The 5K run/walk will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. Race information is available here.

New and used shoes of any kind will be accepted at the FROGBOX booth beginning at 8 a.m. The booth, which will be on the west side of Green Lake, can be found by looking for stacks of big green boxes.

Redeeming Soles provides shoes to Seattle’s homeless and underprivileged. A video describing their mission can be viewed here:

Redeeming Soles will also be at Green Lake Park during SPU’s Falcons 5K Fun Run and Walk on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. And, they have a shoe drop-off center at Road Runner Sports (7020 Woodlawn Avenue NE).

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Post tags: clothing, fundraiser, homeless, running

Citing insufficient funds, SHARE closed all 15 of its neighborhood indoor shelters on Monday, October 10.

“We are reopening because the $44,000 that the National FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] Board had cut from our yearly budget was restored,” the email sent by SHARE last night explained. “We are reopening because the SHARE Shelter Board had a fabulously successful Auction last Sunday night, that resulted in a $25,000 check delivered yesterday to SHARE. [...] Also yesterday, the City of Seattle agreed to reimburse SHARE for all costs contractually incurred already in this month.”

According to the email, all 15 shelters were reopened last night. “We are happy to be going back indoors,” the email reads. “We thank all our friends ands allies for all their support.”

The author of the email specifically thanks members of Occupy Seattle, shelter hosts, donors, Mayor Mike McGinn, Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith, Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata, and the security personnel at the Gates Foundation, where members of the group camped while the indoor shelters were closed.

FEMA funding and auction proceeds will enable the shelters to remain open for the rest of the year.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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The shelter closed on Monday, October 10, 2011 after more than a year at the Green Lake church.

Although there was some community resistance about the shelter preceding its opening, there has not been an organized public outcry since then. In January 2011, a resident of the shelter interrupted an attempted burglary at the church.

The Green Lake shelter is a part of Seattle Housing and Resource Effort (SHARE). SHARE closed all 15 of its neighborhood indoor shelters earlier this month due to insufficient funding.

According to KING 5, SHARE has received word that some new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for SHARE will be officially approved tomorrow (Wednesday, October 19).

“Even then,” KING 5′s Jake Whittenberg reports, ”the money won’t actually get to SHARE for another three weeks, so SHARE is searching for more money until then.”

Update, Saturday October 22: All 15 SHARE shelters have reopened.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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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.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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According to a police report, the incident happened around 3 a.m. last Thursday morning (Jan 13, 2011).

Bethany Lutheran Church has been home to SHARE, a homeless shelter, since July 2010, following a tense community meeting held by the church (read more about the meeting here).

July meeting about SHARE, led by Pastor Andersen.

The police report indicates that a SHARE resident told the police officer that he heard a window break as he was sleeping inside the church.  ”When he got up to investigate,” the report reads, “he heard some rustling around in the office on the south side of the building.  [He] stated it sounded as if there was someone in the office stepping on glass.  At this point [he] pounded on the door and the noise stopped.  He listed [sic] for a few minutes and did not hear anything.  The room where the noise was coming from was locked and had no other point of entry into the church.  [He] did not want to go outside to check the window for fear of confrontation.”

The SHARE resident alerted a staff member of the church, who then called 911.

Pastor Andersen says that no property was stolen and the broken window was promptly repaired.

“Bethany’s staff and members are grateful for the prompt response of SHARE residents and their care of the property and grounds of the church,” said the pastor.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: crime, homeless

The Greenlake Guest House (7630 East Green Lake Dr N) is collecting gently-used linens to donate to local shelters, on behalf of the Seattle Bed & Breakfast Association.

Please bring your donation to the Greenlake Guest House by Monday (Nov. 8, 2010).

The Greenlake Guest House is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: advertiser, homeless

The SHARE shelter has been in operation since July 15th of this year.  Many Green Lake residents expressed concerns when the shelter opened.

Last night (Wednesday, Sept 8, 2010), SHARE and church representatives spoke at the Green Lake Community Council meeting.

John Uusitalo, a member of the Church Council, reported that there had been “no problems” since the shelter opened.  He said that the church has made it clear to SHARE that “if there are any problems, they are out.”

“In the five or six days after the shelter opened,” Uusitalo said, “we received four calls from people asking when the shelter was opening.  They didn’t realize that it had already opened.  There has been no impact on the neighborhood.”

SHARE participant Andrew reported that three homeless people who had been camping out on the church’s porch prior to SHARE’s arrival were now gone, thanks to walk-throughs that SHARE participants do on the property each morning and night.

Another SHARE participant said that the Green Lake community has been very welcoming.  “The neighbors have been great,” he said.  “They’ve brought us peaches and sandwiches.”

In July, SHARE was in a budget crisis which threatened funding for bus tickets that SHARE participants use to travel between downtown and neighborhood shelters, including the Green Lake shelter.   However, funding has come through.  Uusitalo reported that the men will have bus tickets through the end of the year.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: homeless

The Green Lake shelter, which is located at Bethany Lutheran Church (7400 Woodlawn Ave NE), has been in operation since July 15th  of this year.  Many residents from the surrounding area have expressed concerns about the shelter.

A representative from SHARE sent an “emergency update” this morning to an email announcement list associated with the Nickelsville homeless camp.

“Next week,” the email states, “our cash flow will hit the wall. [...] Bus ticket purchases will be unaffordable.”

The men staying at the Green Lake shelter depend on Metro bus transportation to travel between downtown and the shelter every day.

When bus tickets are no longer available to SHARE participants, they “will ask the METRO Bus Driver if they can ride for free.  If the bus driver says yes, they go to their shelter for the night as usual. If the bus driver says no, the group returns to the SHARE Office.” It is estimated that SHARE’s reserve of bus tickets will run out on Thursday, August 5th.

An overnight protest is being organized at the private residence of Councilmember Tim Burgess.   Organizers would like Seattle City Council to allocate $50,000 to SHARE.

SHARE has put out a call for help.  If you can assist SHARE participants by driving them to and from the shelter, please call SHARE at (206) 448-7889.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: homeless

Members of the church congregation and residents of the surrounding neighborhood came together to hear from eight men representing SHARE (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort).  SHARE plans to establish a homeless shelter for twenty homeless men at the church, beginning tonight.

The meeting began with an introduction from Pastor Dennis Andersen, who discussed the guiding principles of the Lutheran faith and the church’s mission to help those in need.  He explained that the decision to host the shelter at the church came after “considerable inquiry over a series of months,” during which the congregation examined both practical and spiritual matters.

Pastor Andersen acknowledged that the public inquiry period had been delayed until the night before the shelter’s opening.  He explained that this was done at SHARE’s request.  He also emphasized that the shelter was opening on a trial basis.  After one month, the church plans to assess the success of the program.

Representatives from SHARE then provided information about the group’s history, structure, and goals.   First to speak was Lantz Rowland, who introduced himself and stated that he had been involved in SHARE “on and off since the late ’90s.”  Before he was able to continue the presentation, a woman in the audience loudly demanded to be able to ask a question.  Rowland advised that there would be time following the presentation for questions.  The woman persisted, demanding to be able to ask a question and requesting that Rowland explain why he had been “in and out of homelessness” for so many years.  Rowland offered to answer questions about his personal situation after the meeting and continued with his planned presentation.

Rowland explained that while SHARE has a small number of staff who function as organizers, the fifteen SHARE shelters across the city are managed exclusively by the people staying in the shelters.  SHARE, Rowland said, is not a social service organization.  It is a self-help group.

Rowland then gave the floor to Roger, another SHARE representative.  Roger described why homeless people need shelters, explaining that the primary need is for safety.

The mechanics of how a SHARE shelter is run were also reviewed.  The self-managed shelters are run as a democracy by the people living in it.  They are not walk-in shelters; screening is done off-site.   The people living in the shelter arrive as a group at 9:30 p.m. and immediately enter the shelter.  They are not permitted to leave the shelter until morning, when they must leave the neighborhood.  They must keep the shelter clean, and they provide extra security for the shelter host.  If a member of the shelter breaks a rule he will be removed from the shelter immediately.

A question period then followed.  While three of the Green Lake residents in attendance expressed support for the shelter, citing that they believe that the increased security provided by SHARE participants would create a safer neighborhood, several neighbors of the church voiced concerns.

There were many questions about the screening process that SHARE uses.  Concern was expressed about the presence of a sex offender at a SHARE shelter in Ballard last year.  SHARE representatives responded that they “do no knowingly screen in sex offenders,” and that if an individual does not register as a sex offender, SHARE is unable to screen him out.

There were also several complaints about the neighborhood notification process, which did not include a long or involved consultation of the church’s residential neighbors.  The process was called “insulting” by one Green Lake resident in attendance, a comment which garnered loud agreement.  Another resident said that he felt as though the shelter was being “shoved down our throats.”  A third said that it was a “matter of trust, right off the bat,” and a fourth felt that the notice SHARE provided, which stated the shelter was simply a “proposed shelter,” was “disingenuous.”

The SHARE representatives responded to the concerns raised about the neighborhood notification process by explaining that SHARE was only providing information; they do not have to justify the existence of the shelter or ask permission of the neighborhood.  To this, a member of the audience answered: “You haven’t asked permission of the people who bought houses here!”

The tension in the room rose as the woman who interrupted Rowland’s initial presentation continued to interrupt both SHARE representatives and others with her own questions and comments.  At several points she was advised by Pastor Andersen that if she continued her inappropriate behavior, she would be asked to leave.

Meanwhile, other concerns were raised, including a series of questions about permitting.  One man in attendance had called the City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development earlier that day.  He reported that he had learned that the shelter did not conform to zoning regulations.  Pastor Lisa Anthony of the Green Lake United Methodist Church explained that churches are not subject to zoning regulations when they are performing their spiritual ministry, including outreach to the poor.

The conversation then moved to a discussion the long-term goals of SHARE and the church. The shelter will be at the church for 30 days on a provisional basis.  After the pilot period is over, the church and SHARE will assess whether they wish to continue on a permanent basis.  While the shelter is starting with 20 men, it may in time grow, although it will not grow in size beyond 30 men.

Those in attendance also heard from other Seattle pastors who have prior experience with SHARE shelters, including the pastors of Trinity United Methodist Church in Ballard and Woodland Park United Methodist Church in Phinney Ridge.  Both reported positive experiences with SHARE.

The meeting concluded with an assurance from both SHARE and Pastor Andersen that questions from the community are welcomed and encouraged.  You can reach Bethany Lutheran Church at 206 523 4454 and the SHARE offices at 206 448 7889.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: homeless, spiritual

The shelter will house twenty homeless men who are participants in SHARE (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort).  The church and SHARE will be working together for a one-month trial period beginning tomorrow (Thursday).

Today, we learned that a similar SHARE shelter was located at a Ballard church last year.  The shelter was eventually shut down due to SHARE’s highly controversial screening procedures.

Our news partner My Ballard closely followed the story as it developed:

February 2009 – Emotions run high at homeless shelter meeting

April 2009 – SHARE: Sex offender screening ‘un-American’

May 2009 – Church votes on shelter, results on Sunday

May 2009 – Homeless shelter to move into Ballard church

September 2009 – SHARE: Sex offender removed from shelter

September 2009 – Our Redeemers: ‘More than deeply saddened’

October 2009 – Neighbors: Make changes at homeless shelter

November 2009 – Controversial Ballard homeless shelter to close

We will be keep you up-to-date on this story as it develops in Green Lake, beginning with tonight’s meeting at Bethany Lutheran Church.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: ballard, homeless