Do Good Multnomah

Today is Purple Heart Day! We honor the brave and resilient, reminding us of the sacrifices made by Veterans whose valor and dedication have shaped the pages of history. Before the Purple Heart as we know it today, George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in 1782 to recognize and boost morale among military troops. It was the first award meant for enlisted service members. The Purple Heart medal is awarded to U.S. military personnel who have been killed or wounded while serving in combat against enemy forces. It symbolizes those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives in the line of duty.

What it’s like to be a Peer Support Specialist at Do Good Multnomah? Meet Chris. He serves as Peer Support Specialist in our Housing Supportive Services (HSS) program, which focuses on a person-centered approach to housing retention, supported by the Oregon All In Initiative. 🏠 “My favorite thing about being a Peer Support Specialist is the ability to connect with people in the community and mentor them. Peer support programs have been shown to benefit homeless and houseless individuals who have fallen through the cracks in society, especially those who feel discarded, lost, or forgotten. We are changing the lives of many people within the community. It’s a rewarding experience to serve and help individuals with disabilities and those from underrepresented backgrounds. My heart is in this work. This job has allowed me to witness people grow and change for the better and to share my lived experiences with others.” - Chris Salazar ❤️

Distributing Meals to Our Shelter Participants! 🍽️❤️ We’d like to give a shoutout to our shelter food providers, Our Streets! Our Streets has been a longstanding advocate for housing security and engages in community projects that support and revitalize our neighborhoods. 🌟🏠 Do Good Multnomah has been partnering with Our Streets for nearly three years to provide meals to each participant in our five low-barrier shelters. Every single day, 538 meals are delivered.🚪🍲 Our shared values and accountability empower us to go further in this work. Thank you, Our Streets! 🏡🤝 “Two of the biggest struggles for the houseless community are housing and food. Do Good provides shelter and housing. Our Streets helps us feed them. That’s one heck of a start in solving the housing crisis if you ask me.” - Jeremiah Rider, Do Good Staff Member 🏨💬

Are you ready to join our team of change makers in Portland? 🌟 We are actively recruiting for a number of job opportunities, including entry-level positions. 📈 The culture and care we strive to create at Do Good is extremely important to all of us. We are changing the way we serve houseless Veterans and we’d love for you to be a part of that. 🇺🇸❤️ You can apply to join our team at https://lnkd.in/gcSkkjj5 📝

If you’ve read our website or followed our communication on social media, you’ll probably have recognized that we use the word “houseless” instead of using the word “homeless” when referring to individuals. This is intentional. 🌐😊 Houselessness simply means lacking a place to live. We use the term “houseless” because that is the term chosen by most of the population we serve. We listen to their preference and make the conscious effort to empower our participants in any way we can, which sometimes means adjusting our word choice. 🏠❤️ Not everyone has housing, but every person can experience home! 🏡💖 Learn more about why we use the term, “houseless” here: https://lnkd.in/g73k2VHS. 🔍📖

When we talk about Do Good serving underserved Veterans, we are talking about marginalized communities. Military service members who experience houselessness are disproportionately made up of vulnerable and marginalized identities, including Veterans of color, women-identifying individuals, extremely-low income Veterans, and queer and trans Veterans. Understanding marginalized communities within the Veteran population is why Do Good exists. Demographics and categories of social privilege are not considered in other systems of Veteran support, such as HUD-VASH, SSVF, VRAP, etc. At Do Good, they are at the center of our work.

🌟 Meet Mike Evans – the Head Chef at the soon-to-be-opened Arbor Lodge Shelter! 🌟 Mike grew up in Santa Cruz, CA with four brothers, surfboards, motorcycles, and horses. He moved to Oregon at 16, and joined the Marine Corps two years later. During his time as a Case Manager and Chef at the Wy’East shelter, Mike has worked with Veterans with diverse lived experiences, including helping them navigate and understand the VA system. He is also a Certified Veteran Peer Support Specialist! 🏄♂️🏍️🐎🎖️ Mike brings his own experience to this work: at one point in his life, Mike experienced houselessness and found his way to Do Good’s Veterans Village. He secured permanent housing with Do Good’s support. He knows, first hand, how our programs work and operate. 🏡 Mike has always had a passion for cooking and has extensive experience cooking for large crews. He even put himself through cooking school in Umbria, Italy! In his free time, you’ll find him cooking up new recipes with his fiancée at home! 🍽️🇮🇹🥘👩❤️👨

Do Good hosted our Annual Summer All Staff Celebration at the Columbia Park last week! 🎉 Staff attended to celebrate the lives of our program participants and colleagues who passed away this year. We understand that our work isn't the easiest, but it's necessary and life-changing. We use this celebration to honor our community members and our staff in continuing to advocate for housing and provide true care for those who are surviving the streets. When done together, we can achieve so much more! 💪🏽 The colorful day was filled with camaraderie, challenge coin awards, food trucks, a giant parachute, cornhole tournaments, ‘In Memory Of’ rock-painting, and a very fun, very messy pie-eating contest! 🌈 🎨 🥧 Thank you to Portland General Electric for sponsoring our all staff event and huge kudos to all of Do Good for providing a place of healing and self-determination for our vulnerable neighbors. ❤️🏠

🌟Looking for a way to serve the houseless community? Are you a master at folding? Have an eye for organizing?🌟 Our Resource Center is filling up with donations, and we would love your support in helping us process these essential goods. Your service will ensure each donation gets to our shelter participants in the fastest way possible. 📅 We have regular clothing closet volunteer opportunities every Friday, starting July 17th. 📅 Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gJzWJDC4

We are in an official weather state of emergency! Please help spread the word about cooling centers during this heat wave. Multnomah County, Joint Office of Homeless Services and City of Portland will open three emergency cooling centers beginning July 5th at 12p, and Do Good is proud to support. Temperatures are expected to shoot up to 100 degrees before hitting 102 degrees on Saturday. ☀️   No one will be turned away and pets are welcome. TriMet will transport anyone going to a cooling space for free. 🐕🚌   🧊Portland Covenant Church: 4046 NE MLK Jr Blvd, operated by @dogoodmultnomah 🧊Cook Plaza: 19421 S.E. Stark St., Gresham 🧊The Hugo: 6221 NE 82nd Ave, Portland   For more more information, visit multco.us/hot For location and transit information, call 2-1-1