When a homeless person is openly using drugs, suffering a mental health crisis, or passed out in a doorway, residents and business owners often feel their only options are to call the police or ignore the situation. A Capitol Hill event is aiming to provide some alternative answers, or at least spread the word on some available resources.

Spare the Change: Being a Changemaker on Homelessness in our Neighborhood is an effort from a trio of Capitol Hill organizations seeking to “inform, empower, and activate Capitol Hill residents and community members to help people experiencing homelessness.”

The October 20th forum at The Summit on Pike will include a panel discussion, including:

Don Jensen — Community Lunch Capitol Hill
Millie Heye — Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets.
Silas and Johnny — YouthCare
Jackie St. Louis — MDT Outreach Team

The forum will take place in lieu of the October meeting of the Capitol Hill Community Council, which is sponsoring the eventing along with the the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce and Capitol Hill Housing.

Meanwhile, a homeless outreach program that came to Capitol Hill in February continues its efforts to meet the immediate needs of people living outside in the neighborhood. Outreach workers from the Downtown Seattle Association team up with Seattle Police officers to go on daily directed patrols of Cal Anderson Park and Pike/Pine streets to offer everything from dry socks to temporary shelter.

Spare the Change takes place October 20th, 6-8 PM at The Summit On Pike, 420 E Pike.

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/event/spare-the-change-being-a-changemaker-on-homelessness/