Neighborhood Partnerships

I agree with the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Their column for The Nation, (read it here), provides an alternative to a July column that offers tips for folks forced to live on the streets. The National Alliance to End Homelessness urges us all to act as communities to create lasting solutions to homelessness and gives us ten steps to take.

The Alliance list has been around a while, so its recommendations aren’t news here in Oregon. Our state and many of our communities have already taken big steps to address the problem, including passage of a new and dedicated funding source for affordable housing during the last legislative session.

But, the dialogue on the pages of The Nation can serve to remind us that it’s all too easy to accept the unacceptable as inevitable when times get bad. As I said above. Living on the streets? No thanks.

On July 16, 2009, Bridges to Housing and the Pacific Northwest Regional Chapter of the National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials (PNRC-NAHRO) held a private screening of the film Where God Left His Shoes.

This film, starring John Leguizamo, highlights the growing problem of family homelessness, following a homeless family in New York City. Nearly 200 people joined us to see this important film.

The evening opened with a reception prior to the screening of the film. We ended the evening with stories about the PNRC-NAHRO Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to college for residents of public and affordable housing and Bridges to Housing, which serves high-need homeless families. We also heard from a Bridges to Housing participant about how the program and her case manager have helped change her life. Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury and former Commissioner Serena Cruz Walsh wrapped up the evening by talking about the importance of these critical programs.

We’d like to thank everyone for coming and their support! We’d particularly like to thank our sponsors:

Providence Health & Services
Portland Trail Blazers

And of course, our patrons and guests! Of course if you wanted to come but were unable to join us, you can still support Bridges to Housing through our website. If you would like to watch the film you can rent it from your local Blockbuster.

Bridges to Housing also has more exciting news – August will mark the release of the mid-year evaluation report. Stay tuned!