(9/30/09 photo by Matt Durham from mattdurhamphotography.com)
Four months after residents of the homeless camp that called itself “Nickelsville” were ordered out of West Seattle’s T-107 Park, what’s happened to them? A camp still using that name is currently set up at a church southeast of downtown. But another group spun off after the uncertainty that followed the eviction – unable or unwilling, for a host of reasons, to join the others, but just as much in need of help. The spinoff group became part of an effort called People’s Place, co-created by a West Seattle activist, looking ahead to a fundraiser this Friday. Ahead, what they’re about, and how you can help:
“We all have our own stories. We are not out here by choice. We don’t know if this is going to work, but we want to try it. We want to help other homeless people, but we can’t do anything till we see if this is going to work.”
So said “Cat,” a resident of People’s Place, during our conversation in a North Aurora motel room a few days before the group moved into a house on Beacon Hill. We were there at the invitation of Christi Stapleton, a West Seattle volunteer/activist who co-founded 
People’s Place along with Melissa Jonas; they are working to raise awareness of the group in hopes of drawing more donor support – a fundraiser is coming up this Friday.
Melissa (left) facilitated our visit, during which we met Cat and her dog Buddy – the reason she was at Nickelsville till the eviction/clearing at the Terminal 107 site in West Seattle – the reason she’s with People’s Place now instead of some other shelter. (Here’s a photo of Buddy, provided by Christi:)
Shelter rules generally prohibit dogs; they also usually separate clients by gender; People’s Place is trying to serve those who can’t find a place elsewhere because of such things. Meantime, Cat has other challenges. She is Canadian and can’t get a job until some immigration issues are straightened out. She came to Nickelsville on the run, she says, from an abusive boyfriend; she has a protection order to keep him away. She has family in Canada including four children, for whom she was making post-Christmas holiday cards at the time of our visit.
She sat on the bed in a cluttered motel room decked with dangling Christmas lights. Buddy’s energy suffuses the room. She’s had him for almost two years, since he was a puppy, and considers him something of a lifeline. “He’s part of me. After a while, they become like a kid to you.”
Fellow People’s Place resident Chip interjects, “I’ll give up my dog when you give up your kids.”
“Cat” resumes, “He’s been with me with my trips back to Canada, and everywhere .. some said why didn’t you leave your dog where you were (with her abuser) – but he might wind up hurting him, it was very scary. The night I left, I got slammed between a door and a screen door, and my hair was pulled, and he told me things would get worse.”
Leaving stopped the violence, but life in general has not been smooth sailing. After Nickelsville was evicted, she had no place to go because she refused to be separated from her dog, whom she considers her protection as well as her companion. “The services for domestic violence just kept telling me to get rid of him … so I wound up at Nickelsville, then that fell apart, and then (Melissa and Christi) stepped in. They kind of saved us. Nobody knew what we were going to do with 40 people.”
“Cat” has a talent for organizing and consensus-building, Melissa tells me. Which seems to be why she wound up as “room coordinator” at the group’s first stop during the months at motels. And when we talked, she was figuring out how that sort of coordination would work with everyone under one roof. She is also in counseling – the People’s Place volunteers have helped residents plug into support systems. They include faith groups, Melissa says, like One 4 One, whose minister Dustin Cross, she says, has been among those who “are incredible wells and referrals … (and) have helped us with fundraising, have helped us keep people here.”
People like “Cat,” who says she doesn’t want to be homeless and jobless – “I have to wait six months to get a lawyer, but I love working, so it’s really hard sitting here watching all these people and I can’t help … these folks are helping me stay alive.”
“You do a lot of work around here,” Melissa consoles her. And indeed, the planning “Cat” was doing that day, setting up times for who can do laundry when, who can take showers when, was organizational work that needed to be done before People’s Place could move into its own place.
When “Cat” is out of earshot, Melissa confides that she “has a gift of insight – collaboration to resolve conflict; by the time she goes around talking to everyone, a decision has been made, with everyone agreeing even by the time they meet as a group. I don’t have that gift!”
What she and Christi (right) had is the dream of helping some of the homeless people who might otherwise fall between the cracks – like “Cat,” for whom People’s Place has made a difference: “I feel safer here now.” She also has a message for those who might judge her and her fellow residents: “You’re scared to tell people you’re homeless, it’s like a shame thing. I didn’t put myself in this spot, I got thrown in it. … I’m dealing with a lot of things, with the people here. We have had to move people out who drink. I don’t do that. I live one day at a time. I want to be happy, that’s all I want to be.”
For the volunteers of People’s Place, they just want to be able to help the residents meet basic needs. Christi told us, “Move-in day went great! We had 3 vanloads of donated furniture.” They also got a free ride to the new house from STITA Taxi’s Norm:
She said, “Bless him and hooray for green, clean taxi vans from STITA!” Now, they’re looking for others to help, in ways small or large. They’re inviting everyone to come find out more about People’s Place at El Centro de la Raza this Friday night, 6:30 pm. “Light food, wine and beer and great music,” according to Christi. Suggested donation, $35.
El Centro de la Raza is at 2524 16th Avenue South on Beacon Hill (map and more, here). People’s Place is on Facebook at facebook.com/peoplesplace. If you want to support People’s Place but can’t go to the fundraiser, you can donate any amount through this Brown Paper Tickets link.
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