OPEIU 8 raises funds for family of member killed on job

SEATTLE (Dec. 10, 2020) — Kristin Benson, a Housing Case Manager at the Plymouth Housing Group and a member of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 8, was stabbed to death Nov. 23 by a tenant in her office.

OPEIU Local 8 has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser with proceeds going to Benson’s family. Please make a donation, if you can.

At the GoFundMe page, OPEIU Local 8 writes:

Kris was the best of us. Her generosity of spirit, genuine kindness and never-failing humor left an impression on every person she met. You could always count on her for a smile and a cigarette. Talking with her, you’d walk away feeling understood — even on your worst day she could make you smile.

Kris said that even if she won the lottery, she would still be a Case Manager. She loved the people she worked with and was committed to helping the unhoused. To honor her memory, do not let this event make you cynical. Instead, take this opportunity to recognize the triumphant, enduring beauty of the people like Kris, who quietly do this work every day at a great sacrifice to themselves. They don’t often get recognized, but that’s not why they do the work. They do it because they care, like Kris did.

We lost a member of our community, we lost a friend, we lost an irreplaceable life. And though many of us are not together physically, know that you are not alone in mourning. Our Union sends heartfelt condolences to Kris’s family, coworkers, friends and tenants. We will work to make sure Kris is remembered and that all employees doing this work are safe.

In addition, OPEIU Local 8 has begun a GoFundMe to provide necessary assistance to Kris’s family during this time. Please feel free to donate in her honor.