Carolers on crusade for homeless

The strains of Christmas carols floated amongst the hustle and bustle of activity as shoppers on the Ave. dashed from store to store on Saturday. They did not deter singers, who clustered together outside the University Book Store, singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful."

Saturday's singers, both students and community members, donated their time and voices to the Partnership for Youth (PFY), a grassroots organization that has worked to aid homeless youth in the U-District for 10 years.

For PFY Director Rick Eberhardt, Saturday's caroling served a dual purpose -- to raise awareness for the plight of the 60 to 80 homeless youth who sleep outside in the U-District on any given night, and to save PFY from bankruptcy. Longtime sponsor Safeco has stopped funding the group. PFY might run out of money by the end of December.

"We're coming down to crunch time," said Eberhardt. "If we don't raise money quickly, PFY will not be able to continue. It's been a tough time. Funding is more scarce because of the economy -- it affects non-profit organizations like PFY."

The PFY sprang from community concerns about the growing number of homeless youth in the U-District in 1993. According to Eberhardt, when PFY started, there were about 300 homeless youth in the greater Seattle area. By 2000, there were close to 1,000, he said.

"[Homeless youth] are a very easy target," said Eleana Pawl, a graphic designer who volunteers with PFY. "Not to say that all homeless youth are angels, but really they are more often victims than perpetrators."

Earlier this year, PFY was able to sponsor "Donut Dialogues," a conference between homeless youth and police, in which both groups shared their concerns and brainstormed solutions to problems.

"For three hours, [youth and the police] were breaking bread together and getting to know one another," said Pawl. "Every step of the way we had youth input."

The conference was such a success that if PFY survives, the organization plans to facilitate a similar conference between Ave. merchants and homeless youth, Pawl said.