Homeless Still Need Help

Just wanted to remind everyone it's still very cold outside and people still need your help. Union Gospel Mission still runs their rescue van and they need your help to keep it stocked with blankets, food, and hot cocoa to help these people make it through the cold nights.

With the economy tanking, there are more and more people on the streets that need your help. In Soho district, if you go down there at 3am, there are many people on the street.

Intense Cold Snap Creates Urgent Needs

The temperature here in Shoreline dropped to 13°F last night. For people out on the streets, this isn't just uncomfortable, it's deadly.

If you have any heavy clothing or warm blankets you can donate, the Union Gospel Mission and the Everett Gospel Mission are in need of these things at this time.

You can drop off donations for the Seattle Union Gospel Mission at any of these locations. The are especially in need of socks, warm blankets, and heavy coats.

Here is contact information for the Everett Gospel Mission. They have a much broader list of urgently needed items.

Both of these will also accept monetary contributes and there are many volunteer opportunities. But right now with this ultra-cold spell, anything to help people keep warm is a high priority.

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.