Safe at Home Breakfast Update

Our 2008 Safe at Home fundraising breakfast was a great success. Thank you to all who attended and offered financial support! We raised over $47,000 to support the FASC Day Program and Family Program.

Keynote speaker Silja Talvi gave an eye-opening talk about the interconnectedness of homelessness, incarceration and poverty. Her stories served as a poignant reminder that the stereotypes and stigma surrounding these issues often further marginalize people who are poor and homeless. The FASC Day Program provides the opposite; rather than judgment we offer compassion, support and understanding. We meet our clients where they are at and celebrate their successes, both large and small.

If you weren't able to join us at the event, you can find out more about the significance the FASC Day Program has in the lives of our clients by watching our new video.


Thank you again to everyone who helped to make this morning a success. Special thanks to our master of ceremonies, Ruth Walsh-McIntyre, our keynote speaker, Siljia J.A. Talvi, and our corporate sponsors, Fulcrum Capital, Detlef Schrempf Foundation and B-Line LLC.

Mayor Nickels Visits FASC

On October 15, 2008, Mayor Greg Nickels visited the Family & Adult Service Center Day Center for homeless men and women.

“Day centers are a critical first step in helping homeless men and women rebuild their lives,” said Nickels. “We are pleased the city can provide assistance to allow this invaluable program to continue.”

Without the $350,000 from Mayor Nickels’ proposed biennial budget, the day center would have to end operations on Dec.1, 2008.

“We are deeply appreciative to the city for stepping in to help save the day center,” said Rick Friedhoff, executive director of the Compass Center, the umbrella agency that runs FASC. “The day center provides services that meet emergency needs, promote healthy relationships, foster community, and serve as a portal to the services and housing that help vulnerable people live healthier, more satisfying lives.”

The day center typically serves 300 - 350 single adults in each day. We provide 35 - 40 showers for our guests each day. We launder 20 loads of clothing each day for people experiencing homelessness. 24,000 warm and nutritious meals have been provided to single adults living on the street this year alone and have poured 16,000 gallons of coffee.

"My husband and I became homeless after I was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had to quit working," explains FASC guest, Lynette Blevins, who has been homeless for the last six months. "The facility allows us to spend days together, allows us phone access to call on jobs, apartments, and doctors appointments. Without the center, we'd be out on the street."

FASC will still need to raise additional funds to complete the Day Program's budget but with the City's support, we will continue to offer a safe and welcoming center that actively engages and interacts with chronically homeless people and coordinates access towards housing.

Upcoming advocacy opportunities!

Hello to our wonderful FASC bloggers,

On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, Mayor Greg Nickels will pay a visit to the Day Center. Mayor Nickels will be visiting with clients, getting to know staff, and talking about how important day centers are to getting people back on their feet. We are excited to have his support and look forward to his visit.

In other news, if you have not already heard, the FASC Adult Day Center has been included in Mayor Nickels budget for the coming year! While this is an enormous victory on the road to securing City funding for the Day Center, we must continue to let the City Council know about the importance of funding this critical program at the level proposed in the Mayor's Budget draft. Please let your council members know that you would like to see FASC's funding approved. You may contact them via email or you can attend the 2nd City Council Public Hearing on the Mayor's 2009-2010 Proposed Budget.

Below is information on the upcoming Public Hearing:

When: Monday, October 27, 2008
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Seattle City Hall, 2nd floor Council Chambers, 600 4th Ave. (between James St. and Cherry St.)

Phone calls (206-684-0481) and e-mails at Council.Live@Seattle.Gov are welcome between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m that day. Some e-mail messages received during that hour will be read aloud in Council Chambers. All e-mail messages are retained in a comment file included in the public record. Additionally, some telephone calls will be played aloud in Council Chambers and broadcast on the Seattle Channel.

At the hearings, out of respect for everyone’s time constraints, it would be appreciated if members of groups with similar interests could combine presentations and stay within five minutes. Individual comments will be limited by the Budget Committee Chair, probably to two minutes or less.

Access to City Hall is via Fourth or Fifth Avenues, between James and Cherry Streets. For those wishing to testify in person at the hearing, sign-up sheets will be available outside the door to Council Chambers at 5 p.m. Council member Jean Godden will chair the hearing.

Thank you so much for all your support. If you have any additional questions about including FASC in the City budget, or how you can help advocate for the budget's approval, please email us at info@fasconline.org.

Taste of Compassion

Greetings FASC Bloggers -

Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 17, 2008 for the Compass Center/FASC's first annual dine-out event and fundraiser!

We have a wide variety of generous Seattle-area restaurants who will be donating 20% of their proceeds from food purchases to support the work of FASC and the Compass Center.

This is a great opportunity to show your support for our mission and help increase public awareness of issues surrounding homelessness in our community. Not only that, but you can show your support for local businesses that share your commitment to providing shelter and critical services to Seattle's most under-served residents.

Please visit the Compass Center website at http://www.compasscenter.org/events.php for the most up-to-date list of participating restaurants and gather your friends and family members for this great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of men, women and children experiencing homelessness.

For additional information or questions, please email us at info@fasconline.org

FASC Picnic Donations Needed!

Every year, FASC hosts a picnic at Lincoln Park for our clients. It's an opportunity for the clients to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown and relax a bit in the great outdoors. This year's celebration will take place on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 and we need your help to make it a success. We expect to serve approximately 250 people.

We are looking for donations of the following:

MEAT: Chicken (approximately 150 pieces), Salmon (several fillets)

BREAD: Loaves of bread (15 - 20)

BURGER DRESSINGS: Sliced cheese (100 slices), Shredded lettuce (5 heads), Sliced onions (10 onions), Pickle slices (5 jars), Tomato slices (10 or so)

CONDIMENTS: Ketchup (10 bottles), Mayo (10 bottles), Mustard (5 bottles), BBQ sauce (5 bottles), Relish (5 bottles), Salsa (3 tubs), Salt (4 shakers), Butter (3 tubs)

SALADS: Coleslaw (5 or so tubs), Individually bagged chips (1 oz. size, 250 bags), Green salad (2 or 3 Large Salads), Macaroni Salad (5 or so tubs), Potato Salad (5 or so tubs), Fruit salad (2 or 3 Large Salads)

DRINKS: Individual cans of sodas (250 cans), Juice & Punch (5 containers), Individual bottled water (100 bottles)

DESSERT: Cakes (5), Pies (5), Brownies (5 or so trays)

SUPPLIES: Charcoal (4 bags), Paper plates with dividers (300), Paper cups (300), Plastic forks, spoons, knives (300), Paper napkins (300)

If you would be able to donate any of these items, please email us at info@fasconline.org. Items will need to be dropped off on Friday, September 5, 2008 or Saturday September 6, 2008.

Safe at Home Breakfast

Save the date! FASC's "Safe at Home" fundraising breakfast is scheduled for Wednesday, November 12, 2008. This event will help us raise money to support our Family Program, which provides shelter, meals, case management and essential human services and support to homeless families in our community.

We are very excited to announce that Silja J.A. Talvi, author of Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System, will be joining us as our keynote speaker. We are so pleased to have her on board with us for our upcoming event. To learn more about Silja Talvi, please visit her book's website at http://www.womenbehindbars.org/TheAuthor.htm

We hope you will all be joining us for our breakfast in November. For more information regarding tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at info@fasconline.org
Otherwise, please check back for more information as the date draws nearer!

FASC Greeting Cards

As part of our March 15th auction, some of the residents of the FASC Family Program were invited to work on a unique art project and fundraiser for the Center. Each individual was asked to create a painting that would be printed on greeting cards that would be sold at the auction to help raise money for the Family Program.

The results were wonderful - far exceeding what our initial vision for the project was. We ended up with six beautiful, vibrant prints that, together, make one of the cutest sets of greeting cards around. Each set contains 12 cards and envelopes (two of each of the six designs). The back of each card is printed with a brief biography of the artist and how he or she came to be a resident of FASC.

If you weren't able to attend or purchase a set or two of these cards at the auction, never fear, as we still have some available!

If you are interested in purchasing greeting cards for yourself or for a friend, please print out a copy of the attached order form (below) and return to us with payment.

We will then send your cards to you!

This is a great way not only to show your support for the Family Center, but also to help spread the word to your friends and loved ones about the work that FASC does in the community.

If you have any questions, leave a comment or email us directly at info@fasconline.org