Overview of the Collection
Historical NoteThe Seattle Salvation Army was founded in 1887 and during the Depression operated shelters for homeless men at 213 ½ Second Avenue South, the former United States Immigration Building, and at 117 ½ Main Street. Because of Seattle's position as a gateway city to the Pacific and Alaska, the men who visited the shelters came from all over the United States and even from foreign nations. Historical BackgroundDuring the early 1930s, while the United States endured the Great Depression, many people became homeless. Some government agencies and private charities tried to help the homeless by providing food, shelter, and employment. These shelters were known by several names such as emergency shelters, flophouses, Hoover's hotels, and recreation halls. When men entered the shelters, they were registered, fed, cleaned and examined, and provided with clean nightclothes and a bed for the night. If the men needed medical attention, they were sent to a hospital. In the morning, their newly fumigated and sterilized clothes were returned. They were served breakfast and either sent on their way or asked to do some work in the shelter. Sometimes a shelter had an employment agency that located jobs for the men. Content DescriptionThe photographs in this collection show three of the shelters that were set up by the Salvation Army to help the homeless men in Seattle during the Great Depression. Interior views of the shelters show double-deck beds, the shower facilities, and some of the areas in the shelters where the men could find employment, such as a tailor shop, a shoe repair shop, and a wood yard operation. Use of the Collection
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