by Shaun Knittel - SGN Staff Writer

In August, Canady House, a new living facility for homeless people in Seattle, will open its doors. Canady House will serve those living with mental illness, physical disabilities, and recovering from addiction. The facility will have 83 studio apartments to help provide individuals with hope, shelter, and much more.

A local openly Gay man, Jonathan Nichols, has taken on the project to furnish a studio apartment for a resident.

"My involvement with sponsoring a studio at Canady House was sparked when it was introduced at church one Sunday," Nichols told SGN. "I attend St. Mark's Episcopal Church and Nick Canady, who the house is named after, was a member of the church and longtime advocate for ending homelessness."

Canady was an advocate for social justice and worked to help end the city's homeless problem. Nichols says he has taken on the project to help Canady's legacy live on and to aid in the fight to end homelessness.

"I can't pinpoint an exact time when I realized I was passionate about helping the homeless, but I've been exposed to individuals living in extreme poverty my entire life," he told SGN. "I'm fascinated by wealth and its distribution and think it is a huge injustice to have so many individuals that do not have their basic human needs met."

"I got involved not because this is the solution to a problem, but because it will directly help a person in need," he continued. "Helping just seems like the right thing to do."

Nichols is asking for help with this project by accepting donations so he can finish buying what is needed for the studio.

"It only takes opening a newspaper or turning on the TV to know that times are tough for most Americans, myself included," he said. "Your donation will be spent on bedding, dishes, cooking utensils, linens, shower curtains, and basic bathroom furnishings. These are items we take for granted but that help provide the warmth and functionality of our home."

For more information on Canady House, visit their website at www.canadyhouse.org. For instructions on how to donate, e-mail Nichols at jnichols1890@gmail.com.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Amelia Canady, Nick's widow, and she let me know that Nick always felt as if he received more than he gave every time he was of service," Nichols said. "I am learning this to be true for myself and hope you will share this feeling with my by making a small donation."

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