For the wider community-
Understanding what we do
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The Bridge Care Center serves a growing population of women and men experiencing homelessness, displacement, or financial hardship in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. These neighbors often live outdoors, in their vehicles, or in some other temporary housing situation; or they may be housed but struggle covering other financial realities. Unfortunately, the need for services to support this community has continued to increase. In 2014, The BCC served 686 individuals who visited our clothing closets 3,287 times—more than double our 2013 numbers. Last year, in 2019, this number rose to over 900 individuals. These numbers reflect the same pattern of rapidly increasing homelessness in the greater Seattle area due to a high cost of living, high turnover in housing and rental markets, and the lasting impacts of various racial and gender disparities in our communities.
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Life on the streets is uniquely difficult, stressful, and lonely. As we live out our mission to be a bridge to resources, relationships, and hope, we want men and women to experience a warm and friendly place at The BCC, where they might feel cared for and seen and have access to whatever next step they are ready to take. We offer the weekly resources listed above, as well as other opportunities for engaging in special events, advocacy, and donating.
Special Events
Advocacy
Our staff and volunteers track various local and state policies, meetings, business ventures, and neighborhood gatherings that impact the systemic realities related to homelessness and hunger locally. We respond in timely ways through various advocacy, letter writing, informing the community, and showing up and speaking out for our unhoused neighbors at local forums. For more information on Advocacy, check out our Advocacy page
- We host Warmvember every November at Quest Church, gathering donated clothes and warm-weather gear from the whole church and sharing information about homelessness in Seattle and how it ties to our faith for that entire month. We encourage other churches to engage in Warmvember as well - email info@bridgecarecenter.org
- We host panel discussions, events, and specialized trainings with partners and others in the neighborhood from time to time, to increase awareness and engagement related to unhoused neighbors. If you are interested in helping be part of this kind of event contact our staff for more info.
Advocacy
Our staff and volunteers track various local and state policies, meetings, business ventures, and neighborhood gatherings that impact the systemic realities related to homelessness and hunger locally. We respond in timely ways through various advocacy, letter writing, informing the community, and showing up and speaking out for our unhoused neighbors at local forums. For more information on Advocacy, check out our Advocacy page
Partnership
We’d like to invite you to consider partnering with the BCC to provide these life-saving resources - there are several ways that you could be part of the bridge to the unhoused community, whether as an individual or as an org/church partner.
LONG-TERM GROWTH = MORE ABOUT OUR DEVELOPMENT COHORTS
Many of our services are designed to meet people where they are at and provide immediate support and resources. We also have intentionally developed several pathways with more of a long-term development process in mind.
Advocates Representing the Community (ARC)
The ARC Program, Advocates Representing the Community, began in 2014. This innovative program was created in conjunction with a number of our clients and neighbors who asked what next steps might be - could they volunteer at The BCC, could they help shape our services, and give back and therefore also help lead in a new way.
Individuals apply and are admitted to be an ARC Leader if they are interested in both representing their community and helping to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness in Ballard. Our hope is that the job experience, self-confidence, mentoring, and tangible skills practiced through ARC participation may lead to housing, an internship, or employment beyond volunteering at The BCC, which has been the case for many of our alumni. We are proud of our ARC alumni as they remain a wonderful resource for our community, as they point to what personal development and attention can grow, and we are grateful for their continued leadership and friendship.
We’d like to invite you to consider partnering with the BCC to provide these life-saving resources - there are several ways that you could be part of the bridge to the unhoused community, whether as an individual or as an org/church partner.
- Become a financial partner -Individuals and organizations/churches are invited to give one time gifts or regular donations; learn more and see what your financial gift provides at this link.
- Donate clothing and supplies -Drop off your own gently used clothes, donate in-kind supplies from your org or store, or host a Resource Drive at your workplace/school/church and gather warm weather gear for our community. Learn more here.
- Purchase high-need resources online -Visit our High Need List and shop online for items that we most need, delivered directly to us. Use our Amazon Wish List and you can help provide hygiene items, pants and backpacks, etc. We arrange the list regularly, so most needed items are at the top.
- Volunteer- Volunteers are needed for 2-hour shifts on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, however regularly it fits your schedule. We provide quarterly training and onboard you to a team of gifted and fun volunteers; no previous expertise required - Visit our volunteer page.
- Become an organizational or church partner- Many orgs and churches have partnered with the BCC to keep our mission thriving; learn more about how you could be part of bringing health and wholeness to Ballard, and ways that our staff can also visit, resource, or impact your org/church by visiting our partner page.
LONG-TERM GROWTH = MORE ABOUT OUR DEVELOPMENT COHORTS
Many of our services are designed to meet people where they are at and provide immediate support and resources. We also have intentionally developed several pathways with more of a long-term development process in mind.
Advocates Representing the Community (ARC)
The ARC Program, Advocates Representing the Community, began in 2014. This innovative program was created in conjunction with a number of our clients and neighbors who asked what next steps might be - could they volunteer at The BCC, could they help shape our services, and give back and therefore also help lead in a new way.
Individuals apply and are admitted to be an ARC Leader if they are interested in both representing their community and helping to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness in Ballard. Our hope is that the job experience, self-confidence, mentoring, and tangible skills practiced through ARC participation may lead to housing, an internship, or employment beyond volunteering at The BCC, which has been the case for many of our alumni. We are proud of our ARC alumni as they remain a wonderful resource for our community, as they point to what personal development and attention can grow, and we are grateful for their continued leadership and friendship.
Cultivate Cohorts
Cultivate Mondays, launched in 2019, was created to form cohort groups specifically for women walking through the unique challenges, stressors, and dangers of being unhoused or financially on the edge. Each Cultivate Cohort gathers to provide a safe place for a meal, learning a new skill or creative endeavor, space to be encouraged and built up toward their personal goals, and a community with common needs and also shared resources and knowledge.
We are planning to expand our programs to additional days and to reach additional groups with specific expressed needs/gifts as funding allows. Cohorts are supported by BCC staff, volunteers, and former ARC leaders who each bring unique gifts to support these groups of women.
Support Cultivate Mondays:
If you are interested in partnering with us through supplying resources, food, or your time and expertise for our Cultivate Mondays, please contact our associate director of programs, Cami Freeman, for more info. Our partnership with mental health providers has been crucial to this programming. In addition, our Cultivate Mondays have been made more meaningful through personal contributions, such as free haircuts in Belltown, fresh-cut flowers for arranging, and the best lemon bars we’ve ever had. We are excited about what our creative community may come up with next!
Cultivate Mondays, launched in 2019, was created to form cohort groups specifically for women walking through the unique challenges, stressors, and dangers of being unhoused or financially on the edge. Each Cultivate Cohort gathers to provide a safe place for a meal, learning a new skill or creative endeavor, space to be encouraged and built up toward their personal goals, and a community with common needs and also shared resources and knowledge.
We are planning to expand our programs to additional days and to reach additional groups with specific expressed needs/gifts as funding allows. Cohorts are supported by BCC staff, volunteers, and former ARC leaders who each bring unique gifts to support these groups of women.
Support Cultivate Mondays:
If you are interested in partnering with us through supplying resources, food, or your time and expertise for our Cultivate Mondays, please contact our associate director of programs, Cami Freeman, for more info. Our partnership with mental health providers has been crucial to this programming. In addition, our Cultivate Mondays have been made more meaningful through personal contributions, such as free haircuts in Belltown, fresh-cut flowers for arranging, and the best lemon bars we’ve ever had. We are excited about what our creative community may come up with next!
