Join sea:change & Seattle Tech 4 Housing for a frank conversation with Sara Vander Zanden, the Managing Director of Facing Homelessness, about pressing issues related to homelessness as well as innovative solutions. Sara came to the issue of homelessness like many of us do - slowly, and through daily exposure to people living outside on her way to work. While the issue once felt too complex to approach, Sara's work at Facing Homelessness has opened her heart. She is honored to help lead a grassroots movement that invites community into the task of ending homelessness, and that ultimately, will bring connection and compassion into the center of our lives.
About Facing Homelessness & their exciting new initiative, The BLOCK Project:
Our mission is to remove the negative stereotype against those living on our streets. We believe the conversation about homelessness needs to be both an intellectual one, grounded in knowledge about the complexities, and an emotional one, informed by personal experiences.
Not in my back yard. It is a concept that keeps many social injustices at arm’s length. Within the issue of homelessness, it allows us to acknowledge that something needs to be done, without taking shared ownership of the issue. The BLOCK Project invites community into the task of ending homelessness by building 125 sq ft BLOCK Homes in the backyards of residential lots. Each self-sufficient structure will become home for someone currently suffering through homelessness. The BLOCK Project represents an innovative leap forward on the issues of homelessness, cross-class integration, social inclusion, and architectural design. Much like Airbnb and Uber have done in their respective industries, the BLOCK Project transforms the way we think about space, ownership, and living within community in an increasingly dense world.