Fresh Start

Fresh Start was a shelter for homeless and battered women.

Founded by Simon Lawrence several years before A Knight of the Word. It sheltered anywhere from 150 to 200 women and children at a time, all of them homeless, most of them abused. It had 15 staff, volunteers filled in the gaps.

Fresh Start was in a six storey building. The basement housed the staff coffee-room , along with a kitchen, storage room for food and supplies, maintenance equipment, the water heaters and furnace. The ground floor was occupied by the Administrative offices and a first aid room. The top five floors had been converted into a mix of bedrooms and dormitories, with the second floor also containing a dining hall that could seat up to 100 people. This meant people had to eat in shifts.

Pass/Go was in the next door adjacent building.

Both buildings were drab and unremarkable and no signs marked their presence or purpose. They were located just east of Occidental Park, in the Pioneer Square district. They were both non-profit corporations funded by Seattle Public Schools, various charitable foundations and private donations.