As we enter fall, I’ve been thinking about the changes the season brings. Temperatures drop, rain makes its return, and the days start to get shorter.
The changes make you have to adjust, and for people who are living outside, this season is the start of potential darkness, both literally and metaphorically.
At Compass, we try to be a source of light.
I’ve been having conversations with community leaders and government partners about the growing need for more light and the challenges facing our region – especially as we move toward the end of the year.
Compass is uniquely suited to meet the needs of this community because we meet people where they are and we offer services to people at any level of their journey. Our staff approaches every guest or resident not as a number or a task, but as a whole person with thoughts, hopes, and dreams.
We see the light in them, even when they themselves may not.
At our Compass Center, we offer secure mail services, hygiene services (laundry and showers), and a Day Center where people have access to meals, healthcare, and housing navigation services.
Our three Enhanced Emergency Shelters offer 24/7 secure shelter with individual spaces, locked individual storage, and access to services. It is a welcoming place where people can take a breath, get their bearings, and make a plan to make real change in their lives.
Our affordable and supportive housing programs are not only permanent housing, but a community. Whether up north in Shoreline at Ronald Commons or down south in Auburn at Don’s Place, our housing programs are stability and growth wrapped in one location. With 684 housing units, we are a large provider, but we want to do more.
The needs in this community continue to grow, and Compass is ready to grow with it.
In the meantime, thank you again for all your support. We couldn’t do this important work and shine that light without people just like you standing alongside us.
Christopher Ross
President, Compass Housing Alliance