Seattle Housing and Resource Effort

During this Covid19 crisis homeless people are especially at risk.  All SHARE self-managed nighttime shelters have converted to 24-hour “Shelter in Place” operations with strong protocols in place for health and safety.  SHARE shelters and Tent Cities are better equipped to maintain the space needed between individuals than many other shelters.  However, the Tent Cities receive no public funding.  Help provide financial support for the garbage and toilet services at their sites, communal kitchen, water and many other needs.

More information about SHARE/WHEEL: SHARE--Seattle Housing and Resource Effort--is a grassroots, self-organized, democratic organization of homeless and formerly homeless men and women.  For 30 years we have been working to eradicate homelessness, educate the community, and empower homeless people. We are King County's largest shelter network, with 11 indoor shelters and two Tent Cities.
www.sharewheel.org

2020 has been a year unlike any other. Despite all that has happened, we hope you have found much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Please express your thankfulness by donating to SHARE (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort).

Like all of us, SHARE has experienced stress and uncertainty during this trying year. Maintaining adequate hygiene and social distance is especially difficult for homeless people. SHARE serves 650 people in King County and needs your help to continue to scale their operations to meet the increasing homeless need in our area. 

During the pandemic, all eight SHARE indoor shelters transitioned from overnight-only to 24/7 operations, giving participants the opportunity to stay in place and safe.  Strong sanitation and safety procedures were put in place, and they have been working closely with the Seattle/King County Public Health Department.  Participants have found this transition beneficial not just for physical health, but also for general well-being.  Having a place to be during the shutdown has helped them gain greater agency over their lives.  They are working to keep the shelters going 24 hours next year, too!

More information about SHARE/WHEEL: SHARE--Seattle Housing and Resource Effort --is a grassroots, self-organized, democratic organization of homeless and formerly homeless men and women For over 30 years we have been working to eradicate homelessness, educate the community, and empower homeless people. We are King County's largest shelter network.

There is a sense of urgency for us. We found out very late last week that an annual Federal fund source, through FEMA, will not be coming this year. It was literally due any day now, so this was a stunning blow.  This is a fund source now called EFSP, and it is a grant for emergency shelters that's provided much-needed funding for our Tent Cities (and a bit for our shelters), for decades.  Most recently this was around $30,000 per annum to our organization, but in prior years it was much more.

Apparently King County was deemed ineligible for this much-needed emergency shelter grant source this year because Federal Formulas resulted in their considering King County too wealthy, with too low an unemployment rate, to warrant it (!).  This will impact all emergency shelter providers in King County, but is most impactful to SHARE as we received more EFSP funding than other providers since we provide more Bednights of shelter (indoor and outdoor shelter) than any other provider.


Loss of this $30,000, coupled with the Auction being moved to the Spring, means we really do need our supporters to give what they can to SHARE right now.