Voices of Support

Hi neighbors in the 43rd legislative district. I want to highlight this race for the seat vacated by Frank Chopp. There are 4 candidates currently running as Democrats who will be in the primary. I am a friend and personal supporter of Andrea Suarez and one of many donors to her campaign. She is the founder of We Heart Seattle. No doubt you will hear a lot from her main opponent Shaun Scott, as well as Andrea and others as the August primary gets closer.

The issues, backgrounds and platforms that separate the candidates are significant and who represents us at the state level important.

I encourage you to be informed, view Andrea’s website and those of her opponents. If you support a candidate, share your support with your time, funds and perhaps a spot on your lawn for a yard sign. Ask lots of questions and hopefully be able to tune in for a debate or two. You have a clear choice. Andrea is doorbelling and you may find her at your door. She is real and new to elective politics. This is her first political foray. Like her initiatives with We Heart Seattle, she sees some important problems being ineffectively defined and addressed, and takes in on with impact, love and focus. She will bring a similar common sense and action approach to the job if she earns your vote.

Andrea Suarez is taking the fight against homelessness, addiction and mental health to the slopes and streets of the greater Seattle area and King County.

Three years ago, Andrea Suarez stated picking up litter on one Street and helping find treatment and transitional housing for one homeless addict and/or mentally disadvantaged person.

She is now running for the Washington State House of Representatives in the 43rd District.

Andrea does not just say she can get results, she has proven she can get results.

If you want the luster to return to the Emerald City, vote for Andrea Suarez, Democrat Representative!

Andrea is a force of nature! I was a little apprehensive at first by her bold, direct energy but as I have grown to know her, I see a humility and love for people from all walks of life.

Andrea leads by example, and inspires those she meets to want a better future, both personally, and for our community. She always makes time to listen and to learn.

She’s an amazing, dynamic leader and community organizer who isn’t afraid to get her boots dirty!

I am honored to share my experience seeing the incredible impact Andrea has on our community. Her dedication and unwavering commitment to positive change are truly inspiring. Andrea’s work on the ground, tirelessly supporting and uplifting those who need it most, showcases her genuine passion for service.

Partnering with Andrea has been an enriching experience. Her ability to connect with individuals and address their needs through tangible actions is remarkable. By working alongside her, I have seen firsthand the profound difference she makes, providing essential resources and fostering a supportive environment.

Andrea’s efforts are a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of hands-on community work. I wholeheartedly advocate for her continued support and recognition in this space. Her contributions are invaluable, and her impact on our community is immeasurable.

This lady isn’t a politician. She sees a problem and gets it done!

The first time I met Andrea we went on an outreach walk together. Within 60 minutes, she had already found safe housing for a vulnerable unhoused person who was living in a tent with their pet.

That should tell you all you need to know about her commitment to getting things done, and her compassion. She’s a natural born leader who inspires and empowers others around her to work towards a better more prosperous city.

I have seen and worked beside Andrea.  She is on the front lines working for those living on the streets.  She works with the most vulnerable, the addicted, the forgotten and helping them rebuild their lives. She is about action, and that is what we need: Action.

Andrea’s tireless work towards ending homelessness in Seattle is unmatched. From cleaning up encampments to getting people off the street, Andrea is fighting for a safe and clean community free of homelessness and fentanyl. She has my full support!

I am urging you to vote for my daughter, Andrea Suarez, who is running for the legislature in the 43rd district.

Andrea was the third of my four children and my only daughter. She was born in California and we moved to Oregon when she was three. I used to say I had to raise her on a long leash as she was going places from an early age. She was always independent and unafraid of anything she faced, whether academic, sports, or after school jobs. In college she earned scholarships for her academics and natural leadership qualities.

After graduation from Oregon State, her first job was in Wisconsin. 2 years later she returned to the Northwest and settled in Seattle. For 23 years she has worked for DHL Logistics, a worldwide transportation company.

When she saw problems in her beloved city, she started a non-profit called We Heart Seattle. She has steered We Heart to greater and greater accomplishments by motivating hundreds of volunteers to clean up over 1 million pounds of trash and needles from the parks and green spaces. With We Heart Seattle she saw first hand the plight of so many homeless folks languishing on the streets or in encampments. She naturally jumped right in and found housing for individuals and families. For those with mental health or addiction problems she helped them get treatment.

I cannot imagine a more qualified, hard working, dedicated, and street smart candidate. Our family could not be more proud of her. I hope she can count on your vote.

Sincerely,
Kerry Flener

Andrea is about action, not words. She has put herself on the frontlines, and is making a huge impact in our community. Her determination to find true solutions for the state of our city, our homeless population, and those suffering from addiction, is undeniable.

Like many people during pandemic lockdowns, I first learned of Andrea Suarez on social media, when I began seeing posts from friends about her work cleaning up encampments through We Heart Seattle. It was astonishing to see what she accomplished by organizing outside of the lethargic bureaucracy of Seattle government. As I followed the daily posts I was very impressed by Andrea’s ability to connect one on one with people in crisis and to follow through to help them make changes in their lives. Each individual story of getting someone into rehab, or into a home or a job, or reconnecting with their family was evidence of measurable, tangible results.

I began to go to events and to get to know Andrea as a person. Her mix of compassion, action and accountability is rare. In Seattle’s fractured political landscape, I also saw that she was bringing together supporters of every class and political affiliation around common cause in a way I have not seen before – and that is frankly thrilling. The work of We Heart Seattle is not just about “cleaning up the streets,” it is a movement based in civic healing and empowerment.

As a citizen activist I have rarely encountered candidates who are genuinely curious and willing to look beyond partisan rhetoric to what really works. When Andrea announced her run for office I was excited, but I also wanted to know more about her transition from independent organizer to working inside the political system. We talked for many hours about the interconnected issues of affordable housing, addiction, crime, and the environment. I came away deeply impressed, and completely won over by her curiosity, her practicality, her intelligence, her boots on the ground experience, and her commitment to finding real solutions for the problems facing our communities today. I have ever felt so excited to support a candidate!

La primera vez que conocí a Andrea fue en el parque que se ubica el Norte de Beacon Hill antes de pasar el puente para llegar a China Town.
En los meses de entre Enero y Marzo de el Año 2001 si no mal recuerdo.
Estaba on el grupo de Hike en una reunión en ese parque cuando miramos personas recibiendo la basura que avía alrededor, gustosamente nos unimos a ellos levantado muchas bolsas de basura, lo cual nos lleno de alegría por aver participado con ellos.
Nos presentamos formalmente el uno con el otro fui ahí donde conocí a Andrea invitándonos a participar con su grupo en su programa de levantar basura
Hemos participado eventualmente con Andrea
Creo que la labor que realiza con su organización es muy importante y muy fundamental para las comunidades vecinas de mantee limpia las áreas que alguna vez fueron transitadas para las comunidades recreativas
Es importante apoyar esta demanda comunitaria de la cual somos afectados ambientalmente y como imagen comunitaria ante la visita del turismo en la ciudad
Felicidades por Andrea Suárez por tu aportación invaluable para la comunidad.

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The first time I met Andrea was in the park located north of Beacon Hill before crossing the bridge to get to China Town.

In the months between January and March of the year 2001 if I remember correctly.

I was with the Hike group at a meeting in that park when we saw people collecting the trash that was around, we gladly joined them picking up many bags of trash, which filled us with joy for having participated with them. We formally introduced ourselves to each other and it was there that I met Andrea inviting us to participate with her group in her trash collection program.

We have participated occasionally with Andrea. I believe that the work that she does with her organization is very important and very fundamental for the neighboring communities to keep clean the areas that were once used by recreational communities.

It is important to support this community demand by which we are environmentally affected and as a community image before the visit of tourism in the city
Congratulations Andrea Suarez for your invaluable contribution to the community.

I have followed Andrea’s efforts cleaning up Seattle and helping up its vulnerable populations in awe. I’ve helped and followed on-the-ground efforts since Bob Strand of the Strand Helpers in the mid 1980s. Andrea is different. She walks into these encampments with real change in heart, not just to hand out a few hours of sustenance in Styrofoam. Her experience in Olympia can direct many millions of taxpayer dollars from being part of the problem to funding actual solutions.

In April, my brother Michael, who had mental health problems, was found dead in his apartment from an overdose of fentanyl. He had been deceased for three days when he was discovered.  He was 59 years old.

When I heard of Mike’s passing, I arranged to travel to Seattle with my wife and daughter.  We heard that the unhoused could receive housing from the city.  We were appalled by what we found.

I cannot describe the squalor and filth that we saw. Graffiti was on the walls and there was drug paraphernalia littering the floor. A filthy mattress lay in the corner. Other tenants talked about rat and bedbug infestation.  It hurt us to see this, to think that this was my brother’s existence.

What is most troubling is that Mike was not being housed, he was being warehoused.  He was not an addict. He was a schizophrenic. But he became an addict after he was housed with addicts. Why in the world are they housing the vulnerable with addicts?

Mike was not housed where people go as a step towards becoming functional members of society.  He is dead because the system failed him.

I met Andrea Suarez when I was in Seattle.  Andrea has sounded the alarm, but more people like Mike are going to die unless changes are made.

Andea will be able to make changes if she is elected to the legislature.  If I lived in Washington, I would vote for her.  I hope you vote for her.

John J. Matzick

Andrea has extraordinary qualities to offer our State, first is the ability to listen and continuously learn.

If you value authenticity, commitment and progress … Andrea will hear you and apply her business skills and lived-experience to mobilize action and get results.

Washington needs a legislator willing to fight the fire, not clear the smoke. That person is Andrea Suarez.

What I love about Andrea is that she does not tell me what to think. Instead, she creates opportunities for me to learn and form my own thoughts.

Before volunteering with her trash-abatement programs, I had opinions on why our city struggles with addicts who are living homeless, and whose responsibility it is to respond. My thoughts on this topic have shifted and deepened since volunteering with Andrea and We Heart Seattle.

I am very grateful for the learning opportunities she provides me and everybody who’s been welcomed to volunteer with her. Instead of just shuffling by tents in parks, by volunteering, you really get more of a front-row seat to what living homeless and in addiction is all about.

The other thing I love about Andrea is that she looks for solutions that help everybody involved. That is: the unhoused, neighbors, business owners, social workers, first responders, civic leaders and everybody!! She really cares about people and outcomes for all of us. I have watched Andrea on this learning journey for three years, and am inspired by her bravery, work ethic and compassionate heart. Her perspective is refreshing, caring and intrinsically informed.

I hope she wins the seat for the 43rd Legislative District and expands her positive impact.

Not only have I’ve been working in this field for the last 10 years, I’ve also spent a quarter of my life homeless and addicted. I operate a nonprofit in Reno Nevada that does sheltering outreach, transitional housing, and recovery programming. I’ve been on cleanups with Andrea, and observed that she and her team display a level of engagement necessary to build rapport with the unhoused that could eventually lead to moving individuals to the next phase.

Andrea is a leader, changemaker, and a driving force. we are lucky to have her in this industry.

For months, people in my circle encouraged me to reach out to Andrea as I searched for multiple perspectives on a topic that really matters to me, housing first. More and more people said to me, “you really need to meet Andrea Suarez, the founder of We Heart Seattle.” A few months later, I reached out. I talked to her about a story I was telling on my show and our friendship began to form. I remember thinking to myself before meeting her that she might be another “do-gooder” in Seattle not interested in helping people really get out of the mess, but I was wrong.

Andrea Suarez is a real leader. She loves people in the city of Seattle so much that she made service a daily part of her life. She could have easily put her head down and walked through the city untouched by what was happening and lived her life. But that is not who she is. She made a decision to help instead of complaining. When she started out, she was simply helping to clean up the mess. What she found is that the mess goes much deeper than the garbage on the streets; the mess is deeply rooted in the lives of those that most walk by on a daily basis. The mess is in the narratives being pushed in our communities. We are all complicit in the mess, yet she chose to be strong, pull up her pant legs, and wade in knees deep.

Most leaders in our community are never in the midst of the problem, they sit above the citizens and make decisions from a position of third party information. I don’t see that ever being the position Andrea is informed by, she has proven this over and over again. In the face of adversity, she shows up. The very people suffering on the streets are the ones she reached out to, the ones she works to help. She is not a hand out person, but a hand up. There is a method to her madness, she wants to see people elevate their station and thrive. She makes connections with the right people with the intention of having the biggest impact on the improved quality of life for everyone struggling.

I stopped voting democrat a few years back; it’s candidates like Andrea that make me feel like the democratic party is not a lost cause and that those struggling in the streets are not doomed to die without dignity. Thank you, Andrea Suarez for your bravery and running for a legislative seat. I am behind you 100%!

Vote for solutions and policy change, not personalities. Vote for Andrea Suarez.