Roots Young Adult Shelter

ROOTS PROVIDES SHELTER, CASE MANAGEMENT AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO HOMELESS YOUNG ADULTS AND RUNS A WEEKLY MEAL PROGRAM FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.

THE ROOTS YOUNG ADULT SHELTER OPENED IN 1999 BECAUSE THERE WAS AN UNMET NEED FOR SHELTER SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BETWEEN 18 AND 25, AS THIS POPULATION IS TOO OLD FOR YOUTH SHELTERS BUT IS UNCOMFORTABLE IN PROGRAMS THAT SERVE OLDER ADULTS. THIS 45-BED SHELTER PROVIDES A SAFE, DRY PLACE TO SLEEP, HOT MEALS, HYGIENE FACILITIES, AND ACCESS TO CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR OUR GUESTS 7 NIGHTS A WEEK. ROOTS PROVIDED 10,983 BED NIGHTS TO 423 UNDUPLICATED GUESTS IN 2022 AND SERVED APPROXIMATELY 25,305 MEALS DURING THAT PERIOD. VOLUNTEERS DONATED APPROXIMATELY 18,000 HOURS OF THEIR TIME TO HELP PROVIDE THESE SERVICES.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT: IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING CRITICAL DIRECT SERVICES, ROOTS' FOUNDING VISION INCLUDES A DEDICATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STABLE AND COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT SERVICES AS WELL AS THE NEED FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE, BOTH IN THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE BROADER REGION AND SOCIETY AT LARGE. TO THIS END, ROOTS WORKS TO BRING TOGETHER DIVERSE GROUPS AND TO BUILD THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY IN A LONG-TERM MANNER, PROVIDING LEADERSHIP IN SEVERAL ISSUES OF REGION-WIDE ADVOCACY EFFORTS (INCLUDING THE SEATTLE-KING COUNTY COALITION ON HOMELESSNESS, THE COMMITTEE TO END HOMELESSNESS, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT COMMITTEE, THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT SERVICE PROVIDERS ALLIANCE, AND THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT.

FRIDAY FEAST IS OUR WEEKLY MEAL PROGRAM AND IS THE ONLY ALL-AGES DINNER IN THE AREA. THIS PROGRAM SERVES AN AVERAGE OF 100-140 MEALS EACH WEEK AND CELEBRATED ITS 26TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNINTERRUPTED WEEKLY OPERATIONS IN APRIL 2022. FRIDAY FEAST SERVED APPROXIMATELY 7400 MEALS TO 280 UNDUPLICATED GUESTS IN 2022, AND VOLUNTEERS DONATED APPROXIMATELY 2824 HOURS OF THEIR TIME TO HELP PROVIDE THESE SERVICES.

ROOTS INITIALLY CONTRACTED WITH OUTSIDE PROVIDERS TO PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT, AND WE SUBSEQUENTLY BEGAN DIRECTLY PROVIDING THESE SERVICES AS AN AGENCY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MAY OF 2017. IN ADDITION, WE RAN A WEEKLY DROP-IN BEFORE COVID, ADDING DROP-IN SERVICES DAILY DURING COVID, AND STILL OFFER A WEEKLY ART GROUP AFTER OUR SHELTER PROGRAM. WE ALSO OFFERED A WRITING GROUP IN 2022 THAT WE HOPE TO BRING BACK WHEN STAFFING PERMITS. OUR CASE MANAGEMENT STAFF ASSISTED 84 GUESTS IN 2022 AND HELPED WITH NUMEROUS GOALS LARGE AND SMALL THAT RANGED FROM REPLACING LOST ID CARDS TO FINDING PERMANENT HOUSING.