Stone Gossard talks Seattle Homelessness with United Way of King County
Stone Gossard talks Seattle Homelessness with United Way of King County
You can’t be a Seattleite and not feel the gravity of the situation that’s going on in our streets. The issue of homelessness is everywhere.
It’s close to home for me, literally. Ten years ago, while taking my dog on a walk, I saw a homeless man in a greenbelt near my house. Eventually, we started talking. He became a friend. We talked about his background and about getting indoors, instead of under a bridge, which is where he lived. But he didn’t trust the system and wasn’t ready to go indoors to a shelter. He had some mental health issues and may have experienced addiction at some point, but he was pretty clear headed. I respected his decision, but kept up hope.
Very early on, DESC reached out to teach him what his options were. He told me they would visit monthly and see if he was ready to come indoors.
Eventually, he was finally convinced to move inside. He’s happy. I spoke to him recently and he joked that “it’s all about the mental and the dental.” Anyone who knows homelessness knows how important it is to address those issues, how much it means after years living on the streets.
Seven years on the street is seven years too many. Seattle is an amazing town, one I’m proud to be from. It’s the kind of place that if we really come together and focus on something, we can accomplish results beyond what people expect. To move that marker so that we really begin to understand homelessness in a new way, intertwining mental health, drug addiction, abuse, race and inequity.
Pearl Jam wants to help change people’s thinking. There are thousands of people living without shelter in Seattle. The Home Shows at Safeco Field August 8th and 10th won’t just celebrate our hometown that we love so much, but will help others get homes and off the streets.
With The Home Shows, we are challenging the community to raise $10 million to address this issue. Join us by donating, volunteering and getting more informed.
See you this summer.
This post originally appeared on the UWKC website.
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Pearl Jam raise 11 million dollars for Seattle’s homeless population
90% of proceeds from "Home Away" shows to benefit King County organizations
This week, we learned that Pearl Jam sure know how to host a homecoming: They paid respect to fallen legends, they fought to preserve history, they opened up an entire goddamn exhibit, and they played two epic shows at Seattle’s Safeco Field.
That’s not all: According to Seattle’s KOMO News, the band’s two “Home Away” shows on Wednesday and Friday night raised over 11 million for the city’s homeless, with 90% of the proceeds going to King County organizations.
“This is what those ‘Home Shows’ can do,” said Marty Hartman, director of Mary’s Place. “Literally, bring more people home, out of those cars, out of those tents, up off the sidewalk and give them a safe space to be and get them into their forever home.”
One of 40 organizations receiving the donations, Mary’s Place provides temporary housing to homeless women, children, and families. The non-profit opened its doors on Wednesday at its first official private shelter.
“Up until now, we’ve been in buildings that are slated for demolition,” Hartman explained. “This is the first time we’ve ever bought anything. This is our first home purchase.”
Thanks to Pearl Jam’s efforts, over 80 Seattle restaurants joined the campaign and donated a portion of their sales to the band’s Home Away fund.
“Businesses in Seattle want to do the right thing and I think this provides an opportunity to do so, to make a difference,” Sara Nelson, co-founder of Fremont Brewing, told the publication.
Fortunately for the Emerald City, its townspeople aren’t fans of Pearl Jam’s Vs. cut…