Amazon Teams With Charity to Open Seattle Homeless Shelter

Amazon is turning an unused building in the midst of its growing Seattle headquarters into a 200-bed refuge for homeless families in a move city officials hailed as a harbinger of greater civic engagement by the Internet giant, writes The New York Times. The shelter, located in a former Travelodge that Amazon purchased in 2014, will be managed by local charity Mary’s Place and is set to open its doors Monday.

The arrangement is temporary, as the building is slated to be demolished next year, but Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said it “sends to me a positive signal about what kind of corporate neighbor [Amazon] could grow into.” The company has been criticized in Seattle for a massive property expansion that some say has driven up rents and home prices and exacerbated a homelessness crisis. Amazon’s new headquarters will encompass more than 30 buildings in the city when the project is completed.