SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle group that runs homeless shelters says a loss of government funding has forced it to close 15 indoor shelters that provided sleeping space for 300 people. Led by SHARE, a group of the homeless joined a “sleep-out” Monday night outside the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle.
SHARE organizers say they’ve contacted the foundation, asking that it devote more resources to local homelessness.
In a statement, Gates Foundation Pacific Northwest initiatives director David Bley says the foundation “cares deeply” about homelessness and has committed to more than $100 million in the tri-county region to address the problem.