Travel Expert Rick Steves Secures Future of Lynnwood Hygiene Center
In a remarkable display of community support, a Seattle-area center that provides essential services to the homeless was saved from closure last month by an anonymous benefactor. This week, it was revealed that the new owner is none other than famed travel writer and television host Rick Steves, who has committed to maintaining the center’s operations.
Steves, known for his extensive travel experiences, shared his motivation for stepping in. “I vividly remember what it’s like as a kid backpacking around the world to need a shower, to need a place to wash your clothes,” he mentioned during a celebratory event organized to mark the purchase. The gathering featured a cake with “fait accompli” inscribed in red icing.
The Lynnwood Hygiene Center has become a crucial resource for many homeless individuals since it was established on the property in 2020. However, the center faced a potential shutdown after the property was slated for sale to a developer. Steves came across the situation through a local online newspaper, which prompted him to act swiftly.
Despite residing in the vicinity, Steves admitted his unfamiliarity with the center’s existence and its purpose. “I realized, oh my goodness, there’s an invisible community with an invisible center helping invisible people. And it’s not right. It needs to be kept alive,” he stated.
Steves acquired the property for $2.25 million, with the community contributing an additional $400,000 in donations. These funds are earmarked for renovations and service expansion at the center, according to Sandra Mears, executive director of the Jean Kim Foundation, the organization behind the hygiene center.
Prior to Steves’ involvement, Mears had been preparing for a closure event. “I didn’t want a goodbye party,” she confessed. Now, with the donations, the center is poised to continue aiding approximately 700 people in the community, delivering over 16,000 meals and 10,000 showers annually.
Steves expressed immense satisfaction with his investment, calling it the best use of $2.25 million he could imagine. Nonetheless, he emphasized that private donations cannot replace the need for public funding. “If we don’t have [$2.25 million] for a whole county to give homeless people a shower and a place to get out of the rain and a place to wash their clothes, what kind of society are we?” Steves questioned, highlighting the gap in public support for such essential services.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
