Earlier this month, a 31 year old known homeless man was found deceased in the brush under the Warren Avenue Bridge.
Pastor Art Speight of “Taking It To The Streets Ministries”, on his way to his day job in the Shipyard last week, found a man at 5 a.m. sleeping on a Kitsap Transit bus bench by the 11th and Callow Ave. Safeway. The man was frozen cold. Unable to wake him, Pastor Art called 9-1-1.
Bremerton Rescue Mission, along with Pastor Art’s ministry, is experiencing a surge in requests for camping gear. They can’t meet demand.
This is due in part, we believe, to the elimination of the $197 cash grant to the Disability Lifeline-Unemployable (DL-U) folks who received their last grant Oct. 1, 2011. There were 680 Kitsap County citizens on this program. In March of this year, Bremerton Housing Authority exec. dir. Kurt Wiest stated that, between BHA and Housing Kitsap, they had 37 DL-U clients. I was one back in ’07 (they called it GA-U then) and the grant helped keep me and my son in our fair market value apartment. Darlene Cook of Kitsap Community Resources stated at a meeting last week that we’re also seeing families with children who have run out their grants living outside. KCR’s housing waiting list is at 100.
The need is growing.
WE HAVE IMMEDIATE NEEDS THAT YOU CAN HELP WITH
· Sleeping bags rated to 32 and below (any will do, but if you can, these are best right now)
· Twin size air mattresses for added layer of insulation between bag and tent bottom.
· Blankets that are washable
· 2-person dome tents (Wal-Mart and Amazon have them for under $30; we need dozens) (Several 4 person are needed also).
· Tarps
· Sterno, candles, and small propane bottles for cooking and heat
· Flashlights with batteries
These organizations answer the needs of folks throughout Kitsap County.
If you need to have your items picked up, call MaryAnn (Pastor Art’s right hand person) at 360-550-6926.
If you can drop off your items, take them to Bremerton Rescue Mission, 13th and Hayward in Bremerton, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Questions? Call exec. dir. Walt LeCouteur at 360-813-5183.
Please forward this email, ask your service or other club for donations and go purchase goods, put in Dec. newsletters – spread the word.
It’s cold and wet outside.
AND PLEASE BE ADVISED…WE STILL HAVE NO PLACE TO TELL THEM TO TAKE THEIR GEAR. These folks will end up behind stores, out in the woods; we have no safe place to send them to.
Thank you for whatever you can do to help keep our neighbors alive.