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With two years of programming under our belt, the City of Portland's Shelter Services team has much to share! Read all about it in this issue:
- What Drives our Director?
- 1-Year Anniversary at Several Sites
- 2 years of Data, 2 years of Service
- Partner Spotlight - A brief chat about CHAT
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Driven by her mother's legacy of compassion and service, Brandy Westerman reflects on her transition from international humanitarian aid work to tackling Portland's homelessness crisis as the City’s Emergency Humanitarian Operations Director.
For the past year, Brandy has led our growing team as we’ve navigated the challenges of coordinating shelter services and building vital partnerships. In this letter, she underscores the importance of continued collaboration, the power of community, and the need for even more innovative solutions as we all work together to address this humanitarian challenge.
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One year, four shelters, more than 1,000 people served.
This summer, Clinton Triangle, Peninsula Crossing, Sunderland RV Safe Park, and Reedway celebrated their first “birthday.”
Sunderland commemorated the milestone with a party, complete with birthday balloons, a catered meal, pizza and cake shared with shelter staff and guests.
But as The Salvation Army’s (Sunderland operator) Peter Pemberton said, this is more than just another anniversary. “It is a year of offering stability and hope to people on the fringes of society. It is a year of bridging people to services that bring positive change to their lives. It is a year of forging relationships with people that perhaps had none beforehand.”
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Above Row 1: Images from 1-year Anniversary celebration at Sunderland RV Safe Park Village.
Above Row 2: A volunteer from Calvary Chapel Community Church gave Jeff a haircut after guests and staff shared a meal to celebrate Sunderland RV Safe Rest Park’s one year anniversary.
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Mayor Ted Wheeler visited Clinton Triangle in July and met with Urban Alchemy staff as the shelter marked one year of operations.
In the past 12 months, nearly 550 people experiencing homelessness have received shelter and services at Clinton Triangle. More than half have moved on to permanent housing.
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Each quarter we update our Shelter Services Data Dashboard. Our current update reflects two years of data from July 2022 - June 2024 - though some sites have only been open or part of our system for part of that period. Together this includes nine shelters with onsite services. |
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 Our Dashboard shares the latest outcomes and demographics for those served in the 24-month period our program has been been providing services (7/1/22 - 6/30/24/24). This includes the timeframe when partnerships with the State and Multnomah County, through Oregon All In and Housing Multnomah Now funds, expedited housing placements in early 2024.
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When Mr. Rogers quoted his mother as saying “look for the helpers” when helping him navigate disasters and scary situations, he easily could have been talking about our City of Portland partners in the Fire Bureau in the CHAT (Community Health Assess and Treat) program. Made up of a mix of paramedics, nurses, EMTs, and community health workers, the CHAT team is broken into three teams. In partnership with CareOregon, the CHAT team works with a range of community partners to connect clients to needed services.
Four response teams are dispatched to low-acuity medical calls received at the 911 call center. CHAT teams assess and treat non-emergent calls in the field, ranging from exposure to various pains and falls. With their involvement, people in need are provided immediate treatment or assisted with direct access to medical appointments with primary care providers and health clinics, thus avoiding ambulance transport and emergency departments.
The CHAT Overdose Response team responds specifically to overdoses. This team provides overdose reversal and withdrawal medications at the time of the 911 call. This work is part of the Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Pilot Program, which is in partnership with Multnomah County, Central City Concern, Oregon Poison Control, and CareOregon.
Also important to their success, is the CHAT Follow-Up Team, which reconnects with each person helped after their 911 call. This team will stay in touch daily for weeks, and several months as needed, supporting clients with obtaining IDs, Oregon Health Plan services, getting to/from medical appointments, and providing connections to resources including getting into shelter, which includes those in the City’s Shelter Services program.
CHAT is estimated to have saved the healthcare system over $9M (since the program began in 2021) in diversions from emergency departments and ambulances. Equally important, their clients really appreciate the service, with 97% of CareOregon members reporting they are very satisfied with the engagement they receive from the CHAT team.
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The City of Portland is committed to equity and meaningful access, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, Limited English Proficiency, disability, age, sex, religion, income level, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status or other protected class as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related authorities. To request translation, interpretation, accommodations, modifications, or other auxiliary aids or services, or to file a complaint of discrimination, contact 503-823-4000 (311), Relay Service & TTY: 711, or contacts above in the Get In Touch section.
Traducción e Interpretación | Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch | अनुवादन तथा व्याख्या | 口笔译服务 | Устный и письменный перевод | Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad | Письмовий і усний переклад | Traducere și interpretariat | Chiaku me | Awewen Kapas
Translation and Interpretation: 311
The City of Portland ensures meaningful access and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. To request these services, call 311 for Relay Service or TTY: 711.
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