SEATTLE — "I can understand that their brains just don't work quite right," Marta Sloan makes her challenge sound uncomplicated. It is not.
But that is the kind of person who routinely receives respect and care from Marta at the Downtown Seattle Association Outreach Office. Marta is a mental health counselor for the city's homeless.
A surgeon got it out, but her sight went too. Even if you shined a light right into her eye, she'd never know it. But, talk about someone who finds the bright side.
Marta is petite. She is spiritual, and she is sweet. But as her dad says, it's also "really good she's stubborn." You need to be able to believe you can help mentally ill people get off the streets. It can take months. Years. Some people never turn the corner.
But they know Marta has a vision of hope. Even if she can't see.
To many, these people are invisible. But when others give up hope, Marta has faith. She can see a future.