KIRKLAND, Wash. — Crystal Faustino sits inside the van that is home to her and her two young sons.
Quick Facts:
- Church in Kirkland provides parking for about 30 vehicles
- Bathroom, kitchen, phone, Wi-Fi available in church every morning
- Portable toiled available 24 hours
- Campers must undergo background check
"It's hard," said Faustino, her voice breaking. "Really hard."
They were forced out of their apartment one month ago.
"And I'm unable to work because of health issues," Faustino said. "And my fiancé works but he doesn't make a whole lot."
When the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness counted the number of unsheltered people last January, the lion's share -- nearly 3,800 men, women and children -- lived in Seattle.
From there the numbers dropped off dramatically.
In fact, all of the Eastside counted just 134 people with no place to live. That's where Lake Washington United Methodist Church came in.
"This is not ending homelessness," said Senior Pastor Kelly Dahlman-Oeth. "This is still homeless. But it's a safe place."
Still, Dahlman-Oeth is hoping to help other clergy overcome their fears to provide a safe place for the homeless, too.
"And they're still nervous about it," he said. "And what I can say is, you know, if you think you can afford it, I think you can't afford not to."
Faustino was asked how long she will have to live in her car.
"I'm hoping not too much longer," Faustino said. "But at the same time I have an eviction on my record so most everybody frowns on that. So getting a place is extremely difficult."
The church says it costs $5,000 to $6,000 a year to host homeless.
Most of the money pays for a port-a-potty and utilities.