Portland, October 25th. The “It’s on The House” luncheon at the Benson Hotel raised funds for Human Solutions‘ programs and services that benefit low-income and homeless individuals and families. Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury had a chance to catch up with Jo Ann Hardesty, a member of the Human Solutions board of directors. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus Photography)
Director of Housing, Human Solutions; Jan Laskey, Vice President of Community Development Lending, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Gail Lannoy, Senior Vice President, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Jean DeMaster, Executive Director, Human Solutions; Joan Cook, Director of Finance, REACH Community Development; Vincent Chiotti, Regional Advisor, Oregon Housing and Community Services; and Michelle Haynes, Housing Development Director, REACH Community Development.
An “It’s on the House” breakfast was held the day before at Persimmon Country Club in Gresham. A total of 300 people attended both events. The breakfast and the lunch raised $43,000.
Human Solutions’ mission is to help low-income and homeless families and individuals gain self-sufficiency by providing affordable housing, family support services, job readiness training, and economic development opportunities. As the largest provider of homeless family services in Multnomah County, Human Solutions currently provides shelter and/or housing to over 700 homeless people in 230 homeless households on any given night. All told, we touched the lives of more than 84,000 people last year with our wide array of services. This fiscal year, Human Solutions is celebrating 25 years of helping homeless and low-income families build pathways out of poverty.
Human Solutions’ 245-mile service area in outer East Portland and East Multnomah County includes some of the highest poverty neighborhoods in Multnomah County. Since 1988, we have worked not only to address the symptoms of poverty, but also to develop innovative programs designed to overcome the root causes of poverty. In other words, we are not simply a safety net providing emergency services to vulnerable families; we are also the ladder that families can use to build pathways out of poverty.
Our programs help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty that is so devastating for every member of the family, but is particularly damaging to children. We operate two emergency family shelters to give families a safe place to sleep and food to eat. Our goal is to quickly relocate homeless families, whether from shelter or another temporary location, into stable housing as the first step in their journey toward long-term stability. Our Family Advocates work directly with homeless families, providing critical case management services to help them permanently overcome their homelessness. We own and operate 16 high-quality affordable housing complexes containing 608 apartments. Last year, over 620 families, comprised of more than 1,800 people, resided in Human Solutions’ affordable housing.
Great program! Have you heard of it before? If so, what’s the best part of it?