UHeights Community Update

Refocusing Our Mission and Services

At UHeights, our mission is to promote lifelong learning, creativity, culture, community activism, and the preservation of our historic building. As a nonprofit organization, we are committed to serving our community in alignment with these core values.

We recently conducted a thorough evaluation of our programs. Following a comprehensive program evaluation, we have realigned our activities to better service our core mission. This renewed focus will guide our efforts moving forward.

Addressing Current Challenges & Changes to Our Services

Like many in our community, we continue to face increasing safety concerns amid Seattle's ongoing public health crisis. These challenges have affected our neighbors, local businesses, and our ability to operate effectively.

To address these issues, we continue to work closely with local government agencies, the City of Seattle, and the Seattle Police Department to address the public health crisis and safety concerns in the U District. Our goal is to contribute to sustainable solutions that benefit our entire community.

In light of these factors, we announce the following changes:

  • Effective September 18, 2024: Food services and our partnership with University District Street Medicine (UDSM) are temporarily suspended. NW Share’s free vegetarian food truck is now located at Third Church of Christ, Scientist [5034 University Way NE Seattle, WA 98105]. Sunday food services have been referred to Elizabeth Gregory House, the University Family YMCA, and The Doorway Project. UDSM will resume services at the U District Food Bank every other Friday from 5:30-8 PM, starting Friday, October 25.

  • Effective September 23, 2024: The Box of Socks and the Seattle Community Fridge are currently in transition, with food needs now referred to the U District Food Bank and Friday Feast hosted by Church on the Ave [4130 University Way NE Seattle, WA 98105] from 5-7 PM every Friday. Mobile Shower services are also identifying new locations. 

  • Effective October 4, 2024: The Seattle Street Sink is in transition, with a permanent location still to be determined.

Our Commitment

We deeply appreciate the long-standing partnerships with our community organizations. Your dedication and service have been invaluable, and we're grateful for the positive impact you've made.

As we navigate this transition, we remain committed to our community. We look forward to ongoing conversations and collaborations as we adapt to meet our neighborhood's evolving needs while staying true to our core mission.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we work to create a vibrant, safe, and culturally rich environment for all.

FAQs

  • NW Share’s free vegetarian food truck is now located at Third Church of Christ, Scientist [5034 University Way NE Seattle, WA 98105] to continue serving the U District.

  • The food truck returned to the U District on 10/2/2024 to Third Church of Christ, Scientist [5034 University Way NE Seattle, WA 98105], and will continue serving meals on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6:30- 8:00 PM.

  • The City of Seattle mobile showers are now located at 2901 27th Ave S Seattle, WA 98144 in Mount Baker near the light rail station.

    There are additional free shower programs offered by the Seattle Park and Recreation located at Green Lake Community Center[7201 East Green Lake Dr N, Seattle] Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10 AM - 1 PM, Meadowbrook Community Center [10517 35th Ave NE, Seattle] Monday-Friday from 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM.

    The Seattle Indian Center also offers a hygiene facility for men through their enhanced shelter open 24/7 located at 157 Roy Street Seattle WA 98109.

    Elizabeth Gregory House also offers accessible showers for women through their Day Center open Sunday-Friday from 9 AM - 4:30 PM located at 1604 NE 50th St. Seattle, WA 98105.

  • The University District Food Bank is located at 5017 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA 98105, a 7-minute walk downhill from UHeights. Their pantry is open for in-person shopping on Monday from 9 AM -3 PM, Tuesday and Thursday from 11 AM - 7 PM, and on Friday from 11 AM - 4 PM.

  • While these programs will no longer physically be located at UHeights, we are in conversation with our U District community partners to ensure these services stay local and available to our community. These referrals are to community partners who specialize and have dedicated missions to human services, which enables them to provide holistic care and direct services to our neighbors who live unhoused.

  • With a mission to promote lifelong learning, creativity, culture, community activism, and the preservation of our building, we are instead focusing our efforts on clearly defining what each aspect of our mission currently stands for. While we are discussing our organization’s strategic plan, we do know that we would like to continue and expand our outreach, referral, and education services to support social services.

  • Human services began at UHeights in 2020 in response to the lack of basic needs being met during a global pandemic. Recognizing the commodity of space we had access to, we wanted to empower community organizations and community members who reached out to us with the space they needed to activate essential services. While well-intentioned, UHeights is not set up with the infrastructure, experience, and expertise to sustainably host these services.

  • We are continuing to host the Warm Winter Drive in November and the Community Resource Fair in June in partnership with The Doorway Project. Additionally, we are continuing to fiscally sponsor Vehicle Resident Outreach in their support of outreach efforts to people living in their vehicles throughout Seattle and the U District Safe Lot.