Officials have told her they want funds to go into permanent housing, not temporary shelter. But we need a shelter now. Women need to get off the streets now. Dawson says resources are going to transitional and permanent housing, because allocations are dictated by the federal government, but she does understand there is a need. Marchand and her colleagues are beginning the motions to organize.
All women are welcome and asked to bring their ideas.
Perhaps fueling the debate will be images Marchand wrote in a letter she sent to Seattle's Mayor Norm Rice in 1993. It was the middle of February and it was snowing. Marchand and her staff at Noel House had already turned away 25 women. This week, the situation has gone beyond the boundaries of what I consider my professional life. This cannot be tolerated.