EP015: The Night Watchman
Transcript available here.
If you live in Seattle, I don’t need to tell you that homelessness has become extremely visible. We see folks struggling in our parks, on the sidewalks, at freeway off ramps, and more. Shelter is being sought wherever there is cover from the rain. Abandoned buildings, roof overhangs, overpasses, and bridges are home to those without basic needs being met.
With approximately 40K people experiencing homelessness in King County and 15K in Seattle, numbers that are growing each year, it can feel like the community is losing its ability to even know how to address the issue and, in turn, losing hope.
We are constantly being reminded of the negative. From media coverage down to dinner table conversations, the focus is overwhelmingly centered on what is NOT working.
But what is less known, or less visible to the housed community, are the positives, such as the multitude of services provided to those struggling. To be clear, there is not nearly enough being done, but it is important to know that a lot is being done. There are a great number of people, organizations, and governmental agencies doing smart and heart-centered work every single day to meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness.
The truth is, Seattle is not dying. Far from it. Rather, it is trying to adjust to what has become a humanitarian crisis in our city. We are in the process of getting our feet back under us, centering ourselves, so that we can know how to respond.
And in that response, each of us has a choice. Do we step away and throw our hands up or do we step closer and lend a hand. How we decide is based a great deal on the information influencing us, how we see the issue and the voices we choose to hear.
Today we are talking with Rev. Rick Reynolds. He has spent most of his life stepping closer, getting to know those struggling. For nearly 40 years he worked at the nonprofit Operation Nightwatch, most of that time as the Executive Director, engaging in direct action for those in need.
Rick on the smaller trike. One of his earliest memories.
Rick and his two younger brothers.
Rick in the old Rendezvous, about 10 in the morning in 1994.
Rick and his wife Lorri in their Seattle back yard, June 2023.