November News | The Joint Office

This newsletter contains information and updates from the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
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Monthly Newsletter - November 2023

To our colleagues, partners, and the community, welcome to the Joint Office's monthly newsletter! Learn about the collective work that our office, partners, and the community at large does and our shared commitment to address and reduce homelessness within Portland and throughout Multnomah County.

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, please call 211 or visit 211info.org.

Question of the Month

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted
food and housing insecurity in Oregon?

(scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to see the answer)

FY23 Supportive Housing Services Annual Report

The Joint Office of Homeless Services recently released its second annual report on the Supportive Housing Services Measure, including new data showing that 99% of the 532 tenants who moved into permanent supportive housing during the Measure’s first year remained stably housed 12 months later.

Overall, SHS funding allowed Multnomah County, through a network of service providers, to make a measurable impact in the lives of thousands of community members experiencing or at risk of homelessness. For those people, the difference made was direct, real and clear.

Read the full report here.

Housing Multnomah Now

This video, produced by houseless youth at Outside the Frame, tells the story of Brian Mitchell, who left unsheltered homelessness for housing with the support of Transition Projects, through the Housing Multnomah Now initiative launched by Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. This is one of the many programs funded by the Supportive Housing Services measure passed by Metro voters in 2020.

Shelter News & Updates

Join Multnomah County Leaders, Transition Projects, Inc. SMILE, and other community partners in celebration of the re-opening of Willamette Center at 5120 SE Milwaukie Ave. The shelter was closed for repair and renovation, and is now re-opening!

As we invite our unhoused neighbors in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood into the newly-renovated shelter, we invite our community to join together for this event with guest speakers, a blanket drive, a site tour, and more. We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to find out more and to RSVP to the event!

Photo Credit: Keanu Narciso

Artists Chosen for Mural Project at Arbor Lodge Shelter
Lead with Community-Centric Approach

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), in partnership with Multnomah County, the Joint Office of Homeless Services and Do Good Multnomah, proudly announce the selection of artists Lillyanne Pham (LP/she/they) and Paola De La Cruz (she/her) for the creation of a new exterior mural at the Arbor Lodge Shelter, anticipated to be unveiled in the spring of 2024. The mural will be a visual cornerstone of the shelter's renovation, aimed at providing a range of support and services to North Portland's houseless community.

Lillyanne Pham, a second generation Vietnamese artist and cultural organizer, creates through a systemic consciousness framework, focusing on place-based justice and racial equity. LP's collaborative partner, Paola De La Cruz, of Dominican heritage, weaves digital and analog media into narratives exploring cultural identity and interpersonal growth. Together, they've created a collaborative artistic practice, Qué Lo Gì, known for conceiving socially engaged projects that bridge individual stories with communal experiences which resonate with diverse local communities.

Read the full press release, by clicking here.

Outreach & Supply Center News & Updates

Photo Credit: Motoya Nakamura

More Than Supplies: The Joint Office Supply Center serves a critical role in sharing warmth, comfort and compassion with our most vulnerable community members.

As we approach the winter season and cold temperatures and rainy weather descend into the streets, our unhoused neighbors face an increased risk of of developing health conditions caused by hypothermia and frostbite. Even though the Joint Office has significantly increased shelter capacity, with the huge increase in shelter usage in City and County shelter systems throughout Multnomah County, there still are not enough shelter beds on any given night to meet the need. As a result, not everyone is able to get their needs met or access to a warm and dry space. So the work of the supply center becomes a critical, life-saving stop-gap measure for those outside waiting for a shelter bed or housing opening.

From our shelter systems to our unhoused neighbors on the street, many rely on an ongoing supply of donations or in-house purchases based on a limited budget just to meet people's basic needs. For the past seven years and especially during the pandemic period, the Joint Office Supply Center has served as that central hub, where service providers and community orgs can pick up a range of supplies on a monthly basis.

The Joint Office Supply Center serves an essential role of providing tents, tarps, blankets, socks, handwarmers and much more, strengthening our partnerships with our service providers and community partners and serving as a message of warmth, comfort, and compassion during a time when empathy and humanity is most needed.

Planning & Evaluation Team Updates

Community Budget Advisory Committee

Multnomah County is seeking volunteers to provide feedback on the 2024/25 County Budget.

Multnomah County's Community Budget Advisory Committees (CBAC) are group of community members that review and make recommendations on county department budgets and operations- they are one of the key ways that the county receives community input on its budget priorities.

Application Deadline | Tuesday, November 21, 11:59 p.m. PST
More application details

CBAC Information Session:
Fri, Nov 17 at 4:00 PM - Meeting link

To learn more about the CBAC program and complete your application, visit multco.us/oci/cbacs

Upcoming Events and Meetings

Attend one of our advisory board and committee meetings below! Learn about the Joint Office's work, bring a community perspective to our decision-making, and make recommendations on programs, services and policies.

Continuum of Care Board
Thursday, November 16th, 2023 ⋅ 11:00am – 1:00pm
Click here for Virtual Meeting

Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Advisory Committee
Thursday, December 14th, 2023 ⋅ 3:00 – 4:30pm
Click here for Virtual Meeting

For more info on our advisory boards and committees, including meeting links, agendas and other materials, please visit https://johs.us/johs-community-advisory-bodies/

Please email johscommunityadvisory@multco.us for any questions.

Resources for People Experiencing Homelessness

► Who to Call for What: a list of hotlines, helplines and other useful phone numbers.

► Visit Oregon Law Help or Oregon Renters Rights for information about rental assistance and eviction protection.

► Street Roots' Rose City Resource Guide: searchable list of food, housing, transit and other resources for the PDX area.

Racial Justice & Equity Resources

► Data on Race, Ethnicity and Homelessness: A report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

► Resource Guide: Race and Homelessness: A guide produced by the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative at Portland State University

► M ultnomah County Workforce Equity Strategic Plan: How the County is addressing historic and institutional inequities within local government.

Partner Org | Employment Opportunities

Answer to the Question of the Month

According to the Oregon Food Bank, prior to the pandemic, 1 in 11 Oregonians were food insecure, not knowing where our next meal might come from. Today, 1 in 5 people face hunger in rural, urban and suburban communities throughout the state — a dramatic increase driven by the ongoing economic fallout of COVID-19 and the rising cost of food and housing.

As to the housing crisis, according to a recent report in The Nation, "Oregon has a dire housing gap: The state currently needs 140,000 additional units, and that number could reach over 440,000 in the next 20 years unless drastic efforts are made."

Thank you for reading our newsletter. It is important that we continue to recognize the underlying issues that make homelessness so pervasive in our society: from structural racism and disparities, to the economic and social impact from COVID-19, to the lack of affordable housing that makes homelessness unavoidable for so many local households.

We would like to hear from you: ideas, feedback, suggestions and connections. Your feedback can help shape our work in the community. Please reply to this newsletter with your ideas for features, things we should include or questions you have for the Joint Office.

Please share this newsletter in your circles and with anyone who would like to learn more!

Thank you for your work and your interest in helping our unhoused neighbors get the support they need to get into housing, so that we can collectively end homelessness throughout the PDX metro and make anyone's experience with homelessness temporary and brief.

-The Joint Office of Homeless Services

This notice was distributed to those who have signed up to hear about opportunities to participate and receive updates on the Joint Office of Homeless Services and the local implementation of Metro’s Supportive Housing Measure in Multnomah County. Did you receive this email from someone else and would like to join our mailing list for future updates? Click here to sign up.