As the opening of football season approaches, Seattle residents are likely looking forward to another season watching the Seahawks.

This year, there’s an additional reason to enjoy their games. Seattle has an excellent organization combating youth homelessness, YouthCare. YouthCare will be the beneficiary of a new partnership between the Seattle Seahawks and Windermere Real Estate. For every Seahawks home game tackle during the 2016 season, Windermere will donate $100 to YouthCare. The football season is always exciting and this adds to the fun! The partnership is called #TackleHomelessness.

TackleHomelessnessGeoff Wood, the chief executive officer of Windermere Real Estate, said of the partnership: “Windermere is a company full of 12s, so I know I speak on behalf of the entire team when I say how excited we are to be the official real estate company of the Seattle Seahawks. “But more importantly, I’m thrilled that we’ll be able to leverage this new partnership in a way that will help address the persistent homeless crisis we’re seeing in the Puget Sound area. Personally, I love knowing that every time one of our Seahawks takes down someone from the opposing team, that’s another $100 for YouthCare.”

Wood noted that the donations will be made via the Windermere Foundation which to date has raised more than $30 million for low-income and homeless families.

Homelessness in King County
Seattle has an estimated homeless population of more than 4,505, a rise of 19% over the number last year. These results are a rough guide; many homeless remain off the radar until they ask for help. (Counts are done of homeless people on the street by volunteers.) The state of Washington as a whole has nearly 17,800 homeless people.

Nationwide, 23% of homeless people are under the age of 18.

They may be homeless because of an emergency, such as a fire roaring through their former home. They may be homeless because their parent had substance abuse issues and were unable to provide adequate care. They may be homeless because they were subject to abuse. YouthCare reports that 74% of the homeless youth it serves have been physically abused, and nearly 40% have suffered sexual abuse.

Real estateWhatever the reason for their homelessness, homeless youth share common conditions. It is hard to be homeless. They are subject to cold and wet conditions with no shelter. They may be hungry and scared. They may be robbed or physically harmed. They may have to move constantly, or only move at night.

Moreover, it is difficult to get out of the situation. Many homeless do not have permanent addresses that would help them finish school or get stable employment. They may lack adequate clothing and money for transportation to attend school or hold a job.

A Program to Help
YouthCare provides a program to help. Since many homeless youth have a justifiable fear of adults, they start with engagement, providing basic services such as emergency shelters. They then work to stabilize the homeless young people with transitional housing. After they are stabilized, YouthCare offers educational programs and training for employment.

Windermere Real Estate has served Seattle since 1972, establishing our first office in the Windermere section of the city. We are proud to be partners with the Seattle Seahawks and YouthCare.

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