Seattle nonprofit Uplift Northwest eye clinic in high demand after pandemic hiatus

After almost a two-year hiatus, Uplift Northwest’s Eye Clinic says there is high demand and a waiting list for service.

SEATTLE – A report released by the City of Seattle said homelessness increased during the pandemic and shelters reduced capacity.

Nonprofits say these results go beyond living. Resources for homeless and low income families have been closed and in some cases are slow to return.

After a nearly two year hiatus, Uplift Northwest has reopened its free eye clinic. The clinic was closed in early 2020 due to COVID-19. The non-profit organization wanted to protect its volunteers and visitors.

The clinic, which has now reopened, offers eye exams and glasses once a week. It is estimated that there is a waiting list of more than 70 people.

“I put people on the waiting list faster than we get people off the waiting list, because if you want to work you have to have glasses. Be it to get a job as a grocer, to be sure you can catch the right stop for your bus or just do whatever you need to do at work, it’s important that you can see, “said Max Churaisin, the clinic’s program coordinator.

Gina Hall, executive director of Uplift Northwest, says the resources for the area’s low-income and homeless populations are having a severe impact from the pandemic. Hall says the services have been suspended and that at least two local animal shelters have been temporarily closed.

Seattle’s report estimates that there are 2.5 times as many requests for housing access than the city can accommodate.

“We have to follow strict CDC guidelines for all of our services, including here in our computer room. We have 16 jobs, we can only serve eight because of social distancing and masking, so everything is really challenging, ”Hall said. “At the same time, we are serving a vulnerable population, so we want to be safe.”

The non-profit organization specializes in helping people find temporary jobs. Hall believes that due to the pandemic, Uplift Northwest could only help half the people it would support in a normal year, but she added that there is a greater focus on finding long-term positions.

She says that over 90% of the people who use Uplift Northwest’s services live in poverty and over 60% are homeless. Her team spends a lot of time creating hope for what she would like to see in a reopened eye clinic.

“Part of what we do here at Uplift Northwest is creating dignity, giving hope and providing vision for the future,” said Hall.