Homelessness - in our comfortable Queen Anne homes it can be hard to understand just how real it is. Well, consider this — in the most recent comprehensive review of Seattle’s homeless population, the survey found that:

• Almost 4,700 people were living in homeless shelters.
• Some 51 per cent of those were parents with children.
• More than 2,000 people were living in unsheltered areas, a 40 per cent increase over 2001.
• This does not include those living in abandoned buildings, sleeping on private property or
under freeways.
• Nor does it include those “couch surfing,” staying with relatives or living in substandard
housing such as trailers without running water or electricity.

These are the people served by the Family and Adult Service Center (formerly the First Avenue Service Center), St. Anne’s favorite charity. The mission of the Center, is to “meet the basic human needs of homeless families and adults. And the Center tries to give them hope by helping restore their dignity and self—esteem. The Center believes that homeless does not need to mean helpless or hopeless.”

Loving support at the center
The Center never knows from one day to the next who will come for help or how their needs will be met, but the Center knows that with the loving support of people like St.Anne’s parishioners it will find a way.

Many of the homeless are families. It could be a single mother and children fleeing domestic violence or a family down on their luck. You’d be surprised to know how many families are two paychecks away from being homeless. The Center gives these families a safe haven while connecting them to community resources so they can begin piecing their lives back together.

Other Center visitors are adults. The adult shelter has been operating for 37 years and sees about 150 adults each day. They come in for a hot meal, a shower, to do laundry, to get their mail, to find jobs or to just be safe from the dangers of the streets. Some of them are down on their luck, others are drug or alcohol-addicted and some are mentally ill. All are welcomed with open arms and made to feel at home.

St. Anne’s is an important part of the process of helping and healing the homeless. Parishioners Doug Hebert and Diane Carroll are Center staff members and Bill Gillis and Margo Myers are Board of Directors members. Countless other parishioners help with the following activities:

• Serving a Christmas meal, complete with gifts and entertainment, in Banchero Hall.
• A monthly hot meal prepared and served by the youth group.
• Clothing collection and “giving trees” initiated by the Social Justice Committee.
• St. Anne’s School kids bring lunch to the Center and
visit with the homeless.
• Martha’s Workers prepare and deliver dozens of sandwiches every Monday and a hot
meal monthly.
• Donation of furniture, clothes, birthday gifts and other items to meet emergency needs.

Many other parishioners donate time in a variety of ways and generously contribute money to the Center.

How can you help?
The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. The Center always needs financial contributions. It is supported completely by private contributions and receives no United Way or government money. Why not remember the Center in your will?

At Christmas time the Center needs wrapped Christmas gifts, sleeping bags, coats socks, hot chocolate and volunteers to help with a Christmas party. Or your family could prepare and serve a hot meal for 120 – a wonderful holiday activity that will help you count your blessings.

Always needed are items such as diapers, laundry and dish soap, and peanut butter.

Place these items in the collection barrels in the west foyer or deliver them yourself to the shelter at 2015 3rd Ave.

Got some other ideas or want to volunteer at the Center? Call the office manager at 206-441-8405. Or bring the family and drop in for a visit.

Whatever you do will be deeply appreciated.