Title
Special Recognition - Proclamation Recognizing Bread & Roses
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee
City Manager Recommendation:
Recognize Bread & Roses for 35 years of service to homeless citizens of Thurston County
Report
Issue:
Whether to recognize Bread & Roses
Staff Contact:
Steve Hall, City Manager, 360.753.8244
Presenter(s):
Mayor Selby and City Council. The proclamation will be received by Selena Kilmoyer
Background and Analysis:
After 35 years of serving low income and homeless residents of Thurston County, Bread & Roses will be closing its doors.
The original house on 8th Ave has been the heart of the organization from the beginning and, along with the duplex added next door in 1987, has provided shelter, respite and a welcoming home for hundreds of people through the years. Bread and Roses will be remembered for the large soup kitchen and drop in center operated on Cherry Street until 2003, where dedicated volunteers were able to cook for, and share meals with those living on the street.
The organization’s programs addressed many community needs. The Devoe Street Men’s Shelter, a 55-bed overnight shelter, provided emergency shelter for vulnerable homeless men until the Drexel House opened on that site with permanent and transitional apartments. The Advocacy Center connected homeless individuals with volunteer advocates to increase access to resources and housing - similar work is done today by SideWalk, the Capital Recovery Center’s PATH program, the Navigator Team at Interfaith Works and others. The Voice of Olympia street newspaper published articles, poetry and art by and for houseless people, for several years.
Bread & Roses played an important role in the creation and/or ongoing support of several other organizations and programs, including our community’s first syringe exchange, emergency winter overnight shelters, Partners in Prevention Education, Camp Quixote, SideWalk, EGYHOP, and Food Not Bombs, among others.
Attachments:
Proclamation