Our New Name: A Call to Action for All of Us
We at Human Solutions decided we wanted a name that matched our dreams. We needed a name to boldly carry as we move toward justice in work we are doing, the way we are being, the people we are prioritizing, the decisions we are making, and the way we are making them. After extensive input from staff and community, here we are, with a name we can rise to and that calls us to action. We’re now Our Just Future.
Read the announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions about Our Name Change
General Questions
Why did you change your name?
After 34 years calling ourselves Human Solutions, our team agreed to create a new name that more accurately reflects our beliefs and goals, one that inspires us to do the work we do in our community. We are very intentionally centering racial justice in all that we do, and a new name that conveys this important focus is a way to let others know about the journey we are on – and invite you to join us.
How did you settle on the name Our Just Future?
Our team worked together over many months to think through what we wanted to convey in a new name, and how we wanted it to feel for our partners, especially program participants. We wanted a name that matched our dreams, one that we could rise to, and one that would remind us to ask ourselves on the regular if the work we are doing, the way we are being, the people we are prioritizing, the decisions we are making, and the way we are making them, are the ones that lead toward justice.
“Our Just Future,” we think, is more than a name. It’s a call to action.
Does this change signal a major shift in your work or philosophy?
This new name is our way of reminding ourselves and our community that our goal is to help build a more just future where there is racial, housing, and economic justice. It is also our way of alerting the folks we work with that they can expect us to center racial justice as we operate our programs.
As a multicultural organization working with people of all races and backgrounds in our community, we have a responsibility to deliver equitable results and ensure program participants experience their time with us as fully inclusive. Our programming will continue to focus on the same results we always have: stable and affordable housing, economic agency, and an end to poverty.
Does this change affect your position on solutions to the homelessness and housing crises, urban camping, and other local issues?
Our position remains steadfast that our region needs more truly affordable and supportive housing so that every one of us has a home base from which to heal and pursue our dreams.
Until then, we understand that camping may be the only place folks have to sleep at night, and we believe they have that right – until as a community we can ensure everyone’s access to housing. As we continue to center racial justice, our views may shift – further in that direction.
I have questions. Who should I contact?
If you’ve scrolled through this page and still don’t have the answers you need, you can always email info@ourjustfuture.org, or contact our reception team at (503) 548-0200 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. This skilled team can answer most questions or quickly direct you to someone who can. We look forward to hearing from you!
For Program Participants
Will the name change affect the programs I participate in – now or in the future?
We do not anticipate radically changing the programs we operate in the near future, though we hope that they evolve over time to always deliver equitable outcomes and be experienced as inclusive by program participants.
As with any organization, we may adjust and improve our program offerings to meet community needs in a way that sustains the organization. Such changes are always made with care, factoring in robust staff and community input to ensure they are effective and lead to a more just future. Our Strategic & Equity Plan guides our decisions.
Will your services change?
Our programs have evolved over the years as community needs changed and our capacity to meet them grew. We began as a small organization in 1988 helping elder homeowners weatherize their housing, and over time we have added a broad range of programs to help folks with low incomes have the personal and financial support they need to thrive.
We anticipate that our programming will continue to evolve over the coming years in this same way. Programs will always adapt with care and intentionality to center the needs of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who have been intentionally marginalized from housing and economic opportunity since before our nation was formed.
How will this change impact me and my family?
If you currently live in one of our emergency shelters or housing communities, or are working with a family advocate or career coach, these situations and relationships will not change at this time.
The main difference you will notice is our new name on materials and our new look. We do not anticipate that you’ll be impacted by this name change and our new identity. Although we hope you see our programs become even more equitable and inclusive over time.
Where do I send my rent? Do I need to do anything differently?
If you are a resident of our housing communities, please continue to send rent to the same place you have been. Any rent-related questions can be directed, as always, to your on-site property management office.
Will the name of my housing community, emergency shelter, or program change?
Changing the name of the organization as a whole, as we are doing, will not mean name changes for housing communities, shelters, or programs.
I’m used to working with a specific person at my housing community or in a program I use. Will that change?
Our new name will not change the person on our team who you are working with, so you can maintain that important relationship. We really value that connection! Their email address will change, but the old one will still work, too, to ensure that you can easily connect with them.
For Vendors and Community Partners
Should we send payments and invoices to Our Just Future or Human Solutions?
Both names will continue to work. Our Just Future is a DBA (Doing Business As), meaning that the name Human Solutions will still exist, though we won’t use it publicly after July 2022.
How should I update your name, address, and contact info in my organization’s systems?
- You can update all references to our organization from Human Solutions to Our Just Future.
- On our legal contracts, our name can remain Human Solutions (we’re legally Human Solutions DBA Our Just Future).
- Our email addresses will end with “@ourjustfuture.org” as of August 2022.
- Our mailing address for financial and administrative purposes is now:
10550 NE Halsey Street
Portland, OR 97220
How should I get in touch with you?
The best way to connect with us is by calling our reception team at (503) 548-0200 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. You can learn lots about our programs and ways to engage by browsing this website.
For Donors and Funders
Will my donations be used in the same way, or differently, going forward?
When you make a financial contribution to Our Just Future, just as when you made a financial contribution to Human Solutions, you are supporting a wonderful, committed, expert team of people working hard every day toward our vision of vibrant, healthy neighborhoods where all people can share in the security, hopes, and advantages of a thriving, supportive community.
Any organizational shift we make will be toward justice, and we’re guessing you’re good with that. If you have any questions, we’d love to chat. Reach out to our director of communications and fundraising, Lisa Frack, at (503) 548-0282 or lfrack@ourjustfuture.org.
Do I write my checks to Human Solutions or Our Just Future?
Both names will work, because Our Just Future is a DBA, meaning that Human Solutions still exists as a name and we are officially “doing business as” Our Just Future. That said, all materials you receive from us will only include Our Just Future, and we would love for you to join us in using it, too.
I use direct transfer to donate funds; will that continue to work smoothly?
Yes! Our bank accounts will not change, and any direct funds transfers will continue to function as they do now. Your digital and print receipts will show Our Just Future, however, as that is the name we will exclusively use publicly going forward.
Has your tax ID changed?
Our tax ID number from the IRS did not change; it remains: 93-0977166. You can continue to use this number to link your charitable donations to this organization. While we are now known as Our Just Future, we’re still legally Human Solutions doing business as Our Just Future, so our tax ID stays the same. We chose this approach so that our many contracts, taxes, and all the other things that go into our work could smoothly transition to our new name.
For Volunteers
Will anything change about where and how I volunteer?
We continue to love our volunteers and couldn’t do what we do without you. The work you do and where you do it will not change because of our name change, and our facilities’ names won’t change. For example, if you volunteer at or deliver food to Lilac Meadows, our family shelter, it will remain at the same location and continue to be called Lilac Meadows.
You will notice our emails change. For example, volunteer@humansolutions.org will become volunteer@ourjustfuture.org, though our former Human Solutions addresses will continue to reach us for at least a year. We don’t want to miss your messages!
I like this new name and vision, and I’d like to get involved. Where do I start?
That is so good to hear! We’re really pleased that our new name and vision of a more just future resonates with you. We see this shift as more than a name change: It’s a passionate call to action – and we welcome you in.
The best first step remains to reach out to our amazing volunteer team by emailing volunteer@ourjustfuture.org, or calling or texting (503) 278-1637. Also, our volunteer web page is chock-a-block with ways to dive into community. Check it out.
Land Acknowledgment
As people and an organization who own land in the Portland region and have the power to decide how it is used and whom it benefits, we take our responsibility seriously to understand and acknowledge the tragic history of Native land theft and work toward repair and connection with current tribal members.
It is deeply important to acknowledge that the buildings we use to operate our programs sit on stolen land, and that reparations for that intentional action have yet to be made.
We honor the Indigenous peoples who were here long before current residents living on and caring for this land, and who are still here among us today. What we now call Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon, are the traditional lands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Cowlitz bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes and bands who have long made their homes along the Columbia River.
Today, people from these tribes and bands have become part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, as well as the Chinook Nation and Cowlitz Nation in Washington State, among others.
An acknowledgment like this is important – and insufficient. We think it is worth taking any opportunity to spark discussion about the lasting impacts of colonization and how people today are still impacted. Our real work happens when we come together and turn this acknowledgment into action itself.
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Email us anytime, or call our reception Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at (503) 548-0200.
