Seattle Housing and Resource Effort (SHARE) is closing its neighborhood indoor shelters, including a Green Lake shelter. The shelters’ last night of operation will be this Sunday night (October 9, 2011).
Green Lake’s SHARE shelter is located at Bethany Lutheran Church (7400 Woodlawn Ave NE).
Homeless men first began using the Green Lake shelter in July 2010, following a tense community meeting. There has not been an organized public outcry against the shelter since the July meeting.
In January 2011, a resident of the shelter interrupted an attempted burglary at the church.
July 2010 meeting about SHARE
“SHARE’s money can go no further,” an email sent over the SHARE email distribution list this morning (Thursday, October 6, 2011) read. “The last night inside for the neighborhood indoor shelters is Sunday night, 10/9/11.”
“When one is denied a fair chance at the basics of life – food, shelter and clothing – in a land of plenty such as ours, it is only fair and just to stand up peacefully and ask for better,” the email continued. “That – and staying together and safe – is what we will be doing Monday night [at "World Homeless Action Day"]. We hope you will join us. The more of us who stand up to be counted, the sooner we’ll get back inside.”
Poster courtesy SHARE.
Kathleen Anderson, Interim Pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church, said this morning that she was very upset to hear of the closure. The shelter inhabitants, she said, have patrolled the area and have kept the shelter clean.
Shutting neighborhood shelters, Pastor Anderson said, will only serve to make those with homes less aware of the plight of the poor.
Update, Saturday October 22: All 15 SHARE shelters have reopened.
Good! Now maybe they will get a job!
what a jerk!
No doubt this advice will be most welcomed by the 14 million unemployed and 9.7 million “involuntary part-time” workers in this country, 26.7 million total. Toss in the 1 million “discouraged” workers counted in the September BLS report, and that’s 27.7 million Americans out of a total labor force of a little less than 154 million . . .
wow – arent you judgemental and so quick to judge. you dont know anything about them . they have not caused any problems in the neighborhood -
pull your head out of the sand. really?
yes really…. i have had no problem with the people staying there – now I do have a huge problem with SHARE and the church and how they did not let neighbors know anything about it ahead of time. Neither SHARE nor this church were upfront. and again I say – they have not caused any problems since being there that I have seen - so all I can assume is that you must know more details than I do.
The poster looks like Night of the Living Dead
it’s about time!!!!