedwestand-tentcity.org/ Or click on the QR code below!


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Benefit concert for Camp United We Stand Saturday January 21, 2023

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

We invite you and your family and friends to support Camp United We Stand at a Benefit Concert to hear several area choirs, performers, singers, and musicians.

Participants are from Haller Lake United Methodist, Richmond Beach Congregational Church, Shoreline Free Methodist, Church of Pentecost, St. Dunstan’s, Aislinn the Bard, John Lawson, Naomi Bernstein on the Ortloff organ (built especially for St. Dunstan's) and a group of friends who met while singing with Seattle Pro Musica.

WHAT: Glorious and Joyful Music of ALL Kinds with Area Choirs, Folk, Harp, Cabaret, Organ, Show tunes, Violin, Cello and Piano Trio.

WHEN: Saturday - January 21st at 2pm

WHERE: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church 722 N 145th St. in Shoreline

WHY: Benefit Concert for Camp United We Stand- Only Authorized Place in North King County for our unsheltered neighbors

Camp United We Stand is a community designed by the homeless for the homeless in transition. Camp United We Stand (CUWS) is a legally authorized and sanctioned encampment. We apply for permits from the cities and churches that shelter us. 

We are a federal 501©3 non-profit and listed as a non-profit with the Washington State Department of Revenue. We receive no grants or funding from city, state or federal agencies. We survive strictly on the love and monetary support of our friends. We welcome ‘ALL’ to come and show their support and provide services for those in need and in transition.

This concert is open to the public.


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Op-Ed: When there's nowhere to go and no way to get there

Friday, January 13, 2023

Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash.com
By Lisa Surowiec, 
Volunteer Coordinator
Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter

"Severe Weather Shelter" or "Emergency Shelter" kicks in when we have stretches of winter like we did this year. 

Multiple hours below 34 degrees, snow on the ground, those things that make us all want to hibernate.

I'm pretty good with snow - I grew up where there was snow, and I have a vehicle that easily gets me most places. But there was that one day that had the whole city throw in the towel. 

The night before, I didn't really expect the ice prediction to become reality and figured I'd have no issues, but there it was in the early hours. Thick ice on everything. 

I needed to get to the shelter to help close up the church, but I could not drive down off my hill. So I walked. And got intimately familiar with how very treacherous that much ice covering every single surface is, living where we live.

It took me an hour and a half to walk the two miles to the church, and by that time the place was mostly packed up. The shelter volunteers from the night before had done a good job of getting people roused and full of coffee, mats wiped and stacked, and they had found some salt and were salting the walkway and parking lot when I walked up.

The thing was, it was really difficult to ask people to leave. 

There simply were no good options that morning. That ice simply cut off... everything. Metro wasn't running. Libraries were closed. Walking was dangerous, and there wasn't any place open to walk TO.

Emergency shelter seems like such a gift, until it almost feels mean. We do our best to keep people warm, dry, and safe overnight, but then we have to close up and turn them out. And that's never easy, but really tough on mornings like that.

It's easy to make assumptions and judgements about unsheltered people - about their bad choices, addictions, lack of motivation, or supposed preference for living on the streets and getting free stuff. But here’s the thing – people’s stories are complicated, and each unhoused individual is someone’s son, daughter, sister or brother.

And drugs are not always indicative of addicts. One man I spoke with described how he views drugs as a tool. He matter-of-factly explained that if he needs to be vigilant on the street and stay awake for security, they let him. If he is hungry and cold, he can find solace. If he needs to eat, he can barter. He is a big guy with a great smile and stories about a former career in the trades, trying to find a way back to housing and work, surviving as he can in the meantime.

And it's not always drugs. We helped a woman who was experiencing some clear mental health issues, who just needed assistance. She wanted a shower. She wanted to wash her clothes. She wanted to lay down someplace for a while longer because she hadn’t gotten good sleep the night before. 

She didn’t have a phone, so she couldn’t call around to find shelter options or other resources. It was very hard for her to comprehend that the church building didn’t have any of those amenities, and the shelter doesn't operate every night. She needed so much more than we were able to offer.

Consider that icy morning from their perspective. The space that you slept in last night is closing its doors and telling you to leave. It is 8, maybe 8:30am. 

You have some bus tickets, but the buses are not running, potentially for another hour and a half. You have no money for a car service, and they're probably not driving anyway. The libraries are not going to open. 

The closest potential shelter does not have a published phone number, and as soon as the volunteers leave, you lose access to a phone anyway because you don't have one. The other shelters are downtown - which requires transportation. You can only watch as the volunteers walk away, and yell to the sky, "I can't TAKE this anymore!"

The woman we had to turn out into the cold was found huddled up on the cold concrete at the church doors the following morning, Christmas Eve, after finding no other solution that icy day. The church made her some hot mac and cheese, and we locked up a couple of bags of her things since she wasn't going to be able to carry all of her possessions while she searched for shelter.

These folks deserve better. They need to not be kicked out in the morning to try to figure it out. They shouldn't have to find out if the emergency shelter will be opening or not. 

North King County needs a true winter shelter, and we've got about 10 months to lobby for them to find the space and funding to make it so. Stable space from November through March - 24-hour shelter that doesn't kick people out into rain, snow, ice and with no destination. If we could also include lockable storage, laundry, and showers, that would be amazing.

The walk to the church that icy morning was physically difficult. Walking away from it and leaving folks with no options was emotionally so much worse.

~~
Staffed by generous volunteers, the Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter, located at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, has been activated 16 times since November 1st. The number of guests has ranged from 1 to 12. The shelter will close March 31st. More volunteers are needed, particularly those presenting themselves as male. Contact staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626 if you can help!

Stay up to date on regional shelter information HERE and activation information for the Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter HERE

Email the King County Regional Homelessness Authority to support a robust and systemic response to shelter and homelessness in North King County (marc@kcrha.org or alexis.rinck@kcrha.org).



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Letter to the Editor: Many thanks to Shoreline Area News readers

Sunday, January 8, 2023


To the Editor:

Many thanks to Shoreline Area News readers who saw our need and responded. (See previous article). We are so very grateful for your donations. Through your generosity,  we raised enough funds to outfit 7 people with all they need to get off the street and be comfortable in a tent.

We are amazed and awed by the generosity of Shoreline Area News readers.  Saying thank you sounds too simple and and doesn't convey the depth of our gratitude  but thanks is all we can offer. 

Camp United We Stand thanks you.

Please visit our website:

imagine ~One ~Race ~Human
Beverly Hawkins  Board President



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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter closed until further weather events

Friday, December 23, 2022

NUHSA reports:

It appears that temperatures are rising, and we are not seeing activation conditions for the next week (as of Friday). We will remain closed until the next stretch of severe weather.

The few local daytime warming locations are run by volunteers and libraries. Most seem to be shut down due to dangerous driving conditions that kept people at home Friday.

The unsheltered depend on public transportation. All local transportation was shut down, except for Sound Transit. Metro announced they will resume service at 4pm Friday.

The Hangar in Kenmore is listed as a daytime warming center, but did not appear to be open on Friday. 

The King County Regional Housing Authority lists resources here including three small shelters in downtown Seattle and Seattle Center.

It appears that many people will be outside.

--Diane Hettrick



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Decision about Severe Weather Shelter to be made Friday morning

Thursday, December 22, 2022

The weather forecast is a little uncertain right now (welcome to Northwest weather!).

It looks like we will not meet conditions to open Friday, however we are also hearing about nasty weather Thursday night which might change predictions for Friday night.

At this time, we are going to wait to make that call in the morning.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

If you would like to be a shelter volunteer, email staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626



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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Thursday, December 22, 2022

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 8:30pm.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

If you would like to be a shelter volunteer, email staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626




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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open on Wednesday December 21, 2022

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 8:30pm.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

If you would like to be a shelter volunteer, email staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626.



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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter closed Tuesday December 20, 2022

Monday, December 19, 2022

The shelter will be CLOSED Tuesday evening due to a volunteer shortage. They will reopen on Wednesday evening, December 21, 2022.

If you would like to be a shelter volunteer, email staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626.



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The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Monday, December 19, 2022

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Monday, December 19, 2022 at 8:30pm.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

To make the shelter successful, volunteers are needed to help staff it during activation. 

Compassionate and vaccinated volunteers must be over 18 years old and be able to commit to being on-call for a certain number of nights each month between November 1st and March 30th.

The threshold for activation will be a prediction of four-plus hours of temperatures at or below 33 degrees overnight or snow accumulation (or expected accumulation) of 2 or more inches. 

When activated, the shelter will be open from 8:30pm to 7:30am.

Volunteers will be provided with training and then will be responsible for welcoming guests and supervising the shelter overnight (partial shifts can be arranged). Volunteers will be paired with another person during shelter activation.

If you would like to volunteer, email staff@nuhsa.org or call 206-550-5626.

For more information about the emergency severe weather shelter, contact Community Services Manager Bethany Wolbrecht-Dunn at bwolbrec@shorelinewa.gov or 206-801-2251.



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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter closed Sunday for lack of volunteers

Sunday, December 18, 2022

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter was closed on Saturday because the weather stayed above freezing. 

However the closure Sunday is because there are not enough volunteers. Two people need to be on duty each night, for 12 hour shifts.

If you can volunteer or want to find out more information, check out the webpage or contact Shorelineewshelter@gmail.com



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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Friday, December 16, 2022

Friday, December 16, 2022

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Friday, December 16, 2022 at 8:30pm.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

It was also able to open on Thursday, December 15.



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Emergency shelter unable to open Wednesday for lack of volunteers - will be open Thursday, December 15, 2022

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

"Due to a sudden staffing shortage, we are unable to staff the shelter overnight this evening, Wednesday, December 14, 2022."

They were on site until 10pm offering Lyft transportation to other shelters for anyone who came.

They plan to open Thursday evening, 12/15/2022.



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Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 8:30pm.

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Shoreline Emergency Cold Weather Shelter will be open Tuesday December 13, 2022

Monday, December 12, 2022

The Shoreline Severe Weather Shelter will be open Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 8:30pm.

The shelter is housed at St. Dunstan’s Church at 722 N 145th St, Shoreline WA 98133.




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An appeal from Camp United We Stand

Camp United We Stand holding a meeting in 2009.
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Following is a communication from Beverly Hawkins, Board President of Camp United We Stand, a small tent community in Shoreline. The community is hosted in turn by several Shoreline churches and has been for over a decade.

CAMP UNITED WE STAND
c/o Richmond Beach Congregational Church-United Church of Christ
1512 NW 195TH ST
Shoreline, WA 98177
CampUnitedWeStand.tentcity@gmail.com
https://campunitedwestand-tentcity.org

Dear Neighbor,

‘Tis the season of cold and rain, and also of giving. If you could help one person get off the cold streets and into a warm tent in a legally-authorized encampment, would you do so? You have probably read reports in The Seattle Times and other media of the thousands of unhoused people in King County. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority has estimated that rather than the approximately 13,000 individuals found on the streets in the 2020 One Night Count, a likelier homeless total is nearly 41,000. Until we are able to provide brick-and-mortar shelter and permanent housing, we must help our homeless neighbors however we can. That includes encampments.

Camp United We Stand (CUWS) is a legally-authorized homeless encampment with permits from the cities and churches that shelter us. We have federal 501(c)(3) status and are listed as a non-profit organization with the Washington State Department of Revenue. We have been lucky over the years in being hosted on church sites, but our wonderful congregational hosts are experiencing financial difficulties and can't provide some of the extras that they have previously. Thus, we are asking you to help.

We’d like to describe for you what kind of camp CUWS is. CUWS runs a strict camp. We run background checks on everyone, barring entry to sex offenders and those with outstanding warrants. We do not allow alcohol, drug use, or weapons. Bullying and harassment are not tolerated. Respect and civility toward other campers are required.

Who are our campers? Meet Ariana. Ariana had to escape her home because of escalating abuse. While living on the cold streets, she heard about Camp United We Stand, where campers pay $30 a month to help fund the camp. They are provided with a safe place to sleep, a communal kitchen with refrigerators and donated food, porta-potties, and a community that accepts them. It is a place where Ariana could live while she recovered from her difficult experience and looked for a job.

Then there is John. John is in his 60s. He never imagined his later years would come to this, and is very thankful that Camp United We Stand is here for him. His old bones appreciate the warmth of his bed, he gets plenty to eat, and he is glad to be here in a tent and not on the cold, wet streets.

Cost to outfit a new camp member

We need your help. It costs approximately $555 to outfit a new camper, if we already have the wood platforms and frames for the tarps. You are welcome to outfit a camper, or you may donate whatever you can. Send a check or money order made out to Camp United We Stand to our mailing address on the top of this letter, or visit our website: https://www.campunitedwestand-tentcity.org and click “donate”. All contributions are tax-deductible.

THANK YOU, AND WE WISH YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Beverly Hawkins
Board President, Camp United We Stand



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