home(less) in seattle

because of this blog, i am sometimes contacted by the media. recently i was asked about the feeling of safety in denny triangle given the homeless population. i find it to be very safe here, much safer (in my opinion) than belltown, capital hill, or the u district. with the growing diversity in denny triangle, difference is a much bigger issue than safety.

at the grand re-opening of urban rest stop a couple months ago, we had an opportunity to get to know our neighbors across the street. a few of us attended the event and came away with an enhanced feeling of community. the rest stop provides an amazing service for homeless people. but i'm left with some lingering questions. in what ways can we be a community with people who dont have a home? and for that matter, what does it mean to have a home--would the opposite of homeless be homeful?

one very important element of what makes the cosmopolitan a home is the crew of people that keep the building functional, safe, and pleasant to be in. they're the first people you see when you enter and the people you trust to hold it together while you're gone--and they do an amazing job!

here's to the cosmo crew! thanks for making our house more of a home: from the top, jean-paul, jonathon, sue, susan, and gerry.

but what about our neighbors across the street? our realities are so completely different, it's hard to imagine a joint bbq or a street party.

well, the cosmo social committee came up with a nice idea and organized a donation drive. they set up a large box in the lobby with a list of needed items (noted on the urban rest stop website), such as winter clothes, socks, toiletries, and the likes.

with the cosmo crew facilitating the project, several box-loads of stuff was collected and delivered to the urban rest stop for distribution.

although i was late (as usual) to help deliver the stuff, i did have a chance to talk with ronnie, the manager. in her office, standing around the piles of stuff donated from the cosmo folks, i still had some basic questions about community.

the rest stop provides services at its maximum daily capacity of 100 to 125 laundry loads, 175 to 225 showers and 400 to 600 restroom uses each day. that's probably pretty close to what the cosmo sees with 250 condos.

given our similar numbers but completely different life experiences, i asked ronnie about proper etiquette when interacting with urban rest stop clients.

ronnie says, homelessness is about poverty, poverty is about money, and americans are often awkward about discussing money. ronnie also said that homelessness is about invisibility. homeless people are often rendered invisible by homeful people, possibly because some believe that poverty is contagious. or perhaps there is a feeling of helplessness among the homeful when faced of homelessness.

in any case, the bottom line is that it's fine to greet our neighbors on the street. it's also fine to say "no thank-you" if asked for money.