Each fall, we share some of the happenings around Human Solutions that made a difference in the community we call home. This year, with our collective energies still handling a pandemic and a protracted housing crisis, we are proud to highlight results that show the power of our work together.
We’ve broken ground on 93 new apartments that will help address our housing crisis. Pre-leasing is scheduled to begin in fall 2022.
Join us Saturday, April 17, for volunteer orientation!
Hi Everyone —
This isn’t just any July 4th holiday, is it? This year, this traditional holiday is an opportunity to reflect on the very meaning of our nation – and its promise. At Human Solutions, we know that building a better future depends on understanding and acknowledging our past. We are both realistic about our traumatic past and optimistic that together we can build a better future where Black Lives Matter and all of us experience housing and economic security in a society defined by racial justice. For us, these are the bedrock foundations of a just society. We can accept nothing less.
America is struggling on this July 4th. We are grappling with a pandemic we did not adequately prepare for and a national reckoning of our four centuries of racial injustice in the wake of the unjust murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and so many more. COVID-19 has, not surprisingly, exposed our persistent inequities, as Black and brown Americans bear the brunt of the health and economic consequences of the coronavirus. As we acknowledge our shared pain, we at Human Solutions are also focusing on making the most of this moment to intentionally and equitably build the road ahead – for our community and our nation – so that we make our collective way to justice, quickly. When we arrive, what a celebration we will have!
As we help build the road to justice, we turn to those with lived experience to lead the way. Some Black leaders we are listening to in this most American of moments (links to their Twitter feeds):
We hope to see you with us on this most important of journeys. Now more than ever we need each other.
Yours on the road to justice,
Andy Miller & the whole team at Human Solutions
PS – Want to jump into this work with us? Great, we’d love to have you. Connect with Shawna, our volunteer & in-kind donations coordinator: 503.278.1637 or volunteer@humansolutions.org. No time, but want to support us? Thanks! You can always contribute online, 24/7.
I hope this message finds you well – physically and mentally – in this unprecedented moment. I am writing to share with you some impacts we are feeling from COVID-19 and how we are handling them. We have been working very closely with Multnomah County’s public health and homeless services teams and other local service providers to determine the best path forward to protect and meet the needs of our staff, program participants, housing and shelter residents and our community at large.
At Human Solutions we often say “this is what community looks like” when we see our community come together to support each other. It is that same empathy, strength and sense of one-ness that we are drawing on as we face this global pandemic together.
Update on Our Services
Many in the community depend on Human Solutions to meet their needs, including emergency shelter, housing, rent assistance, after-school learning, and much more. We are working around the clock to keep our essential services available (and identify those we can put on hold), while also adjusting our programming and administration to meet local and state public health requirements to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Top on our minds is how to balance the urgent needs of our neighbors with very low incomes and insecure or no housing with the also urgent need to practice social distancing. As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation, so our response is likely to evolve, too, over the coming weeks and months.
If you need to reach our staff, please know that any whose jobs allow it will be working remotely, so business may not be “as usual” but it is continuing. Our leadership team is mostly working remotely and participating in virtual meetings.
Our Emergency Shelters
Both our shelters for people experiencing homelessness remain open at this time, though we have stopped taking in new residents for the moment to create space for social distancing among beds and in daily living. Our women’s shelter is a congregate setting, where people share close sleeping quarters, while our family shelter is a former motel, so families have private rooms, requiring less adjustment in this moment. Our goal is the same as yours, I bet: to support our community when it needs us most. And sometimes supporting each other looks like staying six feet apart!
How You Can Help Now
However you can support our work and our community as a whole at this time, we are grateful. Thank you, thank you for being part of the Human Solutions extended family: together, WE are what community looks like.
In solidarity,
Andy Miller, Executive Director, and the whole team at Human Solutions
This fall I was able to pay it forward to Human Solutions – after 25 years! Back then, I was in no position to write $500 checks to support their work with others in need, but I knew I wanted to and now I am. Here’s my story:
As a young mother with two young children, I became homeless after separating from my partner. I had a part-time job, but not enough money to make it all work. Thankfully, that’s when I learned about Human Solutions.
A little help at the right time made all the difference.
When I reached out, Human Solutions’ assistance was just what I needed to get back on my feet. Their kind and understanding staff helped me move into transitional housing and pay for childcare, which was essential to being able to earn enough money to support the three of us. After three months in transitional housing, I found a more permanent place that met our needs. With Human Solutions providing rent and childcare assistance for another three critical months, I was able to maintain stability and start earning what I needed to support my little family.
Helping others when I could was always my goal.
During that time, I always thought that when I got back on my feet, I would give back to the organizations that helped me. I knew there were other mothers experiencing the fear of not knowing how to provide for their children. It was my goal to extend to them the same support that was extended to me. I kept telling myself “when I win the lottery I will make my gift.” I haven’t won the lottery (lol), but this year I made my second $500 gift to Human Solutions to support others facing the kind of challenges I did. I know they are out there, and I know that Human Solutions has the skills and experience to work successfully and kindly with those who find themselves, for various reasons, unable to make ends meet.
Can you join me in this important work? Together we can do so much!
I’m writing you now because I want you to know that the services Human Solutions offers can really lift someone up. They helped me during a rough patch, and now I get to cherish the good times. My daughters (in the photo) have grown into wonderful women who have now started their own families – and I get to spend this holiday season holding my grandson.
I invite you to join me in paying it forward by making a gift to Human Solutions as soon as possible – any amount helps.
It’s easy to give – just click here to make an online donation (or pop it in the mail to: 12350 SE Powell Blvd., Portland, OR 97236).
Any amount helps – trust me. The generosity of others made a difference in my life. I know that your gift will make a difference in another family’s life!
Gratefully,
Cara
P.S. From someone who knows firsthand the impact your gift has, thank you for your compassion and generosity. It means the world. https://humansolutions.org/payitforward/
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. To which I’d add: stories are how we make sense of the world. Here at Human Solutions, we have the honor of being a partner to many people’s stories as they seek our help along their way.
When I recently met Jesse and Tanya and their three wonderful children (ages 2, 6 & 14) at Lilac Meadows, our new emergency shelter for families in SE Portland, I was struck by both the speed and magnitude of their spiral into poverty and homelessness and by their hard work to put it all back together. You’ve probably seen this, too – how quickly folks are being pulled from calm to crisis by the forces causing homelessness at record rates in our community. And like us, I bet you want a solution so all families in our community have a place to call home and a real chance to thrive.
From Housed To Homeless In 6 Months
While each family we work with is unique, we see some trends: people are working hard to survive and overcome poverty and homelessness, facing systemic barriers at every turn – racism, misogyny, low wages, no way to save, and high childcare costs, among others. Jesse and Tanya’s experience going from a stable home and job to unhoused with nothing took a mere six months, precipitated by a layoff. Tragically, when Jesse lost his job the family lost their housing, too, because their landlord was also Jesse’s employer. Without income, they couldn’t afford their car payments, so those are gone, too, along with the money they had invested in them.
One thing about poverty in America is that once that starter event happens – an unexpected medical (or other) bill, a rent increase or a high-needs child – it’s like the dam is broken and a flood of additional blows push people further from stability. But we can rebuild the dams and push back on the floodwaters.
With your continued help, families like Tanya and Jesse’s can have what everyone in our community deserves: a place to call home that they love and can afford.
An Important Partner
While Jesse, Tanya and the kids are living at Lilac Meadows, our on-site shelter team supports them by meeting them where they are and working forward from there. All 39 resident families at Lilac Meadows have a warm and dry place to sleep and store their belongings, three meals a day, one-on-one rehousing support, and, importantly, empathy and encouragement. With their immediate needs met, families can focus on their futures. Speaking of which, Jesse is already back at work in a new job!
Something Jesse and Tanya really love at Human Solutions is the orga- nized field trips we make available for the kids – OMSI, the pumpkin patch, the Children’s Museum and more!
As Jesse told me, their littles wake up and ask to go right to the shelter office so they can hang out with staff, whom they adore. As we like to say at Human Solutions: this is what community looks like.
Can you help families like Jesse and Tanya’s have the housing and economic security they are working so hard for? Your gift will make a world of difference for Jesse, Tanya, and the kids – and for Human Solutions’ work to ensure that everyone in our community has a safe and stable place to call home.
Solutions Now And For The Future
Our staff does a great job working with families like Jesse and Tanya’s to overcome the challenges our economic and housing systems throw in thei
r way. But too many of our neighbors are facing the same barriers. At Human Solutions, we believe that these systems must work better, so fewer families endure the trauma and lasting impacts of poverty and homelessness – and more have a real opportunity to thrive. To that end, we’re not just helping people find housing today – we’re also working for a more just society tomorrow.
Together We Are The Solution
For the sake of Jesse and Tanya and the many unhoused families across our area who need help right now (there are hundreds on waitlists for shelter), I invite you to be part of the solution by making a generous gift this season. Together we can help our community today and work to address the root causes of poverty and homelessness to prevent more crises tomorrow. We know there’s a better way, and we’re working every day to get there.
With gratitude,
Andy Miller, Executive Director
PS – BE PART OF THE SOLUTION! Thank you for renewing your support – it does a world of good. And our community needs us right now!
Give here today: humansolutions.org/back2home
Our kids adore the staff here at Lilac Meadows. They were comfortable from the 1st day we arrived. When our kids are happy, we’re more able to focus on the future.
-Jesse B, shelter resident and father of 3
What an amazing streak of gorgeous fall weather we are fortunate to have. Makes raking all those leaves more enjoyable! That said, we are on the cusp of chillier nights when sleeping outside will be even harder than usual.
We appreciate and are glad to share advice for all of us during the cold weather from 211.info, our local social service coordinator: Community members are asked to be vigilant watching out for their neighbors in need. Anyone who has concerns about someone they observe who appears to be unprepared for the cold weather and does not seem to be capable of caring for themselves should call Police Non-Emergency, 503-823-3333, and request a “welfare check.” If it appears that the person’s situation is mental health-related, the Mental Health Crisis Line can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 503-988-4888. If the situation appears to present an imminent risk to the person’s health or safety, dial 911. Every one of us can help out in these situations, and with accurate information we are better able to step up and do the right thing. Human Solutions supports the most compassionate response to people on the street and has endorsed Portland Street Response, a developing program spearheaded by Street Roots.
In other news, the team at Human Solutions has been busy as ever this fall. I’m sharing some highlights here that I think may interest you.
Your Help Needed! ‘Tis the Season for Human Solutions’ Holiday Toy Drive!
This event is a joyful tradition at Human Solutions! Every year, we partner with volunteers and organizations across our community to collect gifts for kids who need them and invite their parents to “shop” (for free, of course!) for the holidays. Shoppers are families with low/no incomes who live in our affordable housing communities or are participating in our programs. You can help by hosting a collection bin in your community, church or office space, delivering gifts to our two office locations (12350 SE Powell Blvd. and 124 NE 181st Ave.), shopping for gifts on our Amazon Wish List (they send things right to us!), volunteering, or sponsoring the event. Details and volunteer sign-ups are on our web page. Let’s put a little shine in the holidays, shall we?!?
2nd Community Conversation on Homelessness | December in the Pearl
We had such a strong turnout this summer for our first Community Conversation on Homelessness that we’re doing it again! This time in the Pearl District in downtown Portland. Join us – you can RSVP here.
Event Details:
Questions? Contact Lisa Frack, Human Solutions: 503.548.0282 or lfrack@humansolutions.org. For CENTRL Office, contact Madeline at madeline@centrloffice.com
Help Out by Cooking & Serving Meals in our Emergency Shelters
Human Solutions operates two emergency shelters for people who are unhoused: one for families with dependent children and another for women (all who identify). Approximately 230 people (80 of them children) stay with us every night. Of course we provide meals (three per day for every shelter resident, which adds up to about 250,000 meals a year!)
That’s where you come in! Our part-time kitchen manager, Chris, cooks a lot, but we depend on volunteers in the community to supplement her meals (like those pictured here who cooked and served lunch for 90 women few weeks back). Is that you? It is a joyful way to be a contributing member of our community. Our shelter volunteer and donations coordinator, Christina, awaits you: volunteer@humansolutions.org or 503.278.1637. ‘Tis the season to feed and break bread with others, right? If you’ve been thinking, “I want to do something, but I don’t quite know what,” get in touch with Christina – she’s friendly and can get you all set up! #thisiswhatcommunitylookslike
New Skills2Work Program
The group you see here are proud graduates of Skills2Work, a new progr
am we created to support people experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness as they prepare to re-enter the job market. While we have long worked with folks with low/no incomes to increase their skills and find career-track employment, this program fills a gap by offering training and support for those with the most barriers to work so they can recover confidence, skills and self-awareness on the road to potential employment and a brighter future. Our incredible employment team worked to craft this unique series specifically for a cohort of women – including many who reside in our Gresham Women’s Shelter. After six weeks of inspiring hard work, the cohort of 13 graduates received their diplomas at an emotional ceremony. It was a morning filled with pride, accomplishment, tears, hugs and love – one of the most memorable celebrations I have attended in my 25 years of doing this work. Take a look at this recent article in the Gresham Outlook about this program.
Mia Birdsong Was So Inspiring!
We are still on cloud nine after hosting the incredible Mia Birdsong (pictured here with Human Solutions ED Andy Miller and our Board VP Jo Ann Hardesty) at APANO’s new space in SE PDX in October (we recorded her terrific presentation so you can watch it right here). Mia raises questions so relevant to our times, making clear that we can’t have a community that works for everyone if we don’t tackle head-on the root causes of inequity that create so much hardship today. She clearly called out structural racism, misogyny, classism, and our unique brand of aggressive capitalism that puts profits ahead of humanity. As Mia told us that night and shared again with our staff on Friday morning (lucky us!), our job is to put ALL the people into “We the People,” creating truth from fiction.
To keep the conversation going, we are sharing a few resources:
At Human Solutions we are working towards housing and economic security for all – and Mia’s approach really resonates with us. Hope to see you at another event soon!
Good listen about East Portland, our service area
This short segment on OPB shares historical background and current issues in East Portland through the lens of an artist working with the community. We’ve been here 31 years and even we learned something new! Enjoy.
“Portland artist Sabina Haque began exploring the history of Portland east of 82nd Avenue for an art project two years ago. Since then, she’s interviewed various residents about their history in East Portland and their hopes for its future. She joins us to talk about her project and what she hopes to do next.”
October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
On October 22nd Human Solutions staff participated in the City of Gresham’s annual candlelight vigil to raise awareness, support survivors and remember those we’ve lost. We know all too well from our day-to-day work that domestic violence is a 365-day-a-year issue. Nearly 70% of the residents at our Gresham Women’s Shelter report being survivors of domestic violence; it is a major contributor to homelessness for women. This powerful event is spearheaded by Rep. Carla Piluso, former Gresham Police Chief and current Human Solutions board secretary. We were glad to show our support this night and also appreciate the ongoing work of the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence.
Thanks, as always, for your interest in our community – it needs us right now.
Warmly,
Andy Miller, Executive Director
PS – Inspired by what we’re doing? Please consider a donation to keep us going strong – we’re open 24/7 right here: https://www.humansolutions.org/giving (thank you!)
