Fall 2022: Walking in busy downtown Ballard on a Fri nite and someone had been sprayed with pepper spray. The man was struck in the face with the chemicals and could not see out of his eyes.
Advice from people on the street and the internet pointed to taking a long shower, with soap to break down the oil in the spray. He asked for milk but people said milk was ineffective. No public showers, no community center, no shelters nearby.
He suggested we go to the ER. We walked over there. Sightless, I had to guide him and the diluted spray was stinging my own hands and eyes. His skin was red, inflamed, his clothes were soaked from all the water we/he used to “wash off”…Continued : GoFundMe

In retrospect I should have taken an extra minute and texted someone from Mutual Aid, for info. I really thought ER would immediately triage the skin inflammation and temporary blindness ASAP.

September 2022: Wildfire smoke and Unhealthy air quality. North Seattle shelters closed when the State issued a 2020 Stay at Home order. Adjacent Zoo is keeping animals cool, and free from bad air quality and Bird Flu in climate controlled facilities. Taxpayers contribute $13M a year and sacrifice 92 acres of public land, buildings, amenities to this centrally located place. No homeless are ever allowed to sleep/stay in the parks next to zoo. No running water there anyway. In past, Zoo security would roust them and point them to Woodland Park and Greenlake.

The case worker assigned to my friend has left the agency. Once he gets a phone he can speak with another associated agency. That agency does not give out phones. He needs to get an ID to get a free or discounted phone. Hard to hold onto phones when you are homeless.

Summer 2022: Heat is oppressive. Shelters still full. Greenlake Park is being used more regularly for activities by housed neighbors. Greenlake Community Center dropped the Covid Vaccination card requirement. Showers once again opened to all.

A woman in her 30s was shot at Park Place Motel in August. She was well-liked by many nearby houseless neighbors. A part of the social fabric of the local community is gone.

July 2022: Record-breaking heatwaves. Most renters in my expensive ‘hood do not have A/C. Neighbors housed and unhoused advising each other: “Remember to drink fluids!”. We do not have many (any?) water fountains in upper Fremont. I carry extra water bottles. A local sign waver, i.e “Any help appreciated” is given money and water bottles by locals. Gave me his extra bottles and I distributed. Lately heard of several overdoses which must be fentanyl and/or heat. 46% increase compared to last year at this time.

Long dry summer days. Seasons bring changes to the shelter population. They admit newcomers. This trial and error can mean violence. My friend went to the hospital when he was struct by a new man at the shelter. So he avoided shelter and felt like a target. Was then kicked out for missing curfew too much. Shelter has never placed anyone in long term housing, to my knowledge.

May 2022: One of my friends stays in an enhanced homeless shelter. If they get housing it will be the first time that their veteran case worker has ever placed a client in an apartment. Fingers crossed! Newer shelters can be located in unused office space, using cubicle sized areas with canvas drapes to separate the tenants. Kitchen area, with food cubbies. Donations of cell phones, tablets, with associated headsets are needed. I started a fund drive for FamilyWorks, they have a free supply closet and food bank. $70 raised so far!

Early May 2022: Mayor announces more sweeps, this time in North Seattle’s Woodland Park area. The local shelters have been closed but food and services are available. Many dozens of ppl call the park home. Over months of volunteer and city effort, about half have found an indoor situation, a bed, a room, maybe an ap’t. (rare). Progress is interrupted when a sweep happens. The remaining Woodland Park campers are being offered supervised tiny house accommodation on the other side of Seattle. As it gets closer to May 10th campers will just have to move to the tiny house village plot or just move.. It’s an “un-settling”. Volunteers worked on Mother’s Day, the Sunday before the city’s sweep. Neighbors/Volunteers are there for moral and physical support of these people, who have oft been destabilized throughout their lives. Housing first. Stability creates opportunity for positive change. Uncertainty creates stress and chaos. My GoFundMe.

On Wed May 11 there were a couple RVs still in the parking lot. Here’s my Twitter reporting from that experience.

April 2022: Supporting Houseless Neighbors. My GoFundMe. I’m sure you have seen the immediacy of the need. So did I and I started buying & asking friends for: blankets, bags, pillows, food, clothing. All these things get absorbed quickly. So the need is now. It is still cold and wet in Seattle.

Late February 2022: One of my houseless friends was living in a tent in a picnic shelter in upper Woodland Park. One Friday I visited him and he was hungry. This usually means a. I go grab one of my ready-made hot or cold meals or b. He can sit in front of a local store and people buy him food from the store or make a donation. He insisted upon buying pizza and three of us had a very pandemic-compliant pizza party under the tree canopy.

A week later he moved out. The city’s outreach team has been giving ppl a free ride to a bed at overnight shelters. He was given 30 min or less to accept a ride to a new shelter and he took it.

Feb 2022: Stop the Sweeps. An abrupt and cruel sweep happened in downtown Seattle (twitter, video). Less than a day’s notice, supposed to be 48 hours, and houseless ppl in tents were literally swept and kicked off the street opposite City Hall. New mayor Bruce Harrell claims to lead with love, he just let the police and city workers dispose of personal property and set people to wander downtown with no shelter provided. Cashapp $seattlemutualaid / Venmo stopthesweepsseattle

Winter 2022: It’s all about the errands, appointments, and office machines. Getting people into rehab takes punctuality and PDFs. Getting into shelter requires luck and generous amounts of time and care, to keep someone healthy and alive while they wait. Wait is what I do. The houseless neighbors are pretty busy, looking for food, supplies, and a place to crash for the night. Sometimes they find a shelter, the next night they are asked to leave, b/c the church isn’t a fit for them. If/When housing is offered I drive them from temp shelter to the new place. There’s a bed but it’s essentially a rental and they need all that “new apartment” stuff then and there.

Dec 21, 2021: Early morning drop off for a man headed to Rehab out of town. Bus pulls away. Yay, right? Right?! My early Xmas present. Nay. No. The Rehab Center decided my client needed to get antibiotics instead. No rehab. After 9 hours of paperwork and patience, this Winter night they boomeranged him back the 40 miles and dropped him off at a city hospital, with his luggage. I am accepting donations of anything waterproof. Accepting cash donations, to pay a friend to help this man out if needed. I have Xmas out of town and take a pre-dawn flight tomorrow. Venmo: @Sassylassie / Go Fund Me *2022 Update: He made it through this ordeal and is doing better now.*

November/December 2021: All local walk-up shelters in Fremont and Woodland Park have been closed since 2020. My friend had a van for sale. Instead of selling, we offer it to a houseless neighbor. My friend pays for updated tabs and Insurance and he takes out back seats. I find a clean twin bed and bedding. I buy a small hand crank lamp. A flannel sleeping bag in addition to other linens. Thank you to Craigslist and a donation from Cali! I run van before bedtime to warm it up. Very cold in the mornings though. Local coffee shop not a fan of the man in the van. Most neighbors are cool though! Except the one that called to get an “Abandoned vehicle” sticker stuck on it. Clearly, this van is being utilized and not abandoned. But it is taking up a parking space on the street. We can’t move to a nighttime safe lot b/c it has to be moved each morning. *2022 Update: The man was offered shelter in February!*

2021 -> Ongoing. Accepting donations. (10.24.21) Approx. 4,000 Seattleites currently lack access to a safe, fixed accommodation. Shelters, including the one closest to my Fremont-based business, had to close during Covid. Help meet the need by donating the following items. They will be given to those living out-of-doors:

• Socks (new or nearly new, for men and women)
• Underwear (new, all varieties and sizes for men/women)
• Mylar blankets
• Gas cards
• Tarps
• Waterproof pillow cases
• Portable lantern and battery powered lights/headlamps
• Backpacks
• First Aid products
• Large garbage bags
• Clean thermos and reusable water bottles
• Anything else you think might be useful! Cash donations can be made, for purchase of the above: Venmo: @Sassylassie