New Horizons Ministries — Attraction in Seattle

i didn't stay here for too long so i don't have the most in depth perspective, but my review of this place is largely positive. here's what i have to note! (also, there is possibility that any of this information could have changed since i stayed there. i stayed in october and november of '22)

the staff are nice to you if you're nice to them. some can be strict and maybe sometimes harsh with people staying there, but in my experience, it was only ever when people were arguing with them. they all came across to me as very understanding of everyone's situations and genuinely wanting to help the food is AMAZING, which is a huge plus when you aren't able to get food very consistently. they have hot dinner every night :) they give breakfasts as well, which are just prepackaged, but it's still nice because that means you've for sure got two meals set up for the day they have some chargers at the staff desk that you can plug your stuff into! that's a really small detail, but it was a HUGE plus for me, because i only had one charger and had two things that i needed to have charged. since they're at the desk you can't use the items while they're charging, but it's still well worth it to know that your devices will be charged when you need to use them next they have a schedule of various daytime activities! no one who comes in during the day is required to participate in the activities that are going on, which is a huge relief for me because i hate forced participation. but the option is always there! there are a few that are art related, which was really exciting for me. they bring in all of their own art supplies and it's all completely free to use for the people staying there :) they also have a day dedicated to working on living situation things, like finding housing, working on jobs.. stuff like that they allow pets! there are obviously restrictions for this, but it's awesome that there's room for them to come in. if i remember correctly, the requirements are mostly just that they have to be fully vaccinated and well-behaved while staying there? there were probably other things as well, but that was the biggest thing for me

the main downside for me is that their hours are a bit inconvenient. they have separate daytime and nighttime hours, so if you have nowhere else to go, you'll have to stay outside for quite a few hours until they open again for the night. they also don't have daytime hours for every day of the week, so once again, if you have nowhere else to go you're kind of just lost.

another downside is that they do not have parking of their own. obviously that won't be a problem for a lot of the people staying there, but it was a problem i encountered because i was lucky enough to have a car while i was homeless. at very least the street parking is free during the nighttime hours (or maybe it becomes free an hour after they open, so you'll only have to pay for an hour? i can't remember exactly), but it becomes paid parking again around 7 or 8 am, which requires you to leave the shelter before you'd technically have to, which is always disappointing. there is a massive parking lot that is always almost completely empty that is literally attached to the building, but they do not own the parking lot, so you could get towed.

last downside i can think of is that they don't... really intervene with arguments. if anyone threatens violence they will, but other than that, they don't tend to. i think they sometimes do something if you directly ask them to? but yeah. that was a big problem for me

also, just want to clarify really quickly, it's not a bad note for this shelter that they don't have parking! it's not their fault, it's just something i'd like to note for anyone that it may be relevant to. especially because people may assume that the lot is there, and then their car would get towed, which is not what anyone who's staying at a shelter wants to be dealing with

anyway! lot of words there. generally, i highly recommend this shelter. and i wish loads of luck to anyone looking at...

I'm a homeless youth and honestly, this is the best shelter I've ever been too in Seattle, They have amazing food, staff are extremely nice as long as you nice to them. Hours are a bit wonky, but there are places nearby you can go to to spend daytime, Armory, central library, Orion center down Denny, Plus the seven eleven down the road if your desperate for something to eat or drink, Residency there is amazing as well, Only problem I have found is the people who use it, the first week for new people is hard on everyone due to emotional damage from being homeless (every new homeless person deals with this) But as a person who never have anything much, sleeping quarters are private, charging stations, cleanliness and hygiene supplies are there. A lot of helpful resources too, out off most of the homeless shelters ive been to the last 2-3 years this one has been the best I've seen this far...

Wost place ever. They used to be so cool. Actually helped people. Now they are kicking people out for unjustified reasons. They pick favorites. They "bar" people for smoking weed NOT ON THE PROPERTY but allow junkies amd tweakers to shoot up in the bathrooms. If you try to help a friend out (who hasnt eaten in days) they bar you to. They will call the cops on a kid who is barred when all they are doing is begging to sleep in the shelter for the night. This place is twisted. They aren't helping us anymore. They are starving kids. Refusing to let them even use the bathroom if they arent allowed in for a few days. Twisted, Power hungry, Liars. This is New Horizons...