The morning started out not to cold and thanks to top pot donuts for coffee and donuts and to “Charlie’s Buns N Stuff” for cooking everyone a hot breakfast… It made the waiting in line a bit warmer for the hundreds of homeless men and women that showed up.

We opened the doors at 9:30 and we outfitted approximately 275 men and women before we ran out of survival gear. Our final count on items was:

• 200 Sleeping Bags and Warm Blankets
• 187 Warm Coats
• 85 Warm Fleeces
• 75 Pairs of Boots
• 84 Extra Warm Hoodies
• 89 Duffel Bags
• 120 Back packs
• 230 Pairs of Gloves
• 260 Warm hats
• 120 Waterproof Tarps
• 300 Cold/Hygiene Kits

It was our first year giving away boots, thanks to Trident Seafood, and it turned out to be a great thing. We had 75 pairs of boots to give away and they were all gone within the first hour we opened our doors. It is definitely something we will continue to do so we will be on the outlook for another boot sponsor next year.

It was great to have so many volunteers on board, including a few people from Mayor McGinn’s office. It seemed that our volunteers just know exactly what needed to be done. The love and respect each of them had for all of the homeless guy and gals that came through our doors was immense. I was so happy to hear one older homeless man say that he could “Just feel the love in the air”

It was so great to see that we could make the lives of at least 275 of Seattle’s homeless a bit more bearable throughout our long rainy winter. We will be back next year for our 14^th annual “Survive the Streets Gear Giveaway” but in the meantime watch out for some new and exciting changes we are making here at “Survive the Streets”. These changes will change the lives of many more of Seattle’s homeless men and women.

On a special note…We here at “Survive the Streets” would really like to send a special thanks to all the schools that jumped on board and did “gear drives” for us. It was just so great to visit many of these schools and to see how the kids caught on to the idea that even kids can make a positive difference in the community when they work together. The relationships we have developed with these schools will really help us out in the years to come.

This is taken from USA Today on December 26th. The article is below but here is the link also.

The number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are homeless or at risk of losing a roof over their heads has more than doubled in the past two years, according to government data.

Through the end of September, 26,531 of them were living on the streets, at risk of losing their homes, staying in temporary housing or receiving federal vouchers to pay rent, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports.

That’s up from 10,500 in 2010. The VA says the numbers could be higher because they include only the homeless the department is aware of.

The increase arrives as President Obama’s goal of ending homelessness for all veterans is showing some results.

The VA attributes the increase partly to more aggressive efforts to identify and assist this younger generation of veteran.

The department says effects of the two wars on them, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and a slow economic recovery have contributed to their homelessness.

The issue is particularly acute as the military continues to draw down its ranks. About 307,000 are likely to leave the military each of the next four years.

Obama vowed in 2009 to end veteran homelessness by 2015. The numbers have declined, though not at a pace to meet the president’s goal. Using an annual one-night count, the tally has fallen from 76,329 in 2010 to 62,619 in 2012.

The VA insists it will meet the goal, particularly with a program instituted in 2011 that provides community non-profit groups with cash to help keep troubled veterans in housing or get them off the streets. Expenses can cover housing costs, health care, child care, transportation and training.

Anne Murphy, a Salvation Army program director in Los Angeles, says she has helped an Army veteran of multiple combat tours who was living out of a car with his family of six to get into a hotel, and the program will allow her to help get the family a permanent place to live.

Iraq and Afghanistan vets are different from other veterans, she says.

“They’re younger, much more savvy and they don’t necessarily like to ask for help,” Murphy says. “But there are a lot of them out there.”

Funding for the new program, known as the Supportive Services for Veterans Families, has grown from $60 million in 2011 to $100 million this year and $300 million next year — or about a $5,000 investment for every homeless veteran.

Vincent Kane, director of the VA’s National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, says the program, operating through 151 community organizations in nearly every state, has had a marked effect.

About 22,000 veterans were assisted last year, most after the 2012 one-night count was done in February. They included 14,000 who were homeless and 3,035 who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kane says.

“We believe this (Supportive Services) resource and partnership with our community providers is really going to help drive us to the goal of ending all (veteran) homelessness by the end of 2015,” Kane says.

Randy Brown, a spokesman for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, says the group would like nothing better than to be driven out of business and is encouraged by the VA’s efforts.

Making a transition to civilian life — readjusting to family, getting a job or education — after multiple combat tours may not come easily and could have delayed consequences. “And that’s something we’re looking at,” he says.

Please take a look at this report from homelessinfo.org . I will let you decide whether this is important to help others survive the streets. Read the report here.

The French American School of Puget Sound have a class that are going to put on a drive for us for “Hygiene Kits”. They are asking for things such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, face towels, etc. and the kids are going to put together much needed “Hygiene Kits” for us to give to the homeless guys and gals on our event Thanksgiving Day.

And a big thanks to Trident Seafood for donating approx. 50 pairs of boots. As we all know the Seattle winters can be very wet and these are the same type of boot that the fishermen wear on the boats so we know the homeless will love them.

We just want to again thank everyone that has contacted us to help make this 2012 event the best yet!

We have a few elementary school classes that are putting on “Sock Drives” and “Glove Drives” and many high schools putting on “Sleeping Bag” and “Warm Coat” drives.The Seattle Mountaineers are on board and are collecting gently used sleeping bags from their members. We also have a few local gyms, Strength Studio in Seattle and Sound CrossFit that are going to be having “Sleeping Bag” drives.
I must say that I am overwhelmed by the community support we have had so far this year for our event. We are estimating that we would like to serve 250-300 of Seattle’s homeless on Thanksgiving Day and I know with the ongoing support from the community we will be successful in reaching our goal.
If you might be interested in holding a gear drive for us or even putting on a “Sleeping Bag” or “Glove & Hat” Party please contact Patti Dunn and she will help you out with any thing you might need to put on a successful drive.

One of the most exciting things about our drive in 2011 was that for the first time we actually received cash donations from people other than our own family and friends. I was so excited when we got our first anonymous donation because I knew that it meant we were reaching more people throughout the Seattle community. It was also so thankful that the local gym Denali Fitness split their annual Thanksgiving Drive funds with “Surviving the Streets”; because of them we had an extra $500 to spend on supplies.
Last year was also the first time that we had an onsite food truck making hot breakfast sandwiches for all the men and women waiting in line. The owner of “Charlie’s Buns N Stuff” showed up early on Thanksgiving Day and made sure that everyone in line was served. It was a pretty cold morning so the hot sandwiches and hot coffee really hit the spot.
Each year I see that more and more people want to help out and I am so thankful to live in a city where people really do care about others. It is my goal this year that we connect with a person or business that can help us secure warm boots for all those that might need them. So if you might know of someone that will be able to help me reach my Boot Goal than please let me know.

When we first started doing this we would literally drive around looking for people who looked like they needed help. We would knock on car windows and walk into mini camps that had a couple of makeshift tents. We would talk with them and listen to their stories and see what they needed and what we could help with.  The stories we heard were not about “feeling sorry” for themselves. They were stories like anyone would tell. What do you like to do… where are you from… and of course how did you get here. People shared their tales of the good times and bad times.

What we learned from these conversations is many of these (not all) people had very normal lives in the not to distant past. These people had  hopes, jobs, dreams and families but for what ever reason things happen and they made a couple of bad decisions and now they are on the street.  Some of these people only need help finding a job and a little financial help to get an apartment.

We met a man in 2010 that was a former high school coach and teacher from Montana that took a year off to help his mother through some health issues. Well his mother had complications and later died. He then had to take care of the house his mother lived in and owned. He started to fix it up so he could sell it and was taken advantage of by a general contractor.  He couldn’t afford to have someone else fix up the house so he started doing the work. And before he knew it he was out of money and couldn’t finish the house and fell into a depressed state and started drinking.

He had no family left and no one to turn to within a year he was on the street. He no longer drinks or at least wasn’t when we met him. He said he had been trying to get a job but has no luck. He was so ashamed of himself we could see why he had a hard time getting work. He had no confidence, didn’t have many skills outside of teaching/coaching. He didn’t have a place to live so he was living in a place where you had to be in by 5 pm and out by 7 am. This place has no shower to use and many others like him.

It is people like this that make us want to do this for many others and be able to give opportunities and a chance to get off the streets.

• 105 jackets
• 150+ fleeces/sweatshirts
• 70 ponchos
• 91 sleeping bags
• 112 duffel bags/backpacks
• 170 hats
• 200+ pairs of socks
• cold and flu kits