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ROOTS / Shalom Zone Nonprofit Association 

Description

The ROOTS Young Adult Shelter opened in 1999 as the result of the community identifying a significant unmet need for shelter designed specifically for young people ages 18 to 25. Members of local congregations, U of W students and faculty, and those already serving homeless young people joined together to create a shelter that honored the independence of these young adults, while providing the mentoring and support necessary to overcome the obstacles to exiting street life. ROOTS operates every night of the year and is the largest overnight shelter in the city specifically designed to meet the needs of homeless young adults, providing an integral piece of the continuum of care for homeless persons in King County.

Mission Statement
ROOTS provides shelter and other essential services to homeless young adults. We build community, advocate for social justice, and foster dignity among low-income people.
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ROOTS / Shalom Zone Nonprofit Association
1415 NE 43rd St 
Seattle 
WA
98105-5804 
(206) 632-1635 

Kristine Cunningham 
Executive Director 

Programs

ROOTS / Shalom Zone Nonprofit Association Programs

Young Adult Shelter
Our largest initiative, this 45-bed shelter provides a safe, dry place to sleep, hot meals, and hygiene facilities to homeless young adults seven nights each week.  ROOTS has onsite case support 6 nights a week for guests seeking housing, jobs, and service referrals. Guests identify key goals, such as obtaining ID, housing, a job, addiction counseling, or continuing education. Critical case support/housing partners include Teen Feed, Catalyst at Straylee House, and the YMCA's Young Adult Program.  ROOTS is the largest young adult shelter in Seattle and thus provides a critical piece of the continuum of care.

Friday Feast
Each week, Friday Feast serves hot meals to approximately 125-150 guests. The meal is open to all and guests include young and old, housed and not. Recognized by Seattle's homeless-advocacy publication Real Change as the best of all soup kitchens, and the Friday Feast celebrated its 16-year anniversary in March 2012 and has operated continuously for over 750 consecutive weeks without ever missing a single meal.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

ROOTS recently completed a renovation of our shelter space, and expanded our nightly capacity to 45 on 12/9/2012.  As a result of this expansion, the number of times we were forced to turn away potential guests for lack of space fell from 2246 times in 2011 to 945 times in 2012, and it is our hope that this number will continue to fall in 2013 as we run at our new expanded capacity for a full year.

While ROOTS has received cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) in our City funding in previous years, the City of Seattle still only funds approximately 3 of the 7 nights per week of shelter that we provide. We are concerned that while our capacity and demand for our services has increased, public funds are not growing sufficiently to keep pace with the cost of meeting these demands.

Evaluation


ROOTS provides emergency food and shelter services in Seattle’s University District for 45 homeless young adults each night. Since its establishment in 1989, ROOTS has become the largest shelter serving exclusively young adults in Seattle, and the only one that is open seven nights a week.

Partnerships and Collaboration
ROOTS is a charter members of the University District Service Providers Alliance, which allows our partner agencies to combine volunteer training, inter-agency referrals, and service resources. UDSPA members also develop “wrap around care” plans for those who are significantly at risk. This multi-service, guest-specific form of collaboration tends to pave a quicker path off the streets for the most vulnerable. ROOTS is also a co-facilitator of the Conversation on Homelessness which leads local initiatives to advocates for those not housed and creates new programs.

Proven Success
The shelter-to-supported housing referral partnership between ROOTS and YouthCare is important example of ROOTS’ effective service delivery. Now in its fourth year, this ROOTS-to-Catalyst pipeline means someone can be in the ROOTS shelter one night and have their own bedroom the next. YouthCare considers this partnership a model of how the front-end of the housing continuum can function.

Sustainability
ROOTS hired a consultant to facilitate a strategic planning process in 2012. With their help, ROOTS has a new mission, vision, and values statement, as well as a new database and plans in place to hire a Gifts Officer in early 2013. The Strategic Plan will guide the organization for the next three years and places emphasis on developing a strong infrastructure.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
3/10/2013 $10,000.00provide general operating support.
3/10/2011 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
12/10/2008 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/21/2006 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/17/2004 $25,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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