Seattle Homeless Camps

Seattle is taking input with respect to how to deal with homeless camps until 5pm today. Their current practice is to post 48 hours notice, and then to take all of the belongings of the people in those camps, their blankets, tents, whatever, everything, and send it to the trash.

The following is from KUOW 94.9 FM. It is today that the cutoff is not tomorrow, this story came out yesterday. Sorry for no more advanced notice but I didn't hear about this until last night.

The city is taking comments on the draft rules for removing homeless encampments until 5 p.m. tomorrow. Comments can be made to David Takami, public information officer with the city's Human Services Department.

• E-mail Takami at david.takami@seattle.gov
• Fax your comments 206-233-5119
• Mail to public information officer, Seattle Human Services Department, P.O. Box 34215, Seattle, WA, 98124-4215
• Hand-deliver by dropping your comments off at the 58th floor at 700 Fifth Ave. (Fifth Avenue and Columbia Street)

FreeRice.com

I've added FreeRice.com as a resource on the sidebar. This is a cool site which basically is a vocabulary game with banner advertising, the advertising revenue goes to buy rice to feed the hungry. So go play, get smarter, and feed someone.

Help

I can take photographs, I can interview, I can make it available on the web. I am hesitant to do so without legal issues first being addressed.

I need help with legal aspects. Since these photographs will be identifiable, I need some kind of model release. I'd also like help from businesses willing to provide things these people need. And lastly, I need help with the legal and administrative issues.

Legal Structure & Administration

Two things occurred to me. First, in order to be able to accept donations that can be given to these people, some legal structure, non-profit organization type thing, will be required. I know nothing of this.

Second, once established, that will need to be administered. I've come to learn, through operating a business, that administration isn't my forte.

I am wondering if a reader might be willing to establish the necessary legal structure and server as the administrator(s)? Someone who has the necessarily legal background and time. I don't expect this will be a huge thing because I'll be doing the leg work of interviewing, photographing, and documenting, and distributing items in the process, although if there are people that want to help with this also and make it a group project, I would be happy to have your help.

In The Process

I'm still in the process of getting things together. I've added a link in the sidebar to the Seattle Union Gospel Mission, I think these people are doing great things and are deserving of support.

I am still looking for businesses that might be willing to contribute some things that can help these people while they're still on the street, food coupons, blankets, boots, clothing, etc.

New Project

Over the last twenty years or so I've watched their numbers increase, people standing on the corners begging for their very existence. Some of these people are alcoholics, drug addicts, mentally ill, some have simply had an extended run of bad luck.

I'm tried of hearing how well the economy is doing and all the new jobs that have been created and how free we all are, when these people are still out on the street begging for a living.

If Cuba can provide each of it's people a college education and housing, why can't America?

I enjoy taking pictures and I enjoy writing, and I've written about a number of things that are important to me but so far I don't feel like they've had any real impact.

What I hope to do with this blog is to document the lives of these people, how they are living now, how they came to be on the streets, and what they feel they need to get off the streets and have a decent life back.

I am also hoping that perhaps this can serve to help organize some resources to get help to these people.

Businesses: If you can help out by providing some things that these people need, clothing, blankets, boots, etc, please contact me.

Individuals: Anybody that cares to collaborate, please contact me. If you know of anyone who would like to have their story told please let me know.

Stay Tuned...