>>>
>>> THE
>>> THE CHIEF SEATTLE CLUB HAS BEEN SERVING NATIVE PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN
OUR DECADE FOR COMMUNITIES.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TALKED WITH
ME ABOUT THE NONPROFIT AND HOW
IT'S HAD TO ADAPT ITSELF DURING
THE PANDEMIC.
THE PANDEMIC. >> INTERESTING PROCESS FOR US.
I KNOW THAT IN MY OWN FAMILY,
WE EXPERIENCED A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF LOSS OF PEOPLE AND IF
YOU THINK ABOUT THE MERGING
FIELD OF GENETICS, WE KNOW THAT
YOU CAN FEEL IT IN YOUR BODY,
IN YOUR DNA, IT'S PASSED DOWN
FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT
AND SO AS THIS PANDEMIC CAME
UPON US, YOU KNOW, I REALIZED I
WAS GOING TO HAVE TO REALLY BE
FLEXIBLE AND CHANGE OUR
PROGRAMMING, DO EVERYTHING
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. I DO FEEL LIKE THERE IS AN
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS GOING
ON AND THERE'S KNOWLEDGE IN MY
DNA TO SAY THIS IS HOW WE
SHOULD TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE.
THIS IS HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND
AND THIS IS HOW WE SHOULD LOVE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. I
PEOPLE. I HAVE FELT THE ENTIRE TIME
THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC THE
GUIDANCE OF MY ANCESTORS
PUSHING US FORWARD TELLING US
THIS IS THE WAY TO TAKE CARE OF
OUR COMMUNITY DURING THIS TIME.
WE HAVE THAT KNOWLEDGE THAT IS
SUPPORTING US AND
ENCOUNSELORRING US TO LIFT UP
OUR RELATIVES WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND
BELIEVE -- I HAVE FELT THAT
THERE IS SOMETHING INSIDE OF
ME, INSIDE OF THE PEOPLE THAT
WE'RE SERVING THAT IS
INCREDIBLY RESILIENT RIGHT NOW.
OUR HOMELESS COMMUNITY HAS A
LOT TO TEACH US.
THEY KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO GO
WITHOUT TOILET PAPER AND WATER.
ALL THESE THINGS WE'RE HORDING
THEY KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT
AND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO NOT HAVE
FOOD AND BE HOUSING INSECURE.
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN VERY
BLESSED TO BE WITH OUR HOMELESS
COMMUNITY DURING THIS TIME.
I'VE BEEN WORKING ONE DAY A
WEEK IN OUR DAY CENTER SO I CAN
UNDERSTAND MORE OF THEIR
RESILIENCE AND STRENGTH AND
WHAT THEY HAVE TO TEACH ME.
IT'S BEEN PRETTY INCREDIBLE.
>> YOUR ORGANIZATION SERVES
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MEALS.
YOU PROVIDE A VARIETY OF
SERVICES, AND I'M THINKING
PARTICULARLY HOMELESS PEOPLE
ARE SO VULNERABLE IN GENERAL
BUT NOW WHERE WE DON'T HAVE
CONGREGATE LIVING OR OTHER
PLACES WHERE PEOPLE USED TO
GATHER FOR SERVICES, THIS
BECOMES MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE VERY FEW
RESOURCES TO BEGIN WITH.
YOU APPLY A LOT OF TRADITIONAL
APPROACHES FROM THE COMMUNITY
AND BRING THOSE TO BEAR FOR
HEALING.
HEALING.
HEALING. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT WORKS?
>> YEAH, THROUGH OUR NORMAL
CIRCUMSTANCES, OUR ENTIRE
PROGRAM IS FOCUSED ON THE
HEALING OF ALL OF THE TRAUMA
THAT OUR FOLKS HAVE EXPERIENCED
SO WE HAVE TRADITIONAL HEALERS,
WE HAVE ART PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON
TRADITIONAL WAYS OF KNOWING AND
WE HAVE -- WE'VE DONE THAT FOR
50 YEARS WE'VE BEEN IN -- THAT
WE'VE BEEN OPEN.
BUT THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC,
IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD TO
DO THAT BECAUSE OUR ACTUAL
ORBING, WE'VE HAD TO CLOSE DOWN
AND PEOPLE TO GET MAIL AND AND
BATHROOMS SO WE'VE MOVED
EVERYTHING OUTSIDE.
EVERYTHING OUTSIDE. SO IF YOU GO DOWN TO TEA
SEATTLE CLUB AROUND 8:00 A.M.,
WE'RE OUT THERE SERVING FOOD
OUTSIDE AND ALONGSIDE SERVING
FOOD IS OUR -- ONE OF OUR
TRADITIONAL HEALERS AND HE'S
THERE JUST TO SUPPORT THE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. HE MIGHT OFFER THEM CEDAR OR
SWEET GRASS OR SOME KIND OF
TRADITIONAL MEDICINE.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINE. THOSE MEDICINES ARE THERE TO
HELP OFFER HEALING TO OFFER
CLEANSING, AND SO WE'VE KIND OF
MOVED EVERYTHING OUTSIDE AND
TRULY SUPPORT THE FOLKS
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND
THE NATIVE PEOPLE AND IN A
DIFFERENT WAY.
DIFFERENT WAY. IT'S BEEN PRETTY COOL.
HE'LL ALSO IN THE MORNING OFFER
A DRUG SONG, A PRAYER, AND I
THINK IT'S A PRETTY COOL WAY TO
START OUR DAY OUT THERE.
>> YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY PEOPLE
WILL SAY THEY RESPECT NATIVE
CULTURE AND THEY MAY READ BOOKS
OR BE IN FAVOR OF RENAMING
SOMETHING BUT ULTIMATELY THE
ONLY THING WE CAN DO TO PAY OUR
RESPECT IS HOW WE TREAT OTHER
HUMAN BEINGS.
HUMAN BEINGS. I'M WONDERING WHERE THE SERVICE
GAPS ARE AND HOW WE CAN HELP
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> THAT'S WONDERFUL.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING RIGHT NOW IS HOUSING.
WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR
REGION AND NATIVE PEOPLE ARE
THE MOST UNLIKELY TO ACCESS ANY
OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
THAT'S THERE.
THAT'S THERE. TO THAT END, WE'RE BUILDING
HOUSING AT TEA SEATTLE CLUB.
NEXT DOOR TO US IN PIONEER
SQUARE VERY CLOSE TO SMITH
TOWER AND WE'RE BUILDING IN A
HISTORIC DISTRICT BUT IT'S ALSO
-- THE ENTIRE BUILDING.
WE'RE BUILDING HOME FOR OUR
RELATIVES WHO ARE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS.
HOMELESSNESS. WE THINK ABOUT WHAT OUR LARGER
COMMUNITY CAN DO, THEY CAN
SUPPORT CHIEF SEATTLE CLUB AND
OTHER NATIVE ORGANIZATIONS TO
BUILD HOUSING.
BUILD HOUSING. THAT IS CRUCIAL FOR OUR
COMMUNITY TO BE BUILDING THAT
HOUSING AND ALSO JUST A GENERAL
SUPPORT OF, YOU KNOW, THE FOOD,
WE ALSO ARE GETTING --
RECEIVING DONATIONINGS OF
SLEEPING BAGS AND CLOTHES.
OUR ONGOING SERVICES THAT WE DO
EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE ALWAYS NEED THOSE -- THAT
KIND OF SUPPORT.
MOST OF ALL WE WANT PEOPLE JUST
TO KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE.
KNOW THAT THERE IS A THRIVING
NATIVE COMMUNITY HERE AND THAT
WE WANT TO BE FULL PARTICIPANTS
IN THE CIVIC DIALOGUE THAT GOES
ON.
ON.
ON. >>
ON. >> BLESS YOU FOR THE WORK THAT
YOU DO.
YOU DO.
YOU DO. THANK YOU FOR TELLING US ABOUT
IT.
IT.
IT. WE'LL
IT. WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
KNOW HOW TO SUPPORT WHAT YOU'RE
DOING.
DOING.