FACT: At this very moment, over 5,000 men, women and children are homeless in Seattle.
Many are chronically unemployable due to mental deficiencies or substance abuse. Many more are marginal survivors simply too poor to afford any form of entry level housing. Others have been suddenly forced to the streets in an attempt to escape dire situations at home. These people are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our neighbors. And they need our help.

Operation Nightwatch addresses this reality. Our mission for the past 30 years has been to provide a warm evening meal, an honest measure of respect and compassion and referral to overnight shelter for hundreds of men, women, and children each and every night. Last year alone we provided over 45,000 meals and 35,000 nights of lodging through our downtown Seattle dispatch center. We also distributed literally tons of other bare essentials such as blankets, dry socks and hygiene products.

We do not claim to have solutions to the root causes of homelessness. We have simply accepted a responsibility to try to provide some very basic human services, for in our hearts we feel that this is a right thing to do. And along the way, we have discovered that providing a warm and safe haven for a few nights can truly work miracles.

WE HAVE A PROBLEM: OPERATION NIGHTWATCH WILL SOON BE HOMELESS.
Our contract to operate our dispatch center in its current location at The Millionair Club on Western Avenue will expire on August 29th of this year. If we are to be able to continue to provide shelter services, we need your help and we need it today.

THE OPPORTUNITY: FIX UP OUR OWN NEW BUILDING!
We recently purchased a three story, turn-of-the-century building at 14th Avenue South and South Main in the International District. The top two floors contain 24 very run-down low-income senior housing units and the street level offers 3,000 square feet of raw space for which the city has now granted a building permit for relocation of the dispatch center.

We have a great new location, safe and abundant space for volunteer parking and enough room to finally provide a permanent, first-class dispatch center. WE've got the building, but we lack the money for the improvements necessary to turn this dream into reality.

OUR APPROACH TO THE PROJECT: BUILD IT ONCE, BUILD IT RIGHT.
To our knowledge there are no facilities in the country that have been specifically designed as homeless dispatch centers. We want to do just that. We understand our client, staff and volunteer needs and have worked hard to design a place that provides the following:

• A ficility built to stand up to 25 years of hard use, easy to maintain and economical to operate.
• An environment for our clients that encourages a sense of order and discipline, but is still pleasant enough to provide them with a feeling of comfort, dignity and respect.
• A staff and volunteer area that creates a sense of safety, authority and efficiency and that allows volunteers to feel encouaged to return often and assist us.
• A bulding that serves as an attractive, orderly addition to the neighborhood.

We have a great plan, our permit in hand, and a remarkable design and construction management team. It is now time for us to ask for your help.

THE MONEY:
Our best estimate for building renovation is $1,6000,000. This is for hard dollar expenses for subcontractors and materials only. All contractor, architect and engineering fees have already been donated. The approximate cost breakdown is this:

Our goal is to complete all phases of the project by next spring. The quicker we can raise the money, the quicker we can serve those in need.

A FINAL COMMENT:
We all share in the responsibility to provide for those in need, an ideal opportunity to contribute in an efficient and long lasting way is offered by this project. we deeply appreciate your earnest consideration and promise to use every dollar wisely. With your help, we will build a place that a great many of the less fortunate members of our human family will reap the benefits from for a very, very long time.

Operation Nightwatch PO Box 21181 Seattle, WA 98111 (206)323-4359