eNews – June 2019

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Hi everyone,

It may not technically be summer yet, but it sure is starting to feel like it! We are busy preparing to open our new emergency shelter for families, Lilac Meadows, in the coming weeks. We can always use extra hands preparing and serving meals (contact Christina to learn more). While shelter is not the solution to homelessness, it is an important part of the puzzle. We pride ourselves on working to support shelter residents with their journey back to housing and economic security.

In other news that we think might interest you:

Our After-School Program Took a Trip to Salem

This spring, our LearnLinks after-school program team took a group of students on a field trip to our state capitol in Salem. The kids learned about their state government, toured the Capitol building and met some legislators. Seeing how and where laws are made – and who makes them – is so important for our future voters and leaders. We need far more voices at the table, and this is one way to open the doors to civic engagement. LearnLinks offers homework help, school-family connection support, outings like this one, summer lunches and more!

 

Newsflash: Homelessness is Bad for Your Health (and now there’s proof)

We've always thought that homelessness is a risk to human health - recent research has now confirmed it. Researchers have been studying the health impacts of homelessness, and the results are clear: people experiencing homelessness have diseases and symptoms that typically afflict people decades older. As cited in the linked article, “although the participants’ average age is 57, they experience strokes, falls, visual impairment and urinary incontinence at rates typical of US residents in their late 70s and 80s.” The research could be an important tool to reframe how funders, providers and governments define and solve the problem. By treating homelessness as a public health issue and a housing/economic stability issue, we believe it will lead to greater urgency and new resources to find real solutions.

You can listen to a great interview with one of the researchers, a Bay Area doctor, here. As he says, "Nothing I have in my black bag improves the health of a homeless person ... other than housing.”

Your (Anti-Racism) Summer Reading List

What’s on your summer reading list? May we suggest at least one book from an inspiring and important list? One of Human Solutions' four Strategic & Equity Plan goals is to be an anti-racist organization. The correlation between racism and housing equity is longstanding and problematic; we cannot have housing equity without addressing racism and how it has and still does impact housing policy and opportunities.

One important path toward becoming anti-racist is to understand systemic racism, our country’s unique brand of it, and to know what being anti-racist means. Not everyone can access in-person trainings on this (though there are local opportunities), but thanks to our terrific public library system, many more of us can get hold of a book. We think this anti-racist reading list from the New York Times is a good one. As its author writes, “Think of it as a stepladder to antiracism, each step addressing a different stage of the journey toward destroying racism’s insidious hold on all of us.”

 

Investing in Affordable Housing is More Than Building New Units

We are excited to share the news about a recent “rehab” project we completed in Fairview, where one of our 17 affordable housing communities is located. Residents of this 45-unit community now enjoy a fresh coat of exterior paint, mobility ramps, an outdoor children’s play area, new interiors and a new roof, to name just a few of the upgrades.

While building more housing is a necessary part of solving our housing and homelessness crises, we also must maintain the affordable housing we already have.

Read more about the project and our grand re-opening celebration in The Gresham Outlook.

Happy Holidays (Already!?!)

Okay so, it’s not quite winter holiday season yet! But for us, the planning for our Annual Toy Drive is very much underway. We invite you to be a part of our 15th year of this joyful tradition. All the details you’ll need to join in are on our web site – and this year we have sponsorship opportunities! Is your business interested in supporting a great community event? We know how to make event sponsorships a win-win.

 

 

Well that was a lot of news! I hope that you are enjoying the longer days and warmer weather of summer. We appreciate you keeping up with our work and being part of our community. So many are struggling in our region, but together we are making an enormous difference.

Gratefully,

 

 

 

Andy Miller, Executive Director

PS – If you want to do something to address our homelessness crisis, make a gift to support Human Solutions today!

Moving back home from homelessness | May Update

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Once again it’s been a busy month here at Human Solutions! Thanks to everyone for a very successful “Friends and Family” gathering at McMenamins’ Power Station Pub – we earned $3,000 because you came out to eat and enjoy each other’s company! We always appreciate the generous support of our local business community and your help in making that possible – thank you! Here are the top stories in our neck of the woods:

Introducing Lilac Meadows, our New Shelter for Families
We are thrilled to share the news with you that our emergency shelter program for families has found a new permanent home! In partnership with the Joint Office of Homeless Services, Human Solutions will be moving our program that supports families experiencing homelessness into a wonderful new shelter called Lilac Meadows in SE Portland, where the need is great.

To open Lilac Meadows, Multnomah County is “master leasing” an existing motel that we will update to best serve families experiencing homelessness. Human Solutions will sublease the motel from the County and operate it as a shelter. Residents of Lilac Meadows will enjoy the privacy that works best for families – something lacking in older-style mass shelters where everyone sleeps in the same room. We worked actively with the Joint Office of Homeless Services to identify a location that offers amenities families need, like a nearby park and grocery stores, access to public transit and ample parking.

 

In this new home, we can accommodate up to 40 families at a time. Human Solutions will provide families at Lilac Meadows with caring support, help accessing community services and assistance finding and securing their next permanent home. Our program at Lilac Meadows builds on our strong track record helping families find – and keep – permanent housing. Last year, 93% of the households we helped find housing remained housed a year later!

Learn more here and get info about how you can help by emailing Christina, our awesome volunteer and donations coordinator.

Meet Pat, She’s Working Hard to Move Back Home from Homelessness

Pat met her husband 48 years ago at Jefferson High School in NE Portland, where she later worked as a school secretary - one of three positions she held over a 37-year career! Together, they have three kids and now six grandchildren - with another on the way in Atlanta.

But in 2013 the wheels came off for Pat, as they sometimes can, one at a time. First a separation, which led to Pat losing her home of 50 years in NE Portland. Next, she moved in with her daughter. When that situation didn’t last, Pat moved into her car, where she lived for two years. Ultimately Pat was left with nothing but the clothes on her back. That was when she reached out for help. She found her way to Human Solutions’ Gresham Women’s Shelter, a safe, welcoming environment to get the support it takes to find a stable place to call home.

Pat is scheduled to move into her own place next month, which is terrific news! Her journey back to housing stability took a lot of hard work on her part - and expert support on ours.

Will you help those experiencing homelessness in our community – like Pat -move into stable housing? The value of your support is truly priceless. Your support helps us work with people like Pat to secure and keep their next home – a place to do everything from cooking favorite meals to hosting grandkids for a special sleepover with grandma. Home is a place for kids to do homework, cuddle up in a warm bed, eat their favorite family dishes, and to simply have a play date with a friend. On any given night, 130 households (about 210 people) stay in our two shelters. We want to help every one of our shelter residents find a safe and stable place to call home.

Just click here to say yes. With community support we can help Pat - and so many like her – move from homelessness to housing. Together, this is something we can do!

East County Update: Relevant Data & Conversations

Human Solutions has been working in East Portland/East Multnomah County since we opened our doors in 1988. It’s our home. We are paying close attention to the changes here and to how those changes will impact our neighbors. I recently had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion about the state of East Multnomah County – one of the poorest and most diverse areas in Oregon - and how we can move forward to ensure that current residents can thrive and resist the displacement projected as this area experiences redevelopment. Here are two data points that we are focusing on:

  • 20% of households in the area live below the federal poverty level (on average, 2013-17). That’s higher compared to the state of Oregon (15%) and Portland metropolitan area (12%). For context, the federal poverty level is very low: $25,750 for a family of four, for example.
  • 61% of renters are cost-burdened – which means they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing – the limit that HUD research shows is affordable for any household. Further, 35% of renter households are “severely” cost-burdened, meaning more than half of their income is spent on rent. For these families, homelessness is a real threat every month because they simply cannot afford to pay rent and meet other essential household expenses like food and medication.

You can read more about the report and the forum here. This is an important conversation we plan to continue until real solutions are identified.

Good Read | MAID: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive

This mother’s experience with domestic violence, poverty, substandard housing, low-wage pay without benefits, and government subsidies (that helped but weren’t easy) is an important eye opener for those who have not walked in those shoes. And one thing we can surely use more of today is more time spent in others’ shoes. This challenging time in Stephanie Land’s life takes place in the Pacific Northwest, too, so the backdrop is familiar and reminds us how close to home all this is.

“Rent plus groceries plus utilities plus laundry plus insurance plus gas plus clothing minus an hourly paycheck of barely more than minimum wage and the scant assistance parceled out by the government with spectacular reluctance — the brute poetry of home economics recurs throughout Land’s book.”
Read a review here and reserve it at Multnomah County Library here.

Things We Need, Ways to Help
We depend on and are grateful for our generous community, which so often steps up when we put out the call. This month we have two priority needs:

  • New Ovens: Our emergency women’s shelter needs a stove/oven upgrade and two new refrigerators. We estimate the cost to be around $10,000. We cook three meals every day for 90 women and 40 families, and our current equipment is no longer adequate and beginning to fail. Contact Marci, our Emergency Services Director if you are able to help.
  • After-School Program Volunteers: Our after-school program, LearnLinks, depends on volunteers to chaperone local summer field trips with kids in kindergarten to 8th grade. Got some free time this summer? Like working with kids? Great! Get in touch with our program manager Tonya Parson to learn more: tparson@humansolutions.org or 503. 548.0210.

Thanks, as always, for reading and paying attention to what’s happening here in East Portland/East Multnomah County. The need for change and investment is urgent and we are glad to have you as part of the Human Solutions family as we work hard to fulfill our mission.

Our Community Can Help People Move from Homelessness to Home

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People in the Portland area ask us all the time, "how can I help solve our homeless crisis?" In response, we have an opportunity for you. But I first want to share a story with you about a wonderful woman named Pat. It's also a story about how homelessness can happen, and how with the right support people can find their way back home.

Pat found a supportive place at the Gresham Women's Shelter. Now's your chance to help Pat and other women like her find their way home!

Pat met her husband 48 years ago at Jefferson High School in NE Portland, where she later worked as school secretary - one of three service jobs she held over a 37-year career! Together, they have three kids and now six grandchildren – with another on the way in Atlanta.

But in 2013 the wheels came off, as they can, one at a time. First a separation, which led to Pat losing her home of 50 years in NE Portland. Next, she moved in with her daughter. When that situation didn’t last, Pat moved into her car, where she lived for two years. Ultimately she was left with nothing but the clothes on her back. That was when Pat reached out for help. She found her way to Human Solutions’ Gresham Women’s Shelter, a safe and welcoming environment where our expert team worked with her to find a pathway back home.

Pat is scheduled to move into her own place as early as June, which is really exciting. Her journey back to housing and economic stability took a lot of hard work on her part and expert support on ours. Of course there’s another key ingredient to obtaining and maintaining a home: funds.

To help Pat - and many others - move forward, Human Solutions removes barriers to housing, like paying off past debts that can lead landlords to deny applications. We also cover the expensive move-in costs that make it so hard for those without savings to find housing – like application fees, security deposit, and even a few months’ rent (not cheap in the Portland area, as you know).

Will you help those experiencing homelessness in our community – like Pat - move into stable housing? The value of your support is truly priceless. It is someone having a place to cook their own meal, to store (and wash!) their clothes, to shower, to host grandkids, to return to after a day’s work. It is a place for kids to do homework, sleep on a bed, eat hot food, invite a friend over. On any given night, 130 households (about 210 people) stay in our two shelters. We aim to help each find a safe and stable place to call home.

What you can do today in this humanitarian crisis is help Human Solutions do what we do so well: work one-on-one with shelter residents to find a place to call home. Pat is among the strongest people we know. She has climbed mountains to get where she is today, on the verge of moving into her own place. Let’s be there for Pat and the many others like her. As she told us recently, “I’m a survivor. It was a rough journey, but I’m going to make it!”

You can help our community members have a home. Please know that you are making a real difference for people experiencing homelessness in our community.

Economic Check-Up for East County

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 ECONorthwest and the Portland Business Alliance recently released their annual Economic Check-Up produced bywas recently released. There continue to be positive signs overall for Portland even with a slowing economy, but the housing unit stock remain low.

This report not only identified the challenges this area is experiencing, but the opportunities to create equitable prosperity across the region… it is critical that every part of our region thrives.

- Andrew Yoan, president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance said.

East Portland, however, continues to struggle from a growing population in the Portland Metro. 60 percent of renters in East Portland are cost-burdened (committing over 30% of their income to rent) and 35% are severely cost burdened (committing 50% of their income to rent).

Find the Economic Check-Up report here and hear interpretations of the information from Andy Miller, Human Solutions' Executive Director, along with a panel of experts in the Portland area here.

 

Announcing Lilac Meadows – a new shelter for families experiencing homelessness

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We are thrilled to share the news with you that our emergency shelter program for families has found a new permanent home! In partnership with the Joint Office of Homeless Services (an office that coordinates resources to address homelessness from the City of Portland and Multnomah County), Human Solutions will be moving our program that supports families experiencing homelessness into a wonderful new shelter called Lilac Meadows in SE Portland, where the need is so great.

Human Solutions has been providing emergency shelter and pathways back to permanent housing for families experiencing homelessness for decades. Over the years, we have updated our programs based on best practices and an evolving understanding locally and nationally about how to best work with families experiencing homelessness so they can quickly and sustainably move forward into their own safe, affordable place to call home - something we believe everyone deserves. Stable housing is the essential first step towards long-term economic security.

Best practices for providing emergency shelter for families

To open Lilac Meadows, Multnomah County is “master leasing” an existing motel that we will update to best serve families experiencing homelessness. Human Solutions will sublease the motel from the County and operate it as a shelter. Residents of Lilac Meadows will enjoy the privacy that works best for families – something lacking in older-style mass shelters where everyone sleeps in the same room. We worked actively with the Joint Office of Homeless Services to identify a location that offers amenities families need, like a nearby park and grocery stores, access to public transit and ample parking. In this new home, we can accommodate up to 40 families at a time. Human Solutions will provide families at Lilac Meadows with caring support, help accessing community services and assistance finding and securing their next permanent home. Our program at Lilac Meadows will build on our strong track record helping families find – and keep - permanent housing. Last year, 93% of the households we helped find housing remained housed a year later!

Redeveloping the former shelter site into permanent affordable housing

You may recall that last year we decided with officials at Multnomah County to close the Human Solutions Family Center due to leaks in the ceiling at the mass shelter space. Since then, we have continued to provide shelter and services for families experiencing homelessness in area motels. When we purchased the Family Center property in 2015, our plan was to use the well-worn building as a shelter for a short-term period and then redevelop the site into badly-needed affordable housing. With the pending opening of Lilac Meadows, we have determined not to reopen the building as a shelter and are now actively planning to build a new permanent affordable housing community on that site in close collaboration with neighborhood stakeholders. Before deciding to relocate, we thoroughly assessed that space for its appropriateness to serve as an ongoing shelter and decided with the County to move forward with repurposing the site. Watch for news from Human Solutions as this project moves forward. We are very excited about the potential for this site to provide permanent homes for families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity!

How can you help?

Our emergency shelter programs are actively supported by community members – in fact, we couldn’t do what we do without you! If you’d like to be part of this exciting opening and ongoing family shelter program, here are our top needs at the moment (stay tuned, needs change over time!):

  • Make a gift to our fundraising campaign! We are working hard to raise $50,000 for this new location to complement public funding. Human Solutions will be responsible for on-site programming for kids, three meals/day for all residents, staff training, installing garden beds, and more. Click here to be part of getting this amazing new space off the ground!
  • Make & serve meals. Human Solutions prides itself on providing nutritious meals for shelter residents three times a day plus an after-school snack for kids. Our amazing Volunteer and Donations Coordinator Christina is the right person to contact to learn more and sign up; reach her at volunteer@humansolutions.org.
  • Shop our Amazon Wish List. This has got to be the most effective way to donate exactly what we need! Shelter staff maintain this Wish List so you know you are donating exactly what is needed. Check it out and send what feels right to you. We’ll put it all to good use!

As we prepare to settle into our new space with resident families, we will keep you updated about progress and changing needs. THANK YOU for all that you do to lend a helping hand! The families we work with struggle against so many structural barriers put in place by a system that simply does not work for everyone.

If you would like additional information about the new shelter, please visit County’s informational page.

We deeply appreciate the incredible community support that has long been afforded to families experiencing homelessness in our area and look forward to continuing that trend as we transition to this new location.

April News from Human Solutions

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We are moving past the extreme cold weather, which is a relief for our community members trying to survive on the streets. Here's what's happening this month at Human Solutions:

JOIN US TONIGHT, APRIL 9TH!

We hope you’ll grab a bite to eat with us tonight (Tuesday, April 9th) at McMenamins’ Power Station Pub @ Edgefield. All are welcome, including kids! McMenamins will generously donate 50% of the evening’s proceeds to Human Solutions (thank you, McMenamins!). What a fun way to support a good cause! Human Solutions' management and staff will be there to welcome and visit with supporters. We hope you can make it!

IT'S FAIR HOUSING MONTH!

The Fair Housing Council's 2019 Poster Contest winner. Created by student Jaytee Franko.

April is Fair Housing Month, and our partners at the Fair Housing Council of Oregon deserve a big shout out for the work they do every month to ensure that every Oregonian is treated fairly when they seek housing. The Council tells us that they are frequently asked, “Is discrimination really still a problem?" Their resounding answer to this question is “YES!” We invite you to take a spin around the Council’s informative web site to familiarize yourself with the law and how unlawful housing discrimination continues to impact Oregonians. If you have a question or a complaint related to illegal housing discrimination, call (800) 424-3247 ext. 2.The Fair Housing Council offers phone support in whatever language you need. The Council offers information and services for individuals and for folks in the housing industry to help them comply with the law.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: LIVING SOLUTIONS

We offer employment services to very-low and no-income adults seeking to boost their earnings and pursue living-wage careers. Living Solutions is one such program, with a focus on people who live in Gresham. Our career specialists provide one-on-one support to:

  • identify career paths
  • plan how to move forward toward a goal
  • connect folks to skills training (think: healthcare, driving, construction)
  • offer resume and interview coaching
  • provide rent assistance when needed (it can be a challenge to pay the rent while in unpaid training programs!)
  • supply new work clothes
  • and more!

Half of the people we work with in this program come to us with no income at all (and some lack housing, which we help them with). The success rate is pretty impressive, with an average annual income boost of $15,000 and a 365% return on investment over a 6-year period. We’re grateful to the City of Gresham for the support they provide for this work.

WORK WITH US! WE’RE HIRING.

Human Solutions is a rewarding place to work. We’re hiring for a range of positions right now and encourage you to see if there might be a good fit for you or a friend. Take a look and spread the word!

NEW BOOK, LOCAL AUTHOR: “SURVIVAL MATH: GROWING UP BLACK IN PORTLAND”

Mitchell S. Jackson has a new book out. The topic he tackles, growing up black in Portland (not Portlandia, as he says) couldn’t be more relevant to the housing crisis and the way some people are more impacted than others – and always have been. Oregon Public Broadcasting recently shared a fascinating conversation with Mitchell as he and the host of “Think Out Loud” walked the streets of Mitchell’s childhood; a place where the show host now lives. You can listen here – and the book is available from our local library, which offers paper and e-reader versions.

For a national and historical perspective on racism in Portland, this Atlantic article from 2016 remains relevant.

Monthly Giving @ Human Solutions: Become a PATHBuilder Today!

Human Solutions’ PATHBuilders program is an excellent way to conveniently support the work we are doing to help people in our community get back on their feet in this housing crisis. If you believe, as we do, that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home, this new program is a great way to be part of the solution. Sign up today! (Or call Matt on our team and he’ll help you get signed up: 503.548.0279)

Thank you for reading – and especially for caring about those in our community experiencing the devastating impacts of poverty and homelessness and wanting to change the broken policies that cause them.

Winter Weather Shelter Info for Multnomah County

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When it gets cold enough, the Joint Office of Homeless Services (operated by the City of Portland and Multnomah County) declares a severe weather advisory and brings additional shelter capacity online to ensure that everyone who wants to be inside can be inside for the night.

We are sharing here information from the Joint Office:

When the Joint Office declares a severe weather advisory, 211 becomes available 24 hours and will coordinate transportation to available shelters for anyone in need. A cold weather advisory also triggers additional outreach capacity, giving outreach workers more flexibility to obtain and distribute life-saving gear.

Overall, the Joint Office funds 1,365 year-round shelter beds and an additional 255 seasonal beds that are all open every night from late fall through early spring — no matter the forecast outside. In addition to those more than 1,600 beds, the Joint Office and Transition Projects stand ready to open severe weather beds as forecasts dictate.

Ways You Can Help:

Please donate winter gear

Service providers and the Joint Office are continuing their call for community donations of life-saving winter gear. Donations had been lower than usual this season, thanks to what had been a long run of mild conditions. Many people have since stepped up with donations as conditions took a turn, but more is always needed. Night after night, outreach workers have been handing out gear to keep people warm and safe as soon as it's come in.

Items especially important to donate items including waterproof hats, gloves, blankets, tarps, sleeping bags and coats.

Please visit 211info.org/donations to see a specific list of winter gear and where it can be dropped off.

Human Solutions can accept donations at 12350 SE Powell Blvd., Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM.

The following items are needed:

  • Thick socks
  • Waterproof/resistant gloves or mittens (preferably dark colors/black)
  • Waterproof/resistant winter coats (men’s and women’s sizes)
  • Sleeping bags and warm blankets
  • Waterproof/resistant hats (preferably dark colors/black)
  • Knit hats (preferably dark colors/black)
  • Tarps (preferably brown, dark colors)
  • Hand warmers
  • Rain ponchos

We appreciate everyone's willingness to help, however they can. But please keep in mind: Some items, like home-cooked food, present health challenges around illnesses, allergies and germs — even from the most well-meaning donors — and can’t be accepted. In addition, volunteers and others working at shelter sites won’t have the capacity to track, clean and return food containers, flatware and other items left at shelter sites.

How to help neighbors in distress

If you see someone outside unsheltered whose life appears to be in danger or is in an apparent medical crisis, call 911. Otherwise, if you see someone about whom you are concerned, such as not being dressed for the weather conditions, call police non-emergency (503) 823-3333 and request a welfare check for that person.

To help someone find shelter and arrange transportation to shelter, please call 211.

Multnomah County offers mental health crisis resources, at any hour, for anyone experiencing a crisis. Mental health clinicians can provide direct phone assistance to individuals experiencing a mental-health crisis including: escalated symptoms of agitation, anxiety, depression, psychosis, dangerous to self or others, substance use, etc. Call (503) 988-4888 or visit the Multnomah County Mental Health Crisis Intervention website for more information.

When it's cold outside
If someone outside is unsheltered and you are concerned they could be in danger due to cold weather, call 9-1-1 and request a welfare check. To help someone locate shelter and for transportation to shelter, please call 2-1-1 or go online at 211info.org.

A lone tent on a snowy day in Portland
People seeking to get warm on winter days when warming shelters are not open are welcome in government buildings that are open to the public, including, for example, libraries and community centers. Library hours are listed on Multnomah County Library’s website. City community center information is listed here.

Severe Weather Warming Centers
A Home for Everyone a collaboration between Multnomah County and the City of Portland. The partners, supported by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, operate shelters year-round for people experiencing homeless and add hundreds of beds open all winter. Beyond those year-round and seasonal beds, partners open additional warming shelters when severe weather hits to keep hundreds of people safe, generally 10 to 20 times each year.

Joint Office staff monitor weather conditions and open emergency warming centers as needed. Warming shelters may open when:

  • Temperatures are forecast at 25 degrees or below
  • Forecasters predict an inch or more of snow
  • Overnight temperatures drop below 32 degrees, with an inch of driving rain.
  • Other conditions occur as needed, including severe wind chills or extreme temperature fluctuations

Transition Projects will open one or more shelters based on need and location. This year those sites are Bud Clark Commons, Imago Dei and the Sunrise Center. These are low-barrier shelters with access for bikes, carts and pets. Additional shelters would open if conditions worsen. 211info moves to 24-hour operations and shares information about shelter options and donation needs, and coordinates transportation to shelter during severe weather events.

Seasonal Shelters
In addition to the severe-weather beds that open only when certain weather thresholds are met, the Joint Office of Homeless Services also opens 250 to 300 beds of seasonal shelter beds every fall, winter and spring. These beds are open night after night, no matter the forecast, from November/December through April. To make this work possible, the Joint Office works closely with business and faith leaders who donate space, as well as experienced shelter operators, including Transition Projects, Portland Homeless Family Solutions and Do Good Multnomah.

Just like with year-round shelters, winter shelters are available only through reservations. Anyone interested in accessing shelter should contact 211.

In 2018-19, the following winter shelters are open:

Walnut Park Shelter, 5329 NE Martin Luther King Blvd.; 80 beds, operated by Transition Projects
Winter Family Shelter, 1150 NW 17th Ave; 75 beds, operated by Portland Homeless Family Solutions
North Portland Emergency Warming Center, 4775 N Lombard St.; 50 beds, operated by Portsmouth Union Church and Do Good Multnomah
Rose City Park United Methodist Winter Shelter, 5830 NE Alameda; 40 beds (30 for non-veterans), operated by Do Good Multnomah, alongside their year-round shelter at the church.
Additional beds are also available in the youth homeless shelter system.
Cold Weather Alerts
Even when severe weather thresholds aren't met — but when temperatures are forecast at 32 degrees or below — the Joint Office will issue a "cold weather alert."

No severe weather beds will open during a cold weather alert. But providers will conduct additional and focused outreach and have the ability to quickly obtain and distribute cold weather gear. And 2-1-1 Info will move into 24-operations, sharing information on resources and helping people connect to available shelter.

https://multco.us/winter-weather/warming-shelters-and-homelessness

Senate Bill 608: New Renter Protections for Oregon

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Senate Bill 608 passed the Oregon House of Representatives and is on its way to the Governor for signature. This bill will go into effect when signed by the Governor – which we expect to happen very soon. As you may have heard, this new law will fundamentally change Oregon Landlord Tenant Law by regulating when and how Oregon landlords can increase rents.   The new law also sets limitations on when landlords can use “no-cause” evictions and requires landlords to pay relocation payments to tenants in certain circumstances. I expect materials to be made available soon by tenant-rights organizations like Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) that provide detailed information on the new law for service providers, advocates and renters in multiple languages.   We will share that information as it becomes available. The highlights of the new law are as follows:

  • Provides protection from no cause evictions for tenants after the first year of occupancy.
  • Provides statewide protection from economic evictions by limiting rent increases to no more than seven percent plus the consumer price index percentage (typically 1-3%). It exempts regulated housing (like our affordable housing ) and new construction for the first fifteen years.
  • Requires landlords to pay limited relocation payments when the landlord ends a tenancy due to certain circumstances (to renovate, move in themselves, sale of unit, etc)

First – some celebration. A collection of advocacy agencies, including Human Solutions, has been working on this type of legislation for many years. This is landmark legislation that puts Oregon ahead of most states in its regulation of the private rental housing market. Many staff and board members from Human Solutions lobbied for these kinds of protections, wrote op-eds, canvassed for legislators who supported these protections and contributed to coalitions that helped get this bill passed. It is a huge victory for renters in this state and will help us advance our mission by increasing housing security!

There are a few cautions for us to be aware of. The bill does not go as far as many in the advocacy community would have liked and leaves some renters vulnerable.   Renters approaching the end of the first 12 months of occupancy should be aware that landlords can still use no-cause evictions. There are some who fear that landlords may attempt to end tenancies in the 12th month pre-emptively to retain their ability to use no-cause evictions. Many agree that the limitation on rent increases (typically around 9-10% given recent CPI data) is too high, and that some landlords will use this as a guide and raise rents the max allowed every year because they fear additional controls on rents may be coming in future years. Some have raised fears that landlords will increase rents or termination activity before the law goes into effect in the next week or two (it is awaiting the Governor’s signature). Given these and other cautions, there are a few things we should be doing right now as the law is about to take effect.

  • Training: Those of us working closely with the rental housing industry will need training on the new law. We will be watching for training events, materials and online information – please share whatever you find so we can raise our collective awareness of these new protections. My sense is Rent Well and other entities will be providing detailed training and material updates soon.
  • Monitoring: We should be watching for and documenting any potential behavior that appears to defy the spirit of the new law. If you hear of participants who receive eviction notices or rent increases that appear designed to skirt the purpose of the law or any escalation of rents or the use of no-cause notices before the law takes effect, please provide me with whatever detail you can so I can share with partners who will be monitoring statewide for that kind of behavior. While we may not be able to address the situation directly, our friends working closely with the legislature will want to hear about any abusive behavior and also hear whether some of these fears were indeed unfounded.

Thanks, and stay tuned for more information about this exciting change in our laws. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Dine Out for Human Solutions!

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Dine Out for a Great Cause! All are welcome, including kids! Dine out at the Power Station Pub at Edgefield and McMenamins donates 50% of the Pub's evening sales to Human Solutions. A fun way to support a good cause. Human Solutions management and staff will be there to welcome and visit with supporters. We hope you can make it!

Where: 2126 SW Halsey St, Troutdale, OR 97060

When: Tuesday, April 9th, 2019 from 5 PM to Midnight