Success Story #1: A 70 yr old woman, one month away from permanent housing
It was an ordinary Saturday morning in mid-May when the Streets Services Coordination Center Incident Commander received a call from a Deputy Fire Chief. Portland Fire & Rescue was contacted by a community member in Old Town because of a recent camp removal posting. One of the camp residents was a 70 year old woman who was incredibly worried at the prospect of having to move. After being on a waiting list for several months she was finally approved for permanent housing. However, it wasn't available for a few weeks and she was scared she would lose it because her outreach worker wouldn’t be able to locate her if she moved. Also, at her age moving all her belongings and finding a new temporary camping spot was no easy feat. The SSCC was asked to step in.
The SSCC Incident Commander immediately got on the phone with the Joint Office of Homeless Services, who then called a Navigation Team supervisor. Portland Police was also contacted and they drove to Old Town to find the woman in need of assistance. Within an hour the woman was given a hotel voucher, automatically set to renew every six days. The entire team worked together and spent over two hours getting the woman’s stuff packed up. Although the SSCC generally provides people with one taxi ride to a shelter, they made arrangements for two taxis to pick the woman up so she could take all of her belongings with her.
The next day Portland Fire and Rescue followed up with her and bought the woman groceries.
This is just one of the many examples of how the SSCC is working together, in partnership with several offices and agencies, to get people living on the streets the services they need.
Success Story #2: Home at last
A 48-year-old woman had been experiencing homelessness for six years. She had worked her entire life, but began experiencing intense symptoms of an undiagnosed mental health condition in 2016 and was unable to maintain a job. She did not access mental health services because she was led to believe she didn’t need any help. She began working again in 2021 and has held down a full-time job for over 1 ½ years now. She recently stated that all she wanted was a home, a small one, just something to call home. The Navigation Team connected with her and helped get her housing application completed. When the application was denied, they helped her appeal the decision and advocated for her, highlighting her recent successes and explaining why housing had been unobtainable for several years. Because of this support she was approved for housing and moved into her own home in April. This is what she had to say about the experience of working with the Navigation Team: "I never knew that I could appeal a denial. [They] showed me how to stand up for myself, something no one showed me before. All I needed was a little help and you gave that to me. All I wanted was a place to call home and you helped me get that." She loves her new home and continues to work full-time, pays rent on time and is living a life she has wanted for several years.
Success Story #3: A Ford Explorer is no place to call home
The Navigation Team recently made contact with a very nice young woman who had two children, both under the age of 6. The Navigation Team said her children were some of the sweetest, most kind children they had ever worked with. She also had two dogs. And all five of them were living in a Ford Explorer. The woman worked full time, but just couldn’t afford rent anymore. So she held down a full time job and took care of her children and pets in a Ford Explorer. After the Navigation Team heard her story they immediately helped her apply for housing. Within a couple of weeks the woman had secured permanent housing for her and her family.
Success Story #4: Navigating medical procedures and homelessness
In the winter of 2021 Elle was diagnosed with several life-changing health conditions and she was forced to live in her car. She was able to live off of her SSI income and continued to see doctors for a couple of months, but she was told her needed several surgeries and she knew she couldn’t recover safely in her car. A Navigation Team member was connected to Elle and helped her secure a shelter space while she recovered from her necessary medical procedures. It was a very challenging and involved process and took a long time, but they worked together to secure extended shelter. During the process Elle expressed how frustrated she was with social service agencies. She said they were hard to navigate and she didn’t feel supported. The Navigation Team member helped prepare Elle for her upcoming surgeries and got her connected to the Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon. She said they gave her support that no other agency had in the past. She was assigned a case manager and was supported while they navigated her surgeries and figured out a path forward. For the first time since being homeless she felt both seen and heard. Elle successfully underwent all her necessary surgeries and is in an extended shelter while she waits for permanent housing.