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 181^st 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?!?

2^nd 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:

• Who: Anyone interested in understanding and solving homelessness in our community.
• Where: CENTRL Office Pearl – 1355 NW Everett Street, Portland, OR 97209 (here’s a map)
• When: Tuesday, December 3rd from 5:30 to 7:30 PM (program begins at 6:00 PM, settle in and grab food from 5:30-6:00).
• Food/Drink: Light snacks and beverages available – or BYO if you prefer!

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 program 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:

• Mia’s web site – she has lots to say. Check it out!
• Pre-order her book “How We Show Up: Building Community in These Fractured Times.”
• Listen to her podcast about guaranteed income when it comes out, it’s called More Than Enough.

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 22^nd 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: http://www.humansolutions.org/giving (thank you!)