Seattle Press on Line - St. Paul's Lutheran in Fremont will House Compass Shelter Residents

St. Paul's Lutheran in Fremont will House Compass Shelter Residents

May 29, 2001 -- A group of 35 homeless men moved into St. Paul's Church at 701 N 43rd in March after their Pioneer Square building was rendered uninhabitable by the February 28 earthquake.

St. Paul's had recently merged with St. John's on Phinney Ridge and the new congregation is no longer using the Fremont church.

Now the shelter sponsor, The Compass Center, has requested an 18-month lease from St. John's so that the program will have a home until the Pioneer Square facility is rebuilt.

Neighborhood residents who showed up at a community outreach meeting at the church May 23 were cautiously supportive of the plan.

Compass staffers Curtis Knight and M.J. Kiser explained there would be up to 50 men housed on the site, and that two staff members would be on duty at all times.

They envision the sanctuary as the main dormitory and are working out plans for storing the pews and other furnishings.

Expanded bathroom and shower facilities are also planned. There are no showers in the building at present.

Several close-by neighbors said they worried about the potential for crime, public drinking and aggressive panhandling. No serious problems were reported by neighborhood residents. One woman complained she had been verbally harassed by a group of shelter residents in the designated outdoor smoking area. A local store owner complained that an overly friendly and talkative shelter resident was spending too much time in his store. Several neighbors referred to a bad experience with another homeless group using the church a few years ago.

But several neighbors welcomed the Compass shelter in their midst and offered to help pass out leaflets to their neighbors.

Kiser said the men coming to the shelter are mostly in transition toward permanent housing. "Last month, five people moved into their own homes," She said. "Most men are here for only 90 days. We help them get a handle on the problems that put them out on the street in the first place...unemployment, addictions, mental health problems. We offer very intensive counseling, and back-up services to help people rebuild their lives."

St. John's pastor Carole Jensen said she welcomed community input on the future use of the St. Paul's building after the Compass shelter departs in late 2002.

For more information or to report problems with the shelter, call Curtis Knight, 234-6413 or M.J. Kiser 907-3583 (pager).

Reader Comments

Discuss this article in the forums!


Nina	Apr 07, 2004	Seattle	Student
Having just visited St Paul's Men's Shelter as a volunteer, I am quite pleased with how things are going. The gentlemen using the space are thankful to have such a great spot to stay, and I think the community should be thankful as well that such a group like the Compass Center is utilizing St Paul's -- a special thanks goes out to them for that lease, for it's truly going to good use. The gentlemen patrol themselves and the facilities well, and the building is used very sensibly. I'm not only impressed with them, I hope they will stay. Such a facility is needed, and not everyone is comfortable/in the downtown Seattle area. They've had gentlemen whose pasts range from being doctors, lawyers, engineers and what have you -- when you live paycheck to paycheck, you're one away from being homeless; that's what one of the gentlemen said. It's true, and what also is true that the shelter is a good thing. Much thanks to all who make it possible.