Out of the Streets of Portland

Latest Episodes:

Season 3 Episode 1: Understanding Regional Long-Term Rent Assistance (RLRA) Oct 10, 2024

On this episode of Out of the Streets of Portland, we bring you a panel discussion about the Regional Long-Term Rent Assistance, known by its acronym RLRA. The program is funded entirely by the Supportive Housing Services measure, which was passed by Portland Metro voters in 2020 and implemented beginning in 2021. RLRA has been a key factor in helping people maintain stable housing, providing rent assistance to the most vulnerable households.

In 2024, the number of households using RLRA vouchers increased by 53%, showing the program's success in facilitating new placements, and helping more households secure long-term housing.

Since the inception of RLRA on July 1, 2021, the program has helped nearly 1,000 households and over 1,400 individuals secure stable housing in Multnomah County alone. Over the past three years, the program has steadily increased, providing support for more households to move out of homelessness and into stable, supportive housing.

We bring you an excerpt from a session about RLRA held at the Spectrum Conference organized by Multifamily Northwest in September 2024, featuring Chelsea Blair from Washington County, Erin Goldwater from Multnomah County, and Jake Kirsch from the Housing Development Center, among others.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Out of the Streets of Portland. This podcast is produced by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a Multnomah County department with funding from the County, the City of Portland, Metro, and the state and federal governments to house, shelter, and provide, street outreach, navigation, employment assistance, assistance obtaining social security income, and case management to people experiencing homelessness in our community.

Please subscribe to our podcast to get notified every time a new episode is posted. You can find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching for ‘Out of the Streets of Portland’. And you can find this podcast, along with a ton of information, data and reports, at our website johs.us

"It’s like my life is brand new" - A success story from the FUSE Program Sep 20, 2024

Eric struggled with alcoholism most of his adult life, and has been in and out of homelessness. He had a period of successful employment in his 30s, then fell back into homelessness, and was unable to get himself back on his feet. At age 50, he had a heart issue that caused a physical disability and left him unable to work.

Thanks to the FUSE program and East County Housing, Eric and his dog Misty are housed and stable, and he is able to get the healthcare and recovery support that he needs.

FUSE, which stands for Frequent Users Systems Engagement, uses data and intensive case management to help people experiencing chronic homelessness. It has a specific focus on those people who are the most frequently engaged in the homeless services, criminal justice and healthcare systems.

The program involves collaboration between the Health Department, the Department of Community Justice, Health Share of Oregon, and the Joint Office of Homeless Services.

2024 is a pilot phase of the FUSE program, with the goal of housing forty people by the end of the year, and then sharing the findings to potentially expand the program to serve more people.

More info about the FUSE Pilot program.

Straightway Services: 20 Years of Serving Portland's Homeless Community Jul 12, 2024

Welcome to ‘Out of the Streets of Portland’ - a podcast focused on sharing the stories of people who are currently or formerly homeless in our community, and helping navigate the systems and services that the Joint Office of Homeless Services and its partners either have in place, or are developing, to help people move out of homelessness and back into stable, supportive housing.

On this episode, we will hear from Pastor Dwight Minnieweather and his partner LaToya Minnieweather about the work they have been doing in the community for the past twenty years, and what they have planned for the new village shelter that will be opening in December. The Joint Office of Homeless Services is funding and supporting the new Light Community village-style shelter, which is in the process of being constructed on 82nd Avenue in southeast Portland. The village is set to open in December 2024.

This podcast is produced by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a Multnomah County department with funding from the County, the City of Portland, Metro, and the state and federal governments to house, shelter, and provide, street outreach, navigation, employment assistance, assistance obtaining social security income, and case management to people experiencing homelessness in our community.

A Panel Discussion on Village-Style Shelters Jun 17, 2024

On this episode of Out of the Streets of Portland, we bring you a panel discussion at Southeast Uplift, which is a coalition of southeast Portland neighborhood associations. The panel features people involved in creating micro-villages in neighborhoods in northeast and southeast Portland. A recent study by the Homelessness Research and Action Center at Portland State University on Alternative Shelters found that alternative, village-style shelters provide better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness than traditional, congregate shelters.

More information on alternative shelters supported by the Joint Office of Homeless Services can be found on the JOHS website.

This podcast is produced by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a Multnomah County department with funding from the County, the City of Portland, Metro, and the state and federal governments to house, shelter, and provide street outreach, navigation, employment assistance, assistance obtaining social security income, and case management to people experiencing homelessness in our community.

Thanks again for listening to Out of the Streets of Portland.

Part Two: Escaping Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault: Stories of Resilience and Hope May 20, 2024

Welcome to Out of the Streets of Portland, a podcast focused on sharing the stories of people who are currently or formerly homeless in our community, and helping navigate the systems and services that the Joint Office of Homeless Services and its partners either have in place, or are developing, to help people move out of homelessness and back into stable, supportive housing.

On this episode of Out of the Streets of Portland, we bring you part two of a two part episode featuring the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault system of care funded and supported by the Joint Office of Homeless Services in Multnomah County.

This system serves Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as their children or other dependents.

On this episode, we speak with three staff members at Raphael House - Shaykeishya, Ashley and Rachel, who help survivors navigate the system to get the help and support they need.

Here are some phone numbers people who think they may be in a domestic violence situation can call to get some help. The first number is Call to Safety - 503.235.5333 - a 24-hour staffed crisis line for people in the Portland metro area.

En espanol - tenemos un Línea de Crisis 503-232-4448. Es un Línea 24 horas para las sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica y/o asalto sexual.

Survivors can also call the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services during regular business hours at 503-988-6400 to go through an assessment, which can then determine eligibility for Raphael House or other Joint Office funded programs in the Portland area.

Shaykeishya, Ashley and Rachel have all been through the process of recovery from domestic violence and addiction themselves, and are now working at Raphael House in a program called Domestic Violence Recovery Mentors helping other people flee domestic violence situations.

The program is open to people of all genders who are fleeing an abusive relationship and experiencing an addiction - substance use disorder or another type of addiction.

The program they run is called Domestic Violence Recovery Mentors. To find out more about this program, contact Shaykeishya at 503-593-3874 or shardin@raphaelhouse.com.

One of the key values of the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault is self-determination for survivors. The work is grounded in a “survivor-centered” or “survivor led” service model; recognizing that survivors know best how to meet their own needs. This focus serves to prevent replication of power & control that might resemble that used by an abuser and is one of the most important values of the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Continuum as a whole.

You can find more information, including how to get assistance with a restraining order, at the Multnomah County website - multco.us/dv.

A full list of shelters funded by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, including congregate, motel and alternative, village-style shelters can be found at johs dot us slash shelter.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Out of the Streets of Portland.This podcast is produced by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a Multnomah County department with funding from the County, the City of Portland, Metro, and the state and federal governments to house, shelter, and provide street outreach, navigation, employment assistance, assistance obtaining social security income, and case management to people experiencing homelessness in our community.

Thanks again for listening to Out of the Streets of Portland.

Escaping Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault: Stories of Resilience and Hope (Part One of Two) Apr 17, 2024

On this episode of Out of the Streets of Portland, we bring you part one of a two part episode featuring the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault system of care funded and supported by the Joint Office of Homeless Services in Multnomah County.

This system serves Survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as their children or other dependents. To give an advance warning to our listeners, this episode will contain references to and descriptions of intimate partner violence.

On this episode, we share the story of a woman who we’ll call Jane Doe, a survivor of domestic violence who received support from Joint Office funded providers in Multnomah County. In the next episode of this podcast, we’ll keep the focus on the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault support system, and will speak with some of the providers and staff who help survivors navigate the system to get the help and support they need.

Here are some phone numbers for people who think they may be in a domestic violence situation can call to get some help:

Call to Safety - 503.235.5333 - a 24-hour staffed crisis line for people in the Portland metro area.

En espanol - tenemos un Línea de Crisis 503-232-4448. Es un Línea 24 horas cada dia para las sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica y/o asalto sexual.

Survivors can also call the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services during regular business hours at 503-988-6400 for one-on-one support with experienced advocates who will help you develop a personal plan and connect you with other services.

You can find more information, including how to get assistance with a restraining order, at the Multnomah County website - multco.us/dv.

This podcast is produced by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a Multnomah County department with funding from the County, the City of Portland, Metro, and the state and federal governments to house, shelter, and provide street outreach, navigation, employment assistance, assistance obtaining social security income, and case management to people experiencing homelessness in our community.

Kenton Women's Village: A Model of Community Support Mar 11, 2024

On this episode of Out of the Streets of Portland, in honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we are featuring the story and work of Kenton Women’s Village.

This village was opened in the Kenton neighborhood in June of 2017 - the second village-style shelter to open in Portland. Dignity Village, the first in the country and the model for many other village-style shelters, opened in the year 2000 and is still in operation.

The Kenton Women’s Village is a 20-pod village which came about as the result of a concerted advocacy effort that included designers, houseless advocates, and service providers.

The village was the outcome of an effort in 2016 and 2017 called the Partners On Dwelling Village Coalition. Members of Portland State University’s Center for Public Interest Design were asked for pod designs for use at Hazelnut Grove and other newly forming villages. Rather than concentrate on the design of pods, the Center suggested a process that would result not only in a series of new pod prototypes, but also open up dialogue with the public about local government’s role in supporting village efforts.

Local architect Mark Lakeman, who is also the founder of Portland’s annual Village Building Convergence, provided guidance on the design of the pods by Portland State University students. Fourteen design teams created the different styles of sleeping pods in two months, for two thousand dollars each.

In 2019, the village was relocated to its current location on Columbia Boulevard.

Kenton Women’s Village is open to currently houseless self-identified women, including trans women, and offers opportunities for community, leadership, self-governance, and self-determination.

In this podcast, we speak with Valerie Yvette Peterson, a case manager at the village.

We also hear from a participant at the Kenton Women’s Village on what led to her losing her housing, and how Kenton Women’s Village is helping her get back on her feet.

More information about the Kenton Women’s Village can be found on their website

And a full list of shelters funded by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, including congregate, motel and alternative, village-style shelters can be found on the JOHS website.

Please subscribe to our podcast to get notified every time a new episode is posted. You can find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching for ‘Out of the Streets of Portland’.

Supportive Housing Services: How It Works Feb 28, 2024

Today we explore the impact of the Supportive Housing Services measure, passed by Metro area voters in 2020. The Ten-year regionwide program goals include connecting 5,000 chronically homeless households with supportive housing, building new outreach teams, stabilizing 10,000 households experiencing or at risk of homelessness in permanent housing and expanding the network of culturally specific service providers.

In 2023, Multnomah County met most of the annual goals set by Metro for implementation of the supportive housing services measure, and 99% of people housed in 2022 remained in housing a year later.

We speak with Cristal Otero of the Supportive Housing Services team at the Joint Office of Homeless Services to find out more.

We also hear from Jessica, who recently got into housing thanks to funding from the Supportive Housing Services measure. She was supported by provider Do Good Multnomah and volunteers with PDX Saints Love, an organization that provided her help and support on the street, and where she now works doing outreach and peer support.

More information about the Supportive Housing Services measure, including the 2023 annual report, can be found at johs.us/shs.

Thanks again for listening to Out of the Streets of Portland.

Stories from the Streets Dec 08, 2023

On today’s episode of Out of the Streets of Portland, we share the stories of two people. First up is Nettie, a street roots vendor who sells papers in the Woodstock neighborhood. She’s also part of the Street Roots mobile journalism team, funded and supported by the Joint Office of Homeless Services.

We also hear from Ryan, who has stabilized from years of struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. He is now a resident and Board member of Hazelnut Grove, one of the more than twenty villages of tiny homes that have grown up in recent years to provide stability for people coming out of homelessness. Most of these villages receive support from the Joint Office of Homeless Services.

Please subscribe to our podcast to get notified every time a new episode is posted. Look out for our next episode, in January 2024, which will focus on the PATH Team - Providing Access to Hope - at Multnomah County. The PATH Team helps those who are houseless or about to lose housing get treatment for a substance use disorder.

You can find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching for ‘Out of the Streets of Portland.

It Takes a Village Oct 09, 2023

On this episode of 'Out of the Streets of Portland', we look at the village model for shelter, and how communities and neighborhoods in Portland have come together to support unhoused neighbors in their area.

We’ll speak with Caleb and Matt, who responded to the news of a homeless shelter opening next door by holding a community potluck for the neighborhood, welcoming existing neighbors and shelter residents alike. That initial meet and greet turned into the formation of Cultivate Initiatives, one of the most dynamic homeless services organizations in East Portland.

We’ll also speak with Cara Rothe, who heads up Beacon Village. That village is a 10-unit transitional shelter formed on a church parking lot in northeast Portland at the height of the pandemic.

‘Out of the Streets of Portland’ is a podcast focused on sharing the stories of people who are currently or formerly homeless in our community, and helping navigate the systems and services that the Joint Office of Homeless Services and its partners either have in place, or continue to develop, to help people move out of homelessness and back into stable, supportive housing.

More resources on this topic:

Alternative Shelters - Joint Office of Homeless Services

Research Study & How-To Guide for Village Shelters - produced by the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative at Portland State University

The Power of Peer Support Jul 14, 2023

Alexandra was born in North Portland, struggled with homelessness for a decade starting as a teenager, and managed to get into services funded through the Joint Office and Multnomah County, from shelter to supportive housing, and go to college while raising her family. And now Alexandra is helping other people out of homelessness and into stable, supportive housing. The Behavioral Health Resource Center provides a day center that's run almost entirely by peers - people who have been through homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges themselves. They work one-on-one with people experiencing homelessness to identify and remove barriers, and offer immediate services including showers and respite. The Resource Center also includes shelter and bridge housing programs that focus on behavioral health services, in partnership with the Joint Office.

Music used in this episode (from freemusicarchive.org):

Moonbeam Kelly - Live on KBOO Radio - 2017

Ketsa - Cartel de Funk

Special Episode: An Interview with JOHS Director Dan Field May 25, 2023

This is a special episode of the podcast, to introduce the new Joint Office of Homeless Services Director Dan Field.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services is a collaborative effort between the city of Portland and Multnomah County. The Office was founded in 2016 and had one director, Marc Jolin, from its founding until 2022. After an extensive hiring process, the office hired a permanent director, Dan Field, who started his new role on April 28th, 2023. Dan joins the office after 30 years in the healthcare field.

Using Data to End Homelessness May 10, 2023

The podcast produced by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, 'Out of the Streets of Portland, has released its fourth episode.

The topic for this episode is 'Using Data to End Homelessness'. This episode focuses on one of the most important, time-consuming and altogether under-recognized tasks of the Joint Office of Homeless Services: the collection and analysis of sets of data to help guide and prioritize the work to end homelessness. The Data and Evaluation Team at the Joint Office engages in data collection, visualization and analysis and rigorous quality improvement to help ensure our work is as transparent and responsive as possible.

On this episode, we speak with Lori Kelley, the JOHS Planning & Evaluation Program Manager, Beth Sandor with Community Solutions, and Dr. Marisa Zapata, the head of the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative.

And we share the story of Gary, who is now in stable housing and receiving much-needed medical care thanks to Street Roots, the Veterans Administration, the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and the evidence-based Housing First practice.

Housing First, Not Housing Only Apr 11, 2023

The topic for this episode is 'Housing First, Not Housing Only' - featuring Portland professor Dr. Marisa Zapata, the President of the Portland Urban League Nkenge Harmon Johnson, and Juha Kahila of the Y-Foundation in Finland, who talks about the effectiveness of the Housing First strategy in Finland.

And we share the story of T., who grew up in St. Louis and Portland before experiencing homelessness for over two years. She’s now back in stable housing thanks to support from the Urban League, the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and the evidence-based Housing First practice.

Timestamps:

Nkenge Harmon Johnson: 3:33 - 4:00

T. sharing her story: 4:48 - 16:47

Dr. Marisa Zapata: 18:18 - 28:39

Juha Kahila: 29:00 - 35:48

The Shelter System Feb 10, 2023

Today on Out of the Streets of Portland, we’re going to hear about how our expanding and innovative shelter system works, how people can access shelter, and what it means to expand shelter alongside a Housing First, but not Housing Only practice that centers the people’s needs in the re-housing process.

We’ll speak with Gwyn, who along with her partner, Dan, made it off the streets and into permanent housing after staying for eight months at shelters run by Do Good Multnomah.

Since it launched in 2016, the Joint Office of Homeless Services has embarked on an historic expansion of shelter beds in Multnomah County. In 2020, when the COVID-19 global pandemic began, these efforts accelerated. At full capacity, the number of shelter beds supported through the Joint Office increased from 800 in 2016 to almost 2000 as of January 2023. And hundreds more beds are on the way.

We have shelters for adults, people in families, unaccompanied youths, and domestic violence survivors. Shelters are reservation-based, open 24/7, and welcome partners, pets and personal belongings. They offer meals, and some have full kitchens. They also offer laundry access, showers, and case management and housing navigation services.

You can find more information about our shelter system, including a map of locations, at https://multco.us/johs.

Over the past two years, seventeen new shelters have opened with support from the Joint Office - including alternative village-style shelters, motel shelters and traditional congregate shelters. .

So why have a both-and “housing first” approach that provides shelters while also ensuring people have options so they can move on from shelter — or never have to come to one in the first place?

Research conducted by Portland State’s Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative found housing first participants experience higher levels of housing retention and use fewer emergency and justice system resources than people in shelter-only communities.This produces cost savings for hospital emergency departments, a decrease in inpatient hospitalizations, and reduced dependence on the criminal justice system.

Cara Kangas works at 2-1-1 Info, which is a free phone number that anyone can call anytime of the day or night to find out about services and get help and support.

There is a group of people who have long histories of cycling through the mental health, corrections, and homeless services systems. By aligning those systems to identify and better serve those people – we will save the community money and improve outcomes for those served. Housing specialists work one-on-one with shelter residents to identify and remove barriers (getting new IDs, clearing old debts, etc.). We also work with landlords to request some flexibility and create positive rental relationships, including ongoing mediation or mitigation funding that supports a long-term housing situation.

Housing specialists continue working with newly housed families to ensure long-term stability, including rent assistance, workforce assistance and access to needed social services.

Coordinated Access: Moving from Unhoused to Housed Dec 09, 2022

This inaugural episode spends time with Doll Crain, the intern coordinator at Cultivate Initiatives. Doll oversees work at Cultivate that’s funded through the Joint Office and the Supportive Housing Services Measure. She shares her story of how she became homeless after growing up in Portland, what it was like living on the streets, and how she was able to find work and stable housing through Joint Office services.

We also spend time this episode with Salinda Mingo, a housing navigator with the Urban League of Portland, who talks about her daily work helping people leave tents for apartments. Mingo says that work — funded and supported by the Joint Office — doesn’t stop at moving day. Months after her clients are in housing, she visits them to make sure they have what they need to stay in their new homes.

That conversation is part of a tutorial on something called “Coordinated Access,” which refers to Multnomah County’s system for reaching and entering people onto a by-name list specifically for supportive housing. We interview Katie Dineen from the Joint Office to learn more about coordinated access — how it works, how to get on the list, and which organizations are involved.

Music used in this episode (from freemusicarchive.org):

Moonbeam Kelly - Live on KBOO Radio - 2017

Ketsa - Cartel de Funk

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