Sharing Recovery in a Seattle 'Living Room'
People gather in the 'living room' in Seattle.
Christian Reformed Home Missions
At the age of 12, Alice’s father snuck drugs into her cereal and her mother sold her out to support her own drug addiction.
Since then, Alice’s life has been characterized by abuse, sexual assault, and prostitution. She is fighting to break free from the bondage of her profession, but because of previous arrests for prostitution she is ineligible to receive federal funding or other types of support.
Alice’s story is like that of many others who frequent the Aurora Commons, which is referred to as a “neighborhood living room” in Seattle, Wash.
This is where ex-cons, recovering addicts, homeless individuals, and prostituted women can come to grow relationships and receive encouragement.
Members of Awake Church, a ministry partner of Christian Reformed Home Missions and former grant recipient, began to see a need in 2008.
Their neighbors along Aurora Avenue were living in motels without access to social services or resources. The people from Awake began grassroots efforts to provide stable, affordable housing to these people.
Ben Katt, executive director of Aurora Commons, explains, “As we continued forming community with motel families and individuals, we began to realize a common desire for space in the neighborhood to come together.”
A neighbor then offered to make his yard into a community garden where weekly cookouts could be held. After experiencing success with cookouts, this group yearned for a space that could be open year-round to continue their weekly gatherings
In April 2011, Awake launched the Aurora Commons, the neighborhood living room on Aurora Avenue.
As the ministry increased in popularity, it had to realize a bigger vision. A new core goal developed to fight prostitution in Seattle.
The Prostitution Survivors Project was begun, reaching women like Alice through street outreach and offering them access to free medical care, counseling, case management, and a monthly survivor’s breakfast.
These breakfasts are just one example of people coming together at the Commons to receive prayer and develop friendships.
“We have a safe context for relationships to form, for a relational capacity to develop, and for neighborhood renewal to take place,” Katt says.
