Seattle Net Impact teamed up with three Seattle-based organizations that address the challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness and hosted a panel discussion event. These organizations were Mary’s Place, Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and Food Lifeline.
The goal of the event was to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness, the underlying reasons, and what these amazing organizations were doing to address those challenges. Seattle Net Impact also sought to learn about ways in which we and our community members could volunteer and contribute to these organizations.
The event was very educational and we discussed the scale of homelessness in Seattle, the underlying causes, the repercussions of food insecurity, the social stigma associated with homelessness and the psychological distress experienced by those affected by homelessness. We also gained insights into LIHI’s production of Tiny Homes to provide temporary housing for homeless individuals, about the shelters and women’s day centers that Mary’s Place operates and about Food Lifeline’s operations to source and distribute food to shelters and food banks.
There are numerous ways Seattleites can contribute to these organizations - both as individuals or as a group. See below links to the volunteering opportunities at these three organizations:
Food Lifeline: https://foodlifeline.org/volunteer/
Mary’s Place: https://www.marysplaceseattle.org/volunteer