This story has been shared with permission; based on an interview with Tehanna in March, 2024.
Two days before Thanksgiving, Tehanna Welch, 32, and her partner were stranded on the streets of Portland, homeless for the first time in their lives.
Originally from Texas, Tehanna moved from Central Oregon last year with her “other half” to care for his father, who’d had a stroke. But when the situation changed, they were left high and dry.
“It was a shock to me, I’ve never been in that situation before,” Tehanna said.
She’d also just found out she was pregnant with her first child.
Tehanna and her partner were placed in a motel for a few weeks by an organization they were working for in Sandy, but the arrangement fell through. They lived in a tent through the cold wet of Portland winter until January, when they got a call offering shelter at Clinton Triangle.
Her faith in God, and staying positive, got her though that tribulation.
Now at Clinton Triangle, she’s built close, loving relationships with the staff.
"They're all one big family here,” Tehanna said. “I think this place does a great job of helping people. But you can't help those who don't want to help themselves."
Before getting their vehicle repaired, Tehanna’s partner was riding a bus two hours each way to his job at a foundry in Eagle Creek.
They’re saving money and in the process of applying for permanent housing, waiting patiently for more funding from the state of Oregon to trickle into available rent vouchers.
Tehanna, now five months pregnant with a baby boy, wants to go back to school. She has an associate degree in psychology and is eager to earn a bachelor's degree so she can pursue a career in mental health counseling for young adults.
“We’re hoping to get into a place soon, somewhere in a good community with good schools, where we can raise our family and start over,” she said.
Note: As of this blog publishing, Tehanna has moved into a new apartment where she’ll have a few weeks to settle in before her baby boy is expected to arrive.