Baby, It's COLD Outside
Seattle doesn't usually get this cold.
Operation Nightwatch responded. Extra blankets went out to three different shelters -- ROOTS shelter http://udsp.org/root and FASC shelter http://www.fasconline.org/default.asp and the temporary cold weather shelter run by Salvation Army on a contract with City of Seattle, located at City Hall, 4th and James.
We also had volunteers riding along in two police vans, trying to convince homeless people to go into shelter for the cold weather.
Plus Father Kim and I were out and about
We stopped by the Seattle Center and made contact with the security people there. Talked to several homeless guys who were hanging out in the Center House; at 10:00 p.m. they were off to Sacred Heart shelter, so I guess this is the nightly routine. They were a little freaky about having 2 priests talk to them. But it was good.
At the Dravus Street bar -- which was pretty dead -- we were goofing at the bar that we had blankets if there were any homeless in the house -- thinking of course that there weren't any. Goes to show ya. Some clean cut guy at the bar said he had no place to go. "You're kidding?" Nope. So we took "J" off to FASC and fixed him up with a mat for the night. "V" was subbing in the bar for the Milk Maid, who is off settling her mother's affairs. Mom lived to be 92 (pretty good genes there!) V wonders if she'll even come back. I hope so, just so I can say goodbye or something. I guess the Milk Maid has worked there 30 years. I'm gonna have to check to see if it's really true. Can't believe it.
I felt compelled to return up to My Favorite Queen Anne Bar since I missed last week. It was pretty busy -- had a few inconsequential how-de-dos. One guy reminded us that he gave us $20 bucks at Christmas (he must have been drunk, it was actually $40). Kim joked that we were waiting for him to borrow it back. But actually he said these profound words: "I'm blessed. I live in a house on Queen Anne. I want to give it back to the community." He apologized for only having $2 on him; the highs and lows tonight. One a drunk who just can't quit, having to sleep in heap of humanity, the other wanting to make a difference.
Stopped briefly at 3rd and Bell, not much going. R#3 gave us both calendars. A phone call from our police volunteers told us NOT ENOUGH SHELTER exists on this cold night. Harumph. So much for cold weather planning. We ran blankets to City Hall where it was really over crowded. But more needs to be done.
OK I'm exhausted. Pray for all the shelter workers and Deputy Director Ann and all the others on the front lines, and don't forget the folks with no place to go at night. "Foxes have holes, the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Jesus was homeless too.
G'night. Rick
Operation Nightwatch responded. Extra blankets went out to three different shelters -- ROOTS shelter http://udsp.org/root and FASC shelter http://www.fasconline.org/default.asp and the temporary cold weather shelter run by Salvation Army on a contract with City of Seattle, located at City Hall, 4th and James.
We also had volunteers riding along in two police vans, trying to convince homeless people to go into shelter for the cold weather.
Plus Father Kim and I were out and about
We stopped by the Seattle Center and made contact with the security people there. Talked to several homeless guys who were hanging out in the Center House; at 10:00 p.m. they were off to Sacred Heart shelter, so I guess this is the nightly routine. They were a little freaky about having 2 priests talk to them. But it was good.
At the Dravus Street bar -- which was pretty dead -- we were goofing at the bar that we had blankets if there were any homeless in the house -- thinking of course that there weren't any. Goes to show ya. Some clean cut guy at the bar said he had no place to go. "You're kidding?" Nope. So we took "J" off to FASC and fixed him up with a mat for the night. "V" was subbing in the bar for the Milk Maid, who is off settling her mother's affairs. Mom lived to be 92 (pretty good genes there!) V wonders if she'll even come back. I hope so, just so I can say goodbye or something. I guess the Milk Maid has worked there 30 years. I'm gonna have to check to see if it's really true. Can't believe it.
I felt compelled to return up to My Favorite Queen Anne Bar since I missed last week. It was pretty busy -- had a few inconsequential how-de-dos. One guy reminded us that he gave us $20 bucks at Christmas (he must have been drunk, it was actually $40). Kim joked that we were waiting for him to borrow it back. But actually he said these profound words: "I'm blessed. I live in a house on Queen Anne. I want to give it back to the community." He apologized for only having $2 on him; the highs and lows tonight. One a drunk who just can't quit, having to sleep in heap of humanity, the other wanting to make a difference.
Stopped briefly at 3rd and Bell, not much going. R#3 gave us both calendars. A phone call from our police volunteers told us NOT ENOUGH SHELTER exists on this cold night. Harumph. So much for cold weather planning. We ran blankets to City Hall where it was really over crowded. But more needs to be done.
OK I'm exhausted. Pray for all the shelter workers and Deputy Director Ann and all the others on the front lines, and don't forget the folks with no place to go at night. "Foxes have holes, the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Jesus was homeless too.
G'night. Rick
posted by Pastor Rick | 1:31 AM
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