BLOCK Updates and Resources

Hello everyone! 

I hope you are all doing well! I wanted to share a few community updates with you all: 

1. We're so excited to share that we're returning to being back in person for our BLOCK Party event, and we would love for you to join us as we celebrate five successful years of the BLOCK Project and dream BIG for the future! Further details below, we hope to see you there!

WHAT IS THE BLOCK PARTY? | A celebration for the future of the BLOCK Project!

We are back in-person for 2023! It is going to be a magical evening full of food, drinks, friends, and celebration as we raise funds to support the BLOCK Project. Save your spot by registering today at auctria.events/BLOCKParty.

WHEN? | May 17, 2023 at 6pm

WHERE? | Block 41 in Belltown, 115 Bell St, Seattle, WA 98121

WHAT DO I DO? | Register to attend today! Registration is free for all but required to save your spot!

2. Seattle King/County is hosting a free health clinic April 27th-April 30th at the Seattle Center. There, they will be offering free vision and dental work, various types of health screenings as well as some resource navigation for health insurance access and more. Please see this link for more information.

3. If you are in need of some extra COVID-19 test kits, you may be able to access some through Say Yes! COVID TEST. Just type in your zip code to see if  tests are available in your area.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Best, 

Angie

Hey everyone! 

The Window of Kindness is hosting a holiday meal next Tuesday, November 22nd from 3-5pm. Jack's BBQ will be catering for us and will be serving delicious chicken among other tasty sides. This is a community wide event, so if you are interested in joining us and spending time together, we would LOVE to see you! Phoebe will be there between 3 and 5pm and I'll be there from 4-5 if you wanna say hey! Just a reminder, the Window of Kindness is located at 4001 9th Ave NE. 

Also, in case anyone is curious about Thanksgiving happenings in Seattle, 211 has a list of various free meals and other holiday related programs if you want to check them out! 

All the best! 

Angie 

Hey everyone! 

Apologies for being a bit late to the party on this one, but I just learned that Compass Center is hosting a Resource Fair tomorrow (10/5) from 10am-2pm. See details below: 

• Where? Compass Center- 210 Alaskan Way South 

• When? Tomorrow, October 5th from 10am-2pm. 

• What? Resource Fair offering support accessing things like: 

  • Medical insurance 

  • Cell phones

  • Free veterinary care

  • Free haircuts

  • Employment opportunities 

  • ORCA cards

  • Hopelink

  • DSHS King County Medical Van

  • ...and much more! 

If anyone ends up going, I'd love to hear how it is!

Best, 

Angie 

Hello everyone and HAPPY FALL!  

In case anyone is interested, Seattle/King County Clinic is hosting a volunteer driven vision clinic from October 20th-23rd at the Seattle Center. The clinic will be offering free eye exams and prescription glasses on a first come first serve basis. I've attached a flyer with more information below in case you want to read more! 

And alas, it's that time of year when I watch the same two videos of a very cute porcupine named Teddy Bear eating pumpkins. Figured I'd share....again. 

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cILZ_cB3_so

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dnB3IapeAA

Best!

Angie

Hey all!

I'm sure you've all seen that we're facing another heatwave this week/weekend. We have contacted the Residents to share information on cooling centers in the city, as well as encouraged them to take measures such as using fans, swamp coolers, and portable ACs to stay cool. We are also making ourselves available to plan with the Residents around any safety concerns they have about the heat. 

In case they don't see our emails and texts to them, I wanted to share the cooling center information with you all as well: 

• Community Drop-In Center – Seattle Indian Center (1265 S Main St suite 105), Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

• The Salvation Army Jefferson Day Center (4th & Jefferson), Monday – Sunday, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM

• Urban Rest Stop – Ballard (2014-B NW 57th St), Monday – Friday, 6:30 AM – 1:30 PM

• Urban Rest Stop – Downtown (1924 Ninth Avenue), Monday – Friday from 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM and Saturday – Sunday from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

• Orion Center (1828 Yale Ave), Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 3:30 PM – 7:00 PM and Saturday from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM; Youth only (ages 12 to 24)

• Mary’s Place Day Center (1831 Ninth Ave), Monday – Friday from 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM; Women or Women with Children only

• DCHS 4th and Jefferson Day Center, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Many Seattle Public library sites will also be open to provide AC. 

Please let us know if you have any questions, and I hope you are all finding ways to beat the heat as well!

Best,

Phoebe Anderson-Kline 

Hi everyone! 

Just wanted to share this new resource list of sliding scale medical services in King County-in case any of these are of interest! Please see attachment below. 

Best! 

Angie 

Hi everyone!

Well...summer seems to actually be (for real for real) here now. With that, I just wanted to put out some resources and ideas for helping to stay cool as the temperatures increase. 

As I hope you all know, fans and swamp coolers are absolutely OK and encouraged to use in the BLOCK homes to help you mitigate the heat. In case you are unfamiliar with what a swamp cooler/evaporative cooler is, it's a compact cooling system (not an AC unit), basically a fan, that uses water evaporation to help cool down a space. I've personally found that using ice water is a way to make the air it blows out as cool as possible. Here are a couple of links that you can check out if you are curious: 

• Arctic Air Pure Chill 

• Frigidair Cooler

• Evaporative Portable Air Cooler

During especially hot days, I would also recommend accessing community cooling centers when you can. 211 has a map with lists of cooling centers by region (I typed in "Seattle"). You can find the link for that here. The website does recommend that you call a location first to make sure they are open. 

Generally speaking, public libraries seem to be widely accessible option available as a fall back, since they typically have AC and you can just hang out there as long as they are open. 

Please reach out if you have any questions! Stay cool and stay safe. 

Best, 

Angie 

Hello amazing, beautiful, wonderful humans!! 

Happy new year! I just want to send some love and appreciation your way. I am so grateful for everyone's presence in this community. YOU make this community what it is, I am grateful to know each of you  Below are just some updates and reminders as we move forward in this new year together. 

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!!! 

Do you like coffee? Do you LOVE coffee? Do you HAVE TO HAVE coffee every morning lest you turn into an angry bear?   Definitely not speaking for myself on that last one  We will soon be receiving a few donated bags of Starbucks coffee. If you are interested, please reach out to me by the end of next Wednesday (1/19).

Space Heaters 

As we move further into winter, please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you are struggling to stay warm. We recognize that the terms of use prohibit the use of space heaters, but we also want to be flexible with accommodation folks as needed. That being said, we do still need to have a conversation prior to approving it. So if you are having a difficult time staying warm and want to purchase a space heater for yourself, please reach out to Phoebe or I first so that we can discuss options with you. 

Reminder: Upcoming Maintenance/Health and Safety Inspections 

I want to keep it on everyone's radar that we will be doing an annual inspection of all the BLOCK homes in the beginning of this new year. This will be to track if there are any major maintenance issues that need to be addressed and to make sure that everything is working the way it is supposed to in your home. It will also include a health and safety component to make sure the home itself is being kept in a good and safe condition (in accordance with the Terms of Use). Please be on the lookout for communication from Berns about scheduling a time for those inspections. 

Reminder: Pet and Guest Policies 

Just a quick reminder regarding our Pet and Guest Policies. As per the Terms of Use, we do have forms that need to be filled out and signed both for getting a new pet as well as for any overnight guests (this must be completed in advance prior to a guest spending the night). Please reach out to Phoebe or I directly if you 1. have any questions about this or 2. need to make a request for either of these things. 

Companion Program Plug 

If you are feeling a desire for more connection and relationship building opportunities within our broader community, the Companionship Program is here for that! Just reach out to me and let me know if you are ever interested :)

Thanks so much! 

Hi everyone! 

I hope these updates find you well :) 

Holidays and Maintenance Requests

With Holidays coming up, I wanted to offer a quick reminder that our offices are closed this Thursday (11/25) and Friday (11/26). Should any maintenance or other housing related issues arise, please email support@facinghomelessness.org. In the event of a maintenance emergency (such as electrical issues, major plumbing issues, locking yourself out of your home with no access to a spare key, etc.) staff will be with you ASAP. If the request is not an emergency, please do email us anyway, as it will be seen and responded to the following week. 

On the topic of maintenance, I also wanted to give everyone a heads up that we will be doing routine maintenance safety checks and work throughout the month of December. This is to ensure that your home stays safe and functioning. Please be on the lookout for a text or call from Berns for scheduling! :) 

Crisis Resources

As a reminder, I’m also including our 911 Alternatives List  (which you can find at the bottom of our Staff Contact Page) as a consistent resource for anything safety/crisis related. 

End of Year Campaign 

You may have already seen the email from Phoebe about our End of Year Campaign, but I wanted to drop one more note about it in case you missed it. 

For our end of year fundraising campaign, we are collecting stories from members of the Facing Homelessness community to share the impact of supporting Facing Homelessness. If you are interested in supporting this effort, please let us know by filling out this survey. You can either respond to these questions in that survey, free write and send it to Phoebe or directly to 

development@facinghomelessness.org, or request that we record you answering these questions and transcribe what you say if you're more comfortable speaking rather than writing. Again, this is a completely optional request. We're happy to answer any questions- we want you to have ownership and control of this process if you do opt in.

Bridge Care Center Program

Lastly, I wanted to share a local program we recently learned about called the Bridge Care Center Program. It’s located in Ballard and offers various resources for anyone needing extra support in the community. As their name suggests, they serve as a bridge to connect and refer folks to other available resources in the community. They also have things like clothing closets, cold weather/outdoor gear, case management, computer/phone, professional development groups, and a community room to connect with others. If you’re in the area and are interested, check em out! :) 

That’s all for now! I hope you all have a wonderful week. As always, I look forward to connecting with all of you soon! 

Hello everyone! 

Happy (almost) Halloween!! I hope you’ve all been doing ok with respect to the recent wind storm, as it’s been a whirlwind (do you see what I did there?). Seriously though, I hope everyone is doing ok and that any power outages will resolve soon. I have a few updates and reminders for this month. 

The Window of Kindness 

Beginning Saturday, November 16th, the Window of Kindness will be open on Saturdays from 12-5pm. As many of you may already know, the Window of Kindness is a physical window looking into our office where we hand out supplies (such as socks, gloves, sleeping bags, snacks, and other supplies essential for staying dry and warm.). It is also a space for connection; people can come for a cup of hot chocolate, conversation, and a listening ear. After hearing from our community members who utilize The Window, we learned that Saturdays would be one of the more useful days to have the Window open since most other services are closed that day of the week. As always, you are more than welcome to stop on by to say hello! 

Window of Kindness Hours

• Tuesday: 3-5pm

• Wednesday: 3-5pm

• Thursday: 3-5pm

• Saturday: 12-5pm

Address: 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105

New King County Vaccination Regulations

You may have already seen Phoebe’s email regarding new COVID Vaccination regulations that went into effect yesterday (10/25). This is just a reminder in case you missed it. King County is now requiring people to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (taken within the last 72hours) in order to access most events and public indoor spaces. This video offers more information. 

Resident Action Project 

Are you interested in housing justice advocacy? If so, you might be interested in checking out Resident Action Project (RAP). We recently learned about this organizing network through a Housing and Homelessness Conference, and wanted to share it with you all in case you are curious about it! Below is a brief description taken directly from the RAP website: 

“The Resident Action Project is a statewide network in Washington led by people who have experienced housing injustice. Together, we are building power to change state policy through storytelling, organizing, and civic action.

Our aim is to build a statewide network of people who are directly impacted by housing and homelessness issues who are leading the charge for social change. These issues do not exist in a vacuum. We know that too many of the people with lived experience are people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and single parent families, and housing is one part of a larger system of oppression that we hope to address in our organizing work.” 

Companionship Program

Many of you already know about our Companionship Program, but I wanted to put this out there as a semi-regular reminder in case anyone new wants to participate. This is a volunteer program that brings together other members from our housed community and members of the BLOCK Home Community who want to connect and build relationships with one another. If you are interested in participating in this program, you would be connected with a companion volunteer to meet up on a regular basis (either by phone, video chat, or in person). This can look like going for walks, having coffee together, sharing a meal, or simply talking on the phone once a week or a couple times per month. The goal of the companionship program is to cultivate a strong sense of community and to expand our circles of care with one another.

If you are interested in learning more about the Companionship Program and/or being connected with a companion volunteer, please reach out to either Phoebe or I.

That’s all for now!

Hello everyone! 

We hope that you are all doing well as our summer weather transitions into a crisp fall. We wanted to share a few updates with you. 

Kristina!

As some of you may already know, we have welcomed a new member to our team, Kristina! Kristina is stepping into Liana’s role as our new QuEST fellow. She will be working closely with Phoebe and I on the BLOCK Project to support Residents, Hosts, and Companions. She will also be working with Karina in supporting the Window of Kindness. Kristina brings so much thoughtfulness and passion to our community and is such a wonderful addition to our team! 

COVID Safety Updates: Current Guidelines

In an effort to stay up to date on COVID-related safety practices, we are linking a couple pages from Coronavirus.wa website: Life After Vaccine and Life After Vaccine: Common Questions and Answers. Both pages offer important information regarding safety practices, both for folks who are vaccinated and for those who are not. Some key takeaways are as follows: 

1. Regardless of vaccination status, everyone is still required to wear masks in public indoor settings. 

2. Masks are not required outdoors, however it is strongly encouraged for people to wear masks in any crowded outdoor settings (this is especially true if you are not fully vaccinated). 

3. If you ARE vaccinated, it is recommended that you: 

a. Keep official proof of vaccination with you. The advice is to treat it as you would a birth certificate or any other official document (take a photo and then store it at home). 

b. Still respect the rules of the room you are in. 

c. Get tested if you experience any of the COVID-19 symptoms. 

d. Follow the CDC and Health Department travel recommendations.

4. If you are NOT fully vaccinated, it is recommended that you: 

a. Wear a well-fitted mask in all public indoor settings and in crowded outdoor settings, like sporting events.

b. Keep gatherings small and outdoors or indoors with the windows open.

c. Wear masks and stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart if you’re gathering with other people who are not yet vaccinated.

d. Get tested for COVID-19 if you’re experiencing symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

e. Continue to avoid travel unless it is essential. If you do travel, get tested for COVID-19 before and after traveling and quarantine for seven days after traveling.

f. Add WA Notify to your smartphone to alert you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19 and anonymously alert others if you test positive. WA Notify is completely private and doesn't know who you are or track where you go.

As always, stay safe and stay healthy <3

Resident Resource Center and GroupMe App

Just sending out one more plug for our new Resident Resource Center Website! We wanted to highlight the possibility for a BLOCK Resident GroupMe chat if enough people are interested. GroupMe is a free group messaging app that works for iOS (Apple), Android, Windows devices, computers and tablets. It could be a way for folks to connect with one another virtually! You can find out more information here on the Resident Resource Center page.

BLOCK Home Updates

BLOCK Home 11 is officially complete and we are hoping to welcome a new resident soon! BLOCK Home 12 is currently under construction.

Just for FUN

Lastly, we wanted to leave you with this fall inspired video of a porcupine named Teddy Bear eating a pumpkin. Enjoy!

I hope you're easing into August alright, and finding time to enjoy some end of summer activities (say it isn't so!). I have some exciting organizational news that I wanted to share out today!

1) We've hired a new Executive Director! His name is Kevin Glackin-Coley and I'm copying a letter from our Board President at the end of this email so you can find out more information about Kevin's career and values. I'm personally very excited about Kevin, as I think he brings a lot of great experience and insight and will be really valuable to us as we grow the BLOCK Project and it's community sustainably! If you're interested in meeting Kevin soon, I can make sure we set up a Resident meet and greet with him!

2) If you haven't seen the news, it looks like the CDC has found that the new COVID delta variant is spreading quickly, and that even those who are vaccinated can both spread and catch COVID. I'll be sending out some community updates later this week about our recommendations for best safety practices in light of this. Please do continue to take care of yourselves and your community. This has been a really hard year and half and I know we're all exhausted by the uncertainty, isolation and anxiety that it's brought. Please know you're not alone, and let's keep making sure that all of us can see the other side of this <3

That's it from me at this moment! Please see below for the letter about Kevin!

Dear Friends,

We are so thrilled to share with you that Facing Homelessness has hired a new executive director!! We wanted to let you know in advance of our more public announcement. We have a belief, borne of experience, that the right person always shows up at the right time. It is with joy and full hearts that we will be welcoming Kevin Glackin-Coley as part of this amazing community on August 4th. 

Kevin’s professional and personal life are rooted in service, with a throughline of building relationship with people experiencing homelessness. He spent 16 years as Director of St. Leo Food Connection within St. Leo Catholic Parish in Tacoma-Lakewood where he grew a simple food bank into a more comprehensive set of services to meet the needs that emerged from the community. After making a values-based decision to leave the organization, he more recently worked as Director of Special Projects at Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness. During this time he led strategic planning efforts, increased shelter beds for the winter season, and expanded outreach about the COVID-19 vaccine to our unhoused neighbors.  

We’re glad we found each other! Kevin is a visionary servant leader who prizes relationship. We know he’ll lift up the amazing ideas and strengths of our staff and community of housed and unhoused neighbors, and guide us in our work to inspire deliberate relationship building and community engagement as a pathway to ending homelessness. 

Kevin is eager to meet all of you and to learn about your observations and ideas for how we can make a greater impact and inspire the kind of connection and belonging that heals false divisions.

John Mullin, Board President, and Facing Homelessness Board Members

Hello Hello!

How are you all on this lovely June day? I hope you all have been able to start enjoying the reopening world at your comfort level- I'm still shocked when I see full restaurants and bars, but it's also exciting to think that we might see some normalcy return to our lives after this intense year and a half. I'm noticing a lot of change and movement in my own life and the lives of my friends, and I'm wondering if any of you are feeling it too... is it spring or just hope of the end of COVID in sight? Hard to say!

Onward to updates:

1. Angie!

As many of you know, Angela completed her MSW (Master of Social Work) practicum with us over the last two years. You also may remember that we were holding interviews for a new team member to join the BLOCK Community team as the BLOCK Community Support Coordinator. Angie applied and demonstrated through her interviews her excellent skills in working with people from all different backgrounds, her experience working in housing service support and her strong passion for the BLOCK Project. She will be officially joining us in July and will be the first contact and support for all of you and future Residents! I want you all to know that I'm not going anywhere though! I'll still be here to say hello, have coffee and take walks, discuss any concerns you have about the BLOCK Project, and I'll be continuing to build out programs for all of you and the Hosts.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know! I know change in an organization can be hard, even positive change!

2. Biweekly zoom meetings!

We took a pause for a little while because it didn't seem like too many people were interested in joining, and I wonder if we want to restart them or find another way for those of us who want to get together to do so! We could have a biweekly gathering in a park, or still do zoom meet ups, or anything in between. I'll need to hear back from at least two people in order to plan and put this on the calendar, so if you're interested, please do let me know!

I think that's it from me! As always, please reach out if you want to go for a walk, have coffee or check in about anything related to the BLOCK Project. I hope I can see you all soon!

I hope you're all doing well this morning! May, to me, feels like it's moving pretty quickly... does anyone else feel that way?

I only have one major update this week, and I would love to hear your thoughts around it:

1. We're currently accepting applications for a Coordinator to join our BLOCK Community team. This person would work closely with you all as well as our Host Community, and would be a primary contact for Residents. I will still of course be here to talk to and visit with, but bringing this person in will also allow me to have more time to build up partnerships and programming for the BLOCK project.

 We are planning to start interviewing applicants next week and I'm curious- what do YOU think are important qualifications or traits for this person to have? What questions do think it's important for us to have answers to as we make a hiring decision? If you have any ideas, please send them back and I'll work to incorporate them into our interview process.

2. If you spoke to UW students for their survey on community within the BLOCK project, we are waiting on them to get us the promised gift cards. As soon as they're in, you can come to the office to pick them up or we will deliver them to you, it's your preference. We will keep you posted as we know more!

Thanks everyone! As always, give me a call, text or email if you'd like to connect! 425-276-1965.

Happy Tuesday!

It's been a minute. I had a whirlwind week being in and out of office last week. I spent some time in San Diego seeing my family, and then spent a weekend in Alaska to get in some mountain views and see a few friends. I'm glad to be back though! I hope you all had nice and fulfilling weeks. Let's get into some updates:

1. Last call for paid UW interviews!

A few of you have already expressed interest or talked to the UW group who are doing research on how to provide more community inclusion/connectivity to you all as Residents. If you haven't expressed interest but would like to talk to any of the student researchers, let us know! They're providing gift cards as compensation.

2. Weekly Resident Drop Ins

I love hosting these zooms, and I want them to be useful for you. I'm hoping we'll have more opportunity to provide in person chances to gather, but since we're all spread out and it's still safest to be remote right now, what do YOU want out of Resident drop ins? Would you like something different than what's being offered right now?

Our next meeting will be NEXT Thursday. I'll send out the zoom link next week.

3. New BLOCK Homes

If you know of anyone who has a case manager at Sound, Lake city Partners, REST, Chief Seattle Club or Marys Place and wants to live in a BLOCK home, now is the time to let them know they should talk to their case manager about a referral! 

4. 911 Alternatives

Liana has recently developed a great list of ways to get support without calling 911. I wanted to share it with you all in case you ever wanted or needed to use it! Please find it attached, and thank you Liana!! 

Hope you are all well and looking forward to connecting with you all soon! Remember you can always call or email if you need anything :)

Looks like we've got some grey weather coming our way (classic Seattle) so I hope you're getting outside into the sunshine today! Let's get to the updates:

1. Paid opportunity to provide feedback

As mentioned last week, we are partnering with a UW class on how to reduce loneliness and isolation for BLOCK Home Residents. The class is offering compensation for your time and insight on a few questions they have. I don't know the exact amount of the compensation yet, but wanted to offer the opportunity again just in case you missed it last week.

2. Phoebe Out Of Office

I will be out of office this Friday (4/23) to next Tuesday (4/27) and then again on Friday (4/30). Liana, Angie and Jennifer will all be available to you at that time if you need anything! 

3. A teapot up for grabs

Would anyone like this teapot? It was donated to the Window of Kindness but we can't use it there

It's cherry blossom season here in Seattle, and if you get a chance, I totally recommend the trek over to the UW campus to check out the cherry blossoms in the quad. I went this weekend and they are so beautiful! There were a good number of people there, so definitely make sure you bring a mask :) 

let's get into updates!

1. Phoebe and Liana in and out of office

Liana and I both have some days out of office this month, but for the most part, one of us will always be around and available to you. Liana will be out from 04/08 - 04/20. I will be out THIS friday (04/09), and then Friday the 23rd - Tuesday the 27th, and then again on Friday the 30th. You can always reach out to Jennifer or Berns if you need anything in that time, or email: support@facinghomelessness.org

2. Zoom next week:

As always, we alternate weeks for our Resident Drop ins! We will meet NEXT Thursday from 1 to 2 pm. If you want to join us but this time doesn't work, let me know and we can try to find a new time that works for everyone.

3. Vaccine Eligibility 

As of April 15th everyone in the State of Washington will be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine! These vaccines have been proven to not only drastically increase immunity to COVID, and therefore decrease your chances of getting seriously ill, but they've also recently been proven to have right rates of blocking any infection of COVID at all, which means you aren't at risk of spreading it to anyone else. 

I know there is a lot of uncertainty about vaccines out there, but all of Facing Homelessness staff are choosing to get vaccinated and we are happy to help you make appointments to get yours as well if you would like any support.

All right that's it from me! I hope you all have beautiful weeks!

Happy Tuesday! What is everyone feeling grateful for today? I'm feeling gratitude for cherry blossoms and all the signs of early spring around us! Here are your updates for the week!

1. Companionship

Some of you know we have a wonderful program that pairs community members with residents to develop meaningful friendships. We call these community members "companions", and they're there to talk, take walks with, have a coffee and connect with someone linked to the Facing Homelessness community who isn't staff or a host. Some of you are participating in this program right now and I believe have developed some really lovely connections. 

I wanted to extend the offer to the rest of you to see if any of you would like to connect with one of our community members who is in this program. If so, shoot me an email and I'll send you their "profiles" to review! If you have a companion already but would like another one, you can also let me know!

2. Zoooooooom

That's right! It's a zoom week! You can join us between 1 and 2 pm on zoom this Thursday to hang out and chat with us and other Residents. This is a low stress way to meet other folks involved in the BLOCK Project or ask me any questions you've been mulling over. Here's the link to join for Thursday! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89228066855?pwd=c0RscXFheWV2WFJnRXJLYnFpZU9zQT09

3. Resident Surveys and Theory of Change

Some of you may know that we're working on more clearly solidifying our mission and vision for Facing Homelessness and the BLOCK Project. To this end, the surveys you completed with Angie and Liana, made anonymous and stripped of all identifying information are being utilized to help guide us and continue to make our programs better. It's been said before but is always worth repeating: you are making our community and our organization better everyday, just by being part of it.

4. Angie's last 10 weeks!

I believe most of you know Angie, who has been an MSW (Masters of Social Work) student at the UW and with Facing Homelessness for two years. She is entering in her last quarter of her program, which means she'll only be with us for another ten weeks! (Cue me weeping). Feel free to reach out to Angie if you'd like to see her before she heads on to big and beautiful things after graduation. Angie is cc'd on this email so you can reach out to her there if you'd like to connect with her!

That's all from me today! I hope you all get a chance to get outside and enjoy the sunshine before more clouds set in this week! As always, you can reach me by phone (425-276-1965) or by email :)

I'm late this week in getting this email out! I have been rushing around today and got to chat with a few of you, but for not as long as I would have liked to! I hope you all had good weekends, despite the weird weather (it was weird, right??). 

1. There are 10 of you now!! 

That's right! All the BLOCK homes are currently filled by residents. This is pretty exciting and momentous. Welcome to our newest Resident, and if the rest of you all have any tips on BLOCK home living that you think are worth sharing, shoot them over to me and I'll make sure they get passed on! 

2. Zoom!

Resident Drop in Zooms happen every other week from 1 to 2 pm. Last week we had a blast, and next week I look forward to seeing your faces again! You know the drill, you can come for as long or as little as you like, drop in whenever you like, and can bring questions or just stop by to say hello. Liana, Angie and I love holding that space for you! Here's the link for next Thursday (4/1) ( April already??): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89228066855?pwd=c0RscXFheWV2WFJnRXJLYnFpZU9zQT09

3. Spring Equinox!

It was on Saturday! I read tarot cards with a friend which was nice and thought I would bring you all a nice springy poem to celebrate being out of the worst of Seattle weather.  

After the Winter

by: Claude McKay

Some day, when trees have shed their leaves

     And against the morning’s white

The shivering birds beneath the eaves

  Have sheltered for the night,

We’ll turn our faces southward, love,

  Toward the summer isle

Where bamboos spire the shafted grove

     And wide-mouthed orchids smile.

And we will seek the quiet hill

  Where towers the cotton tree,

And leaps the laughing crystal rill,

     And works the droning bee.

And we will build a cottage there

  Beside an open glade,

With black-ribbed blue-bells blowing near,

     And ferns that never fade.

Well that's it from me! As always, shoot me a text, call or email if you have any questions (425-276-1965) if you want to chat, go for a walk or have questions or concerns.

Can you believe this sun??? It's been amazing to be outside and get some sun on my face. Spring is arriving this week, officially on March 20th, but it already feels like its here, doesn't it? I hope you have the chance to get outside a bit and enjoy the blue skies, flowering trees and bird song. It really makes our long winters worth it, doesn't it?

Here are the updates for this week:

1. Thursday zoom

You know what I'm going to say. Zoom on Thursday at 1 pm. Come for as long or as little as you like. Want to join but this time doesn't work for you? Let me know and we can always find another time. Here is the link for joining: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89228066855?pwd=c0RscXFheWV2WFJnRXJLYnFpZU9zQT09

2. Vaccine update (again):

Potentially, you may be eligible for a vaccine TOMORROW. Fill out the phase finder TOMORROW (Wed 17) to see if you qualify: https://form.findyourphasewa.org/210118771253954

3. Stimulus Checks!

If you haven't paid your taxes, registered your new address, or have a bank account you may still be eligible to receive the $1,400 stimulus payment that's scheduled to start roll out tomorrow. What I've heard is that you can go to a tax return office and file what's called an EIP return, and you'll get the money on a debit card. Here's a link to where I found this information: https://www.newsweek.com/how-get-your-1400-stimulus-homeless-right-now-1576460

4. March Music!

Here's our playlist for the month. On Spotify and youtube. Feel free to send us more songs to add! 

That's it from me. You can always reach me at 425-276-1965 if you need me or have any questions!

How's everyone doing this week? I don't know if any of you are early risers, but it's been nice to wake up to a little more light in the morning. Here's our updates for this week:

1. Vaccine Updates:

The Department of Health has changed eligibility dates for who qualifies for the vaccine when. It's a little murky still, but you may be eligible as of March 22 if you have an underlying condition that puts you at higher risk. See the table below:

If you're not sure if this includes you, you can always take the Phase finder quiz on March 22nd (or sooner if you want them to alert you to when you're eligible) to find out. https://form.findyourphasewa.org/210118771253954

Let us know if you have any questions about this!

2. New Resident Program in the works

Our team is currently developing a program to connect you with neighbors and who can offer support in completing errands or getting other tasks done. You would also be able to sign up to support each other or others in the community if you wanted to. 

This is still in early development, so I wanted to check in and see if you all have any ideas or input that you would like to see incorporated into this program. If you have ideas, please email me! I'd also love to have a presentation to give you all as we have a clearer picture of the processes so you can formally review and give us feedback on it, if that's something you're interested in doing. 

3. Playlist for March

you can still submit songs for our new March Playlist! This month's theme is Rainy Day Productivity. Send us your song recommendations by the end of the week, and next week we will send out the playlist so you can listen!

4. Starbucks Gift Cards

Several of you have already received these from your companions or at the Window of Kindness, but I have starbucks gift cards for the rest of you! I'll be reaching out soon to set up a time that I can come by and drop them off for you if I don't already have a meeting on my calendar with you!

That's it from me! As always, let me know if there's anything in particular you want or need from these emails and give me a text or call if you want to take a walk, have coffee or otherwise chat and connect. (425-276-1965)

I can't believe that it's March! I was especially struck by the fact that the sun didn't set until  nearly 6 last night- it feels like spring is finally reaching us and that feels like a huge relief on my end. I hope you all have been able to get out for some walks around your neighborhoods to admire some early spring flowers. I've been loving the crocuses that have been popping up around my house.

Here are your weekly updates!

1. Zoom on Thursday.

You guessed it, it's a Zoom drop in week again! Join us for as long or as little as you like at 1 pm on Thursday to say hello! We'll be hanging out until 2 pm. We'd love to see you! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89228066855?pwd=c0RscXFheWV2WFJnRXJLYnFpZU9zQT09

2. New Playlist Song Call!

This month's playlist theme is "Rainy Day Productivity". What a Seattle playlist! Send us your song recommendations if you have any, and we'll get them added. Staff have already sent a few in, and may I just say, I'm really excited for this final playlist. 

3. Whoops! Credit where Credit is due

I sent a poem out last week but totally forgot to tell you anything about it! The poem is "The Rose Family" by Robert Frost. 

4. Anything you need from these emails?

As you may have noticed, I'm sending this emails weekly and mostly are just little reminders of ways you can connect with the larger Resident Community. I'd love to know if you would like to see anything added to them- what would be nice to know? What would be nice to share? You tell me and we can find a way to make it happen. 

Examples could be: recipe sharing, BLOCK home organization tips, favorite friendly spots around Seattle etc. 

5. You know where to find me.

And that is here: 425-276-1965. As you know I love getting away from my desk, so as always, hit me up for a walk or a coffee chat and I'll come meet you! 

That's it from me folks! Take good care of yourselves and remember- the sun is coming. 

A bit of a late email from me today! I hope you got out to enjoy the sunshine while we had it... it now appears to be hailing, or at least it is in North Seattle!

Not a lot to report from our end this week, but you are all in my thoughts. With Spring right around the corner, I'm finding myself restless, so if you find yourself looking for an excuse to go for a walk and want a companion, don't hesitate to reach out!

A few small updates:

1. We got some great music recommendations to add to the playlist, and we will be sending out a new theme soon for a fun new playlist. If you have any recommendations for good playlist themes, we would also love to hear those!

2. Our biweekly Thursday zoom drop in will be next week and we will send out that reminder and the link next Tuesday.

3. Here's a sweet poem for your Tuesday, just because. 

The rose is a rose,

And was always a rose.

But the theory now goes

That the apple’s a rose,

And the pear is, and so’s

The plum, I suppose.

The dear only knows

What will next prove a rose.

You, of course, are a rose –

But were always a rose.

Hope you're all doing well. As always, I'm just a text or email away. (425-276-1965)

I thought of you all this weekend with all the snow and cold weather. I hoped you stayed warm and didn't go too stir crazy at home. I also know that many of us may know people who don't have places to stay warm and dry right now, and I just want to invite you all to reach out to me if you need to process or talk about any of that. I deeply hope everyone you love and care about is safe and ok in the weather across the country right now.

Updates!

1. Weekly Zoom drop in! 

It's happening this week on Thursday at 1 pm. Come for as long as little as you like. Here's the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89228066855?pwd=c0RscXFheWV2WFJnRXJLYnFpZU9zQT09

2. Music!

Liana will be reaching out soon to invite you to contribute to the next BLOCK playlist! This is will happen every month, and on the first of the month she'll send out our newly updated playlists. Each month will have a different theme, so there will always be some fresh tunes (as the kids say, I think) to keep you company. Is there anything you want to hear or have people contribute to? Let us know!!

3. Do you need some company?

Winters can be really hard in Seattle. If you need some company for a walk or someone to talk to, our Resident Team is here. Liana, Angie and I have time to schedule walks, coffee chats or just visiting with you outside your home. We have to follow COVID guidelines, but would love to see you in person if you're craving that. We can also talk over the phone or zoom as well. 

Let us know, we're here :)

4. Do you have updates?

If you have any updates to share with other residents or with our broader BLOCK community, let us know! Reply to this email or shoot me a text/phone call at 425-276-1965.

I believe that's all from me! Sending lots of love from all of Facing Homelessness to you!

I hope you're staying warm this week. Did anyone get caught in the hail yesterday? Liana and I found ourselves outside when the worst of it was coming down and we were very thankful for our cosmic themed umbrellas (have you seen them yet? If not, remind us to show you next time we swing by!)

Here are a few fun updates from the Block Project for you!

1) MUSIC

We now have a Spotify account! (If you don't know spotify- it's a free music software that lets you listen and make playlists of songs). It's free and easy to download in the App store of any device you have, and free to set up an account. 

We wanted to offer another way to be engaged with our BLOCK community, so we made a playlist for all of us! You can listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51hC5wXe9d5iNkmg7F3KII?si=_9G_RUXERsahOp0nK9dqCA

Our theme for this first play list was "Songs to Pick You Up When You're Down" and our staff contributed a few songs each. If YOU have any songs you want to share with us and each other, feel free to email me or Liana (cc'd on this email) with the name of the song and the artist (if you know them). No need to include a link, we can do the detective work if needed :)

If you like having visuals included in your music, you can watch this playlist on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUP3-lcLicJfc2n7XfVt9LCJstGXblgMq

2)  OFFERS

We have a staff member offering up a blender. I believe it's a few years old but in good condition! If you are interested, please reply and let me know!

On that note, we are offering all of you toaster ovens! A few of you have already gotten them, but if you are interested, also please reply and we will get one ordered for you! 

**Please note, the toaster oven must be operated on a flat, open surface for proper ventilation :)

3) BIWEEKLY RESIDENT ZOOM GATHERINGS

 Our next zoom gathering for residents is on Thursday , 2/18 (Not this Thursday but next). I'll send the reminder link out next Tuesday and probably ANOTHER reminder right as we start on Thursday :) Forgive my badgering, I just want you to all make it if you're interested in coming.

And that's it from me! As always, I'm here as your contact if you have any thoughts, questions, feedback or concerns, or if you just want to take a walk with some friendly company.

Much love!!