Holy Rosary Ministry for the Homeless
Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do unto me.
“Our mission is to proclaim the Gospel, to be a prayerful community of believers in the tradition of the Catholic Church, and to be witness to the saving love of God through Christian services within and beyond the community.”
Background
Due to the significant growth in Seattle, many low income housing facilities have been displaced by condominiums and commercial buildings. This depletion of affordable housing, the current minimum wage of $7.16 (many homeless women do work), as well as other factors, have left many women with no other alternative but to live on the streets.
Several local churches, including St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, and Temple De Hirsch Sinai are successfully contributing to the solution of homelessness by providing emergency housing.
There are currently at least 500 mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers…every night in Seattle without homes. The existing shelters cannot provide enough beds for this many women.
Management
- Holy Rosary provides emergency housing for women from Noel House (a homeless women’s shelter and referral center) due to the unavailability of enough beds for the entire population of homeless women in Seattle. The women referred to the Holy Rosary Shelter by Noel House are screened by Noel House staff to ensure the guests received at Holy Rosary are not drug or alcohol abusers, and are psychologically stable.
- Holy Rosary volunteers will transport the women from Noel House to Holy Rosary and back again.
- Two overnight volunteers will supervise the women during their stay on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9PM to 6AM.
- Each woman gets her own private room at Holy Rosary. Unlike most shelters in Seattle, Holy Rosary provides beds in each of the rooms. Bedding is provided and cleaned by Noel House.
- Background checks on all drivers and overnight volunteers are conducted for the safety of our women guests.
