By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

A VARIETY OF DRIFTERS are attracted to Pioneer Square, some who sleep in alleys or under the Alaskan Way Viaduct or find shelter in subsidized apartments. Some are mentally ill, others are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Many are unemployed.

Since its earliest days, Pioneer Square has offered these individuals a hot meal or a bed for the night. More than 500 men and women bunk down nightly at the Bread of Life Mission, Union Gospel Mission and the Compass Center.

"Luxury it is not,'' says Rick Friedhoff, executive director of the 77-year-old Compass Center, as he tours the men's communal sleeping quarters.

Friedhoff is a newcomer to Pioneer Square, though he has volunteered at shelters for years. Last year, at 50, he left a successful career as a lawyer specializing in finance, real estate and bankruptcies to work for Compass Center.

"The biggest stress is the money and the fact that there is never enough. You have to make do with so few resources. It's a real challenge," he says.

What the shelter offers is a second chance to men and women who have lost their way in life through alcohol, drug addiction, mental illness or bad luck. Those who stay get a bed, one meal a day, counseling and, if needed, drug or alcohol treatment.

Michael Adams says his misfortune began with a recent divorce.

"Nobody wants to be here," Adams says of the shelter. "We don't want welfare."

The hardest, most emotional thing in the world is to "see your life crumble" to the point where you have nowhere to turn but the shelters. "It takes all the pride you have."

Adams, 41, is now working part time at the shelter and is "on the road to building myself back up." His goal is to return to work as a chef and get his own apartment.

The relationship between the shelters and Pioneer Square is one of acceptance, in part because the missions have been there for so many years and most own their own buildings.

"The missions are here for the long haul," says Rich Reel, who owns two buildings on Washington Street near The Compass Center. "The best thing to do is to all work together, and for the missions to make an effort to make as small an impact as possible on their neighbors."

Though Reel and Friedhoff are friends, Reel says he keeps a "daily watch" on activity in and around the shelter. "Right now, they are making a good effort to be a good neighbor."