As you are aware, King County and the surrounding areas have been significantly impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Our hearts go out to those personally affected, and particularly to families who have lost a loved one.
The safety and well-being of our clients, guests and residents, staff, and community members is of utmost importance to Compass Housing Alliance. We are closely monitoring the ever-changing situation and are working with the Seattle & King County Department of Public Health to make any necessary changes to programming or services.
At this time, The Compass Center and all our shelters remain open. We are following all recommended precautions to ensure staff and clients remain safe and healthy.
We need your help.
Donations
At this time, due to health concerns, storage space, and staff capacity, we cannot accept non-food donations of any kind at any of our program sites. We are only accepting donations at our South Lake Union office where items can be stored separately in quarantine before they go to programs. All donation drop-offs must be coordinated ahead of time to ensure that someone is there to receive your items and store them properly. Please make an appointment with Jenny Marquette to drop off your donations. She can be reached at the contact information listed below and will have a flexible schedule to accommodate donation drop offs. We understand that South Lake Union may be out of the way for some, so if you are unable to bring items to this location please let her know as she will have availability to pick up needed donations.
What we need now:
- Monetary donations will allow us to handle urgent requests such as increased sanitation and hygiene supply needs, additional staffing support to keep our emergency programs running normally, and food and health supplies for our guests and residents. Please consider making a donation now.
- Grocery store gift cards and canned foods. Many people, including our residents, are not able to buy food in bulk and stock up and the paychecks of hourly workers are being impacted greatly right now. Gift cards can be mailed directly to us:
Compass Housing Alliance
Attn: Advancement
756 John St, #700
Seattle, WA 98109
- Hand sanitizer for our guests and staff at our Hygiene Center and Client Services Office. They are often coming into contact with many people throughout the day and we want to help them stay healthy.
- Activities for fun and learning to keep children busy and engaged while they are home. Suggested items include coloring supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils), activity workbooks and coloring books for all ages, art kits, Play-Doh, Uno and decks of cards.
Volunteers
We have decided to put a temporary hold on all volunteer activities at all Compass Housing Alliance program sites. Please know we did not make this decision lightly, as we greatly appreciate our volunteers and the contributions you make to our programming. However, we feel it is the right decision for Compass to prioritize the wellness of our guests, residents, staff, and volunteers.
If you are a regularly scheduled volunteer and did not receive messaging about this, please complete a 2020 Volunteer Agreement now and return to program staff so you can be added to our volunteer mailing list.
During this outbreak, we also want to remind everyone that a person’s ethnicity, language, income, or association with a country or region does not mean they carry the virus. Anyone can transmit or become infected. Let’s continue to support one another and avoid the spread of stigma, discrimination, and fear. Please reach out with any questions or concerns, thank you for your support during this challenging time for our community.
Jennifer Marquette
Community Resources Manager
jmarquette@compasshousingalliance.org
206-719-9137