Mary’s Place opens its first permanent shelter in Burien

Mary’s Place operates shelters at temporary sites throughout King County, all of which provide up to 600 beds. This week, the nonprofit organization opened their first permanent homeless shelter in Burien. It can house up to 291 people.

“We are excited to have a permanent home in the south end,” Executive Director Marty Hartman told KIRO Radio. “We know that’s where the bulk of our families are losing their address, and so we don’t want them to lose their community.”

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Mary’s Place is a nonprofit organization that helps homeless families reclaim their lives. It originally opened in 1999 as a drop-in day center for single homeless women in downtown Seattle. The property for this first permanent home was purchased by a private donor and also received funding from the State of Washington. Mary’s Place plans to pay the donor back.

“At Mary’s Place, our beds are full every night,” Hartman said. “Our goal is to move people into housing as quickly as possible. Once they come in, we want to make sure we can reduce the trauma and get them back into homes.”

It’s estimated that more than 12,000 people in King County are homeless. Hartman says they’re open to any family experiencing homelessness, and have worked with single moms, single dads, two parent families, and multi-generational families.

“Whatever your family looks like outside, we want to make sure we can put them inside,” she said.

Once there, the families are offered service in healthcare, employment, housing, and kids’ clubs programs.

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In 2020, Mary’s Place will open its second permanent home at the Amazon headquarters at Eighth and Blanchard in Seattle.

To donate to Mary’s Place, head here.

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